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C: "array type has incomplete element type" when using array of struct without typedef

Problem: The following code snippet compiles well (where both struct types are typedefed):

typedef struct {
    int a;
    float b;
} member_struct;

typedef struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
} outside_struct;

outside_struct my_struct_array[4];

However, if the typedef of the "outside_struct" is dropped:

typedef struct {
    int a;
    float b;
} member_struct;

struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
} outside_struct;

struct outside_struct my_struct_array[4];

I get the error: "array type has incomplete element type 'struct outside_struct'". And if I also drop the typedef of "member_struct", I get an extra error: "field 'c' has incomplete type"

Question: Why it happens? Is using typedef strictly necessary here? In my code, I otherwise never use typedef for structure types, so I am looking for a way to avoid that, if possible.

over 1 year ago · Santiago Trujillo

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If you drop the typedef, you need to add a struct tag instead: struct outside_struct { ... };

over 1 year ago · Santiago Trujillo Denunciar

0

Typedef is used to create an additional name (alias) for another data type.

typedef int myInt; //=>equivalent to "int"
myInt index = 0; //=>equivalent to "int index = 0;"

It's the same logic for struct.

typedef struct myStruct {} myStruct_t; //=> equivalent to "struct myStruct {};"
myStruct_t myStructVariable; //=> equivalent to "struct myStruct myStructVariable;"

syntaxe = "typedef type newAlias;"

"myStruct{}" is a new type that contain all the type that you want (int, char...)

over 1 year ago · Santiago Trujillo Denunciar

Responde la pregunta

Encuentra empleos remotos

Accepted Answer · 2022-04-28T15:07:08.098Z

In this declaration

struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
} outside_struct;

there is declared the object outside_struct of unnamed structure type. Neither structure with the name struct outside_struct is declared.

So the compiler issues an error in this declaration of an array

struct outside_struct my_struct_array[4];

because in this declaration there is introduced the type specifier struct outside_struct that is not defined. That is in this declaration the type specifier struct outside_struct is an incomplete type.

You may not declare an array with an incomplete element type.

Instead of declaring the object outside_struct of an unnamed structure you need to declare a structure with the same tag name as

struct  outside_struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
};