Union in C [Dev Shorts #1]

In C, a union is a data structure that allows different types of data to be stored in the same memory area. A union is similar to a structure (struct), but has an important difference: in a union, all the component variables share the same memory area, which means that only one of its component data types can be stored in the union at any given time.

Example

Usage

Unions have practical applications in many situations where different data types need to be managed efficiently in a single memory area. Here are some examples of practical applications of unions:

Data structures: Unions are often used to create data structures that can store different types of information. For example, in programming language parsers or file formats, where data elements may have different types, unions can be used to temporarily store this data.

Bit processing: Unions are useful for manipulating individual bits in variables. You can use unions to interpret the same sequence of bits as different data types. For example, to create bit structures or to…