C program to store inventory system using structures

In C programming, an inventory management system can be efficiently implemented using structures to store and organize product information. Structures allow us to group related data of different types under a single entity, making it perfect for managing inventory details like item names, codes, quantities, prices, and manufacturing dates.

Syntax

struct structure_name {
    datatype member1;
    datatype member2;
    /* more members */
};

Features of Structures

The key features of structures in C programming are −

• Enables grouping of different data types under a single name

• Supports copying entire structure contents using assignment operator

• Allows creation of nested structures for complex data handling

• Enables passing structures to functions as parameters

• Supports creation of structure pointers for dynamic memory management

Example: Inventory Management System

The following program demonstrates how to create and manage an inventory system using nested structures −

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main() {
    struct date {
        int day;
        int month;
        int year;
    };
    
    struct details {
        char name[20];
        int price;
        int code;
        int qty;
        struct date mfg;
    };
    
    struct details item[50];
    int n, i;
    
    printf("Enter number of items: ");
    scanf("%d", &n);
    
    for(i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        printf("\nItem %d:<br>", i + 1);
        printf("Item name: ");
        scanf("%s", item[i].name);
        printf("Item code: ");
        scanf("%d", &item[i].code);
        printf("Quantity: ");
        scanf("%d", &item[i].qty);
        printf("Price: ");
        scanf("%d", &item[i].price);
        printf("Manufacturing date (dd mm yyyy): ");
        scanf("%d %d %d", &item[i].mfg.day, &item[i].mfg.month, &item[i].mfg.year);
    }
    
    printf("<br> ***** INVENTORY *****<br>");
    printf("------------------------------------------------------------------<br>");
    printf("S.N.| NAME      | CODE | QUANTITY | PRICE | MFG.DATE<br>");
    printf("------------------------------------------------------------------<br>");
    
    for(i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        printf("%-4d%-11s%-6d%-10d%-7d%02d/%02d/%d<br>", 
               i + 1, item[i].name, item[i].code, 
               item[i].qty, item[i].price,
               item[i].mfg.day, item[i].mfg.month, item[i].mfg.year);
    }
    
    printf("------------------------------------------------------------------<br>");
    
    return 0;
}

Enter number of items: 3

Item 1:
Item name: pen
Item code: 12
Quantity: 50
Price: 25
Manufacturing date (dd mm yyyy): 12 2 2020

Item 2:
Item name: pencil
Item code: 15
Quantity: 100
Price: 30
Manufacturing date (dd mm yyyy): 11 3 2020

Item 3:
Item name: book
Item code: 34
Quantity: 30
Price: 60
Manufacturing date (dd mm yyyy): 15 4 2020

 ***** INVENTORY *****
------------------------------------------------------------------
S.N.| NAME      | CODE | QUANTITY | PRICE | MFG.DATE
------------------------------------------------------------------
1   pen        12    50        25     12/02/2020
2   pencil     15    100       30     11/03/2020
3   book       34    30        60     15/04/2020
------------------------------------------------------------------

Key Points

• Nested Structures: The date structure is nested within the details structure
• Array of Structures: Multiple inventory items are stored using an array of structures
• Data Organization: Related information is grouped logically for better management
• Input Validation: Use proper format specifiers for different data types

Conclusion

Structures provide an elegant solution for inventory management in C by organizing related data efficiently. This approach enables easy data manipulation, storage, and retrieval for complex inventory systems.