Issue with arrays, pointers, and structs.

Code:

---

#include "stdio.h"

struct person{
        int personID;
        //more stuff here later on
};
struct person *population[10];

int main(int argc, char *argv[]){
        int i;
       
        for(i = 0; i < 10; i++){
                struct person p;
                population[i] = &p;
                population[i]->personID = i;
        }
       
        for(i = 0; i < 10; i++){
                printf("Person Address: %d \n",*(population[i]));
                printf("Person ID: %d \n",population[i]->personID);
        }
}

---

First off, I'm fairly new to C and still trying to figure things out. I'm trying to create an array of pointers to person structs. I expected each iteration of the first for loop to create a new person struct with a new memory address. However it just seems to be giving me the same one every time. I've been reading up on structs, arrays, and pointers on google and I can't figure out why my code isn't working.

Output from second loop:
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9
Person Address: 1606416904
Person ID: 9

Could someone tell me how to get this working?

Since your variable p is declared inside the for loop, at the end of each iteration of your for loop, your variable p goes away. Your pointer is still a valid variable, but it is pointing at something that no longer exists.

Since nothing exciting happened between one iteration of the for loop and the next one, when the next variable p was created, it used the same, recently deallocated, piece of memory as before (this is why all your pointers point to the same place).

Did you get this working? You are about 97% there already!

Try allocating memory for each of your assignments...

Code:

---


/* for instance */
... 
  population[i]= malloc (sizeof (struct person));
...

---

What tabstop pointed out, should have been a big clue!

I'd say he's 50% there. Need to malloc each struct. Or stop using an array of pointers to structs and just use an array of 10 structs. population[10] (without the *)

[ never mind. slingerland3g has already suggested it... while I was posting. ]

Thanks a lot. I have it working now.