What is the difference between scalar types and aggregate types in C?

Question

I read a book called Pointers On C, in this book there is a type called scalar types.
I know that arithmetic types and pointer types are collectively called scalar types, but I want to know what is the difference between the types of the scalar type and the type of aggregate and what they use?

Answer 1

C11-§6.2.5 Types (p21):

Arithmetic types and pointer types are collectively called scalar types. Array types and structures are collectively called aggregate types. ⁴⁶⁾

Scalar data types can contain only one data element, while aggregate types can contain more than one data element.

int a; //Scalar Type char c; //Scalar Type float *p; //Scalar Type char str[10]; //Aggregate Type struct s{ int a; float b[5]; } ss; //Aggregate Type 

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_{46) Note that the aggregate type does not include the union type, because an object with the union type can contain only one element at a time.}

Answer 2

Since the aggregation of words itself assumes that the types of aggregation are composed of other types.

Aggregation types C use array types and structures.

Note that the type of aggregation may include a different type of aggregation.

The following is an example of aggregation types.

 #include <stdio.h> int main( void ) { struct TLine { struct TPoint { int x; int y; } first, second; } lines[10] = { [0] = { { 0, 0 }, { 10, 10 } } }; printf( "lines[%d].first = { %d, %d }, lines[%d].second = { %d, %d }\n", 0, lines[0].first.x, lines[0].first.y, 0, lines[0].second.x, lines[0].second.y ); } 

Program exit

 lines[0].first = { 0, 0 }, lines[0].second = { 10, 10 } 

A TLine structure is an aggregation type that contains another definition of the aggregation type of a struct TPoint . And lines is the object of yet another type of aggrefation - the TLines array.

Answer 3

The Internet can be your friend! But a scalar type is a type for which arithmetic exists for its values ​​(integers, floats, pointers), and the aggregate type is just a type for which values ​​are the roots of values, i.e. A collection of values, for which there is no natural arithmetic (for example, a person described by his name and age, you cannot add or multiply two persons ...).

Answer 4

Taken from here :

C Scalar

"C Scalar Data Types" displays C scalar data types, providing their size and format. Aligning a scalar data type is equal to its size. Scalar Alignment shows scalar alignments that apply to individual scalars and scalars that are elements of an array or members of a structure or union. Wide characters are supported (character constants with the L prefix). The size of each wide character is 4 bytes.

C Aggregate data types

Aggregate data type consists of one or more types of scalar data. You can declare the following aggregate data types:

• Array

• Union

• Struct

It was just a brief definition, but the link I gave has great content.

To make this clearer, here is a block diagram:

Here is an even more detailed block diagram: