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From: jim@ISM780B.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Re: struct element orderin vs. align
Message-ID: <133@ISM780B.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Jan-85 01:47:07 EST
Article-I.D.: ISM780B.133
Posted: Mon Jan 14 01:47:07 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jan-85 02:15:39 EST
Lines: 19
Nf-ID: #R:brl-tgr:-711200:ISM780B:25500089:000:419
Nf-From: ISM780B!jim    Jan 10 11:09:00 1985

>Sigh,
>        until you give me a subclass mechanism that ensures that the
>representation of two data types share a common prefix, I'll rely on this
>compiler hack.

You already have it:

struct {
	common part;
	union {
		distinct part1;
		distinct part2;
		...
	};
};
The distinct parts can of course be structures.
This is the only guaranteed portable way to do this.

-- Jim Balter, INTERACTIVE Systems (ima!jim)