From: mert0407 AT sable DOT ox DOT ac DOT uk (George Foot)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: Difference between struct setups
Date: 14 Oct 1997 19:29:10 GMT
Organization: Oxford University, England
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On Mon, 13 Oct 1997 18:02:46 GMT in comp.os.msdos.djgpp Jamie Love
(jamie DOT love AT clear DOT net DOT nz) wrote: 

: typedef struct X
:  {
:     .....
:  } X;
: ..
: X x;

: Now, when i was programming in borlands compiler, i just went:

: struct X
:  {
:    .....
:  };
: ..
: X x;

: So, what is the difference??

The second one won't work unless you're using a C++ compiler. A struct is
defined:

struct <identifier> { ..... };

It is referred to in your code (C) as `struct <identifier>', not just
`<identifier>'.

A typedef is a way of taking one type and giving it a new name, for
example:

typedef int thirtytwo_bit_integer;

After that, the type `thirtytwo_bit_integer' is identical to `int'. So the
first quoted struct definition is effectively:

struct <identifier> { ... };
typedef struct <identifier> <identifier>;

The effect is that you can now refer to the struct as just `<identifier>'
instead of `struct <identifier>'. You can do this anyway in C++, which is
presumably why your Borland compiler didn't give an error.

: I have trouble also understanding why i couldn't use the second setup in my
: c code in a small test program i made (it gave me many errors) while in
: another program i could go:

: struct X
:  {
:    .....
:  }y;

: why??

When declaring/defining a variable of struct type, you must prefix the
struct's identifier with `struct':

struct X y;

not

X y;

*Unless* you do the typedef above:

typedef struct X y;
X y;

is perfectly valid, provided struct X has been defined.

-- 
George Foot <mert0407 AT sable DOT ox DOT ac DOT uk>
Merton College, Oxford