summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/reference/C/SYNTAX/union.html
blob: 5334e3bcf8598edf2d823973e18ae26296efd28c (plain)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
<title>The UNION keyword.</title>
<head>
<script language="JavaScript">
</script>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffcc">
<hr>
<center><h1>The UNION keyword.</h1></center>
<hr>

The <b>union</b> <a href="../glossary.html#keyword">keyword</a> allows several 
variables of different type and size to occupy the same storage location.
<p>
The syntax to define a union is simular to the
<a href="struct.html">struct</a> keyword as shown below:<p>


<pre>
	union union_def { int a; float b; char c;} ;
</pre>

and a variable declared with either of these statements:

<pre>
	union union_def union_var;
	union { int a; float b; char c;} union_var;
</pre>

If you wish to initalise a variable you can say:

<pre>
	union { int a; float b; char c;} union_var=97;
</pre>

By default the first variable (<b>a</b>) is initalised.
<p>

To assign a value to a variable you can say:

<pre>
	union_var.b=99.99;
	union_var.a=34;
	union_var.c='x';
</pre>
It's important to note that the storage will only hold ONE value, 
looking at the
three lines above, <b>union_var.a</b> overwrites <b>union_var.b</b> and 
then <b>union_var.c</b> overwrites <b>union_var.a</b><p>



I have yet to see more than one use for this keyword.
<hr>
<h2>Examples:</h2>
<img src="../../GRAPHICS/computer.gif" align=left>
<a href="../EXAMPLES/union.c"> Here is an example.</a>
<br clear=left>
<hr>
<h2>See also:</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="struct.html">struct</a> keyword.
</ul>
 

<p>

<hr>
<p>
<center>
<table border=2 width="80%" bgcolor="ivory">
<tr align=center>
<td width="25%">
<a href="../cref.html">                  Top</a>
</td><td width="25%">
<a href="../master_index.html">          Master Index</a>
</td><td width="25%">
<a href="keywords.html">                 Keywords</a>
</td><td width="25%">
<a href="../FUNCTIONS/funcref.htm">      Functions</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<p>
<hr>
<address>Martin Leslie 
</address><p>
</body>
</html>