Unions In C

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Vishesh Namdev
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C Programming Language

Unions is a user-defined data type that enables the storage of different data types in the same memory location. Unlike structures, where each member has its own memory space, members of a union share the same memory space. The size of a union is determined by the size of its largest member. Unions are useful when you need to represent a single memory location that can hold values of different types interchangeably.

Syntax of Unions

union union_name {
data_type member1 ;
data_type member2 ;
// ... more members if needed
;

Declaring and using Unions

You can declare variables of a Union type in the same way you declare variables of basic data types.

// Define a union named Number
union Number {
int integerValue ;
float floatValue ;
;
union Number num ;

// Assign an integer value to the union and print it
num.integerValue = 42;
printf ("Integer Value: %d ", num.integerValue );

// Assign a float value to the union and print it
num.floatValue = 3.14;
printf ("Float Value: %.2f ", num.floatValue );

Size of Union in C

A union in C like a shared storage space where you can keep different types of things, but the size of the storage is determined by the largest thing you want to put in there. It's like having a box that can fit a big toy or several smaller toys. No matter what you put in the box, it won't overflow because everything shares the same space. This helps save memory, making it a smart choice when you want to use one storage for different-sized things without wasting any space.

// Define a union named Data
union Data {
int integerValue ;
char charValue ;
;
// Print the size of the Data union
printf ("Size of Data union: %lu bytes ", sizeof ( union Data ));

Example of Unions

#include <stdio.h> Copy Code
// Define a union named Number
union Number {
int integerValue ;
float floatValue ;
;
int main () {
// Declare a variable of type Number
union Number num ;

// Assign values to the members
num.integerValue = 42;

// Access and display the values
printf ("Integer Value: %d ", num.integerValue );

// Change the type of value stored in the union
num.floatValue = 3.14;

// Access and display the values
printf ("Float Value: %.2f ", num.floatValue );

return 0;

Output

Integer Value: 42
Float Value: 3.14
In this example,

1. The Number union is defined with two members: integerValue and floatValue.

2. A variable num of type union Number is declared.

3. The integerValue member is assigned the value 42 and then displayed.

4. The floatValue member is assigned the value 3.14, and its value is displayed.

This demonstrates how a union allows you to use the same memory space for different types of data interchangeably. In this case, the union is used to store both an integer and a float at different times.

Diffrence between Structures and Unions

Diffrence between Structers and Unions in C
Introduction
Control Flow and Decision Making
Functions
Arrays and Strings in C
Pointers in C
Structures and Unions
File Handling
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