programming-for-dummies

324
Using Structures with Arrays
Figure 1-9:
A structure
can hold
only one
group of
related data,
but an array
of structures
can hold
multiple
groups of
related data.
Structure Company
Dim Name as String
Dim Contact as String
Dim Sales as Single
End Structure
Name:
Contact:
Sales:
Name:
Contact:
Sales:
An array of structures can store
multiple groups of data.
Name:
Contact:
Sales:
A structure can group
related data in one place.
Name:
Contact:
Sales:
Name:
Contact:
Sales:
Dim Customers(3) as Company
To use a structure with an array, you must first define a structure and the
variables you want to store inside that structure. So if you want to store a
company name, contact person, and total sales made to the company, you
could define a structure like this:
Structure Company
Dim Name as String
Dim Contact as String
Dim Sales as Single
End Structure
Next, you can define your array, but instead of making your array hold a data
type, like strings or integers, you can make your array hold your structure
like this:
Dim Customers(3) as Company
This code creates an array, with elements numbered from 0 to 3, which
holds the Company structure that you defined, as shown in Figure 1-10.
0 1 2 3
Figure 1-10:
An array of
structures
acts like a
Rolodex file
or a simple
database.
BYOB Inc.
Ellie Parks
58654.83
Array
Acme Inc.
Joe Dunn
6457.79
Structures
Microsoft
Bill Gates
50195.27
Infinity LLC
Mary Young
485.03