Week 13: Data structures

A data structure keeps related pieces of information together in one place. In C, you define a new structure with the struct keyword. Its fields sit between curly braces, and you reach one field with a period, as in player.wpm. This week you practice typing {, }, : and . on the US English layout.

What you will learn

On the US English layout:

• {: the [ key with Shift. Press Shift with the opposite pinky, and press the [ key with your right pinky.
• }: the ] key with Shift. Press Shift with the opposite pinky, and press the ] key with your right pinky.
• :: the ; key with Shift. Press Shift with the opposite pinky, and press the ; key with your right pinky.
• .: the . key, with your right ring finger.

A struct that stores a typing result:

struct player {
    int wpm;
    int accuracy;
};

Technique tips

• Think of the opening brace and the closing brace as one pair. Write the fields two lines in, so the block is easy to read.
• The colon uses Shift and the same key as the semicolon. Check the screen to confirm you typed a colon and not a semicolon.
• Type a period right against the field name, as in player.wpm, with no spaces around it.
• Press Enter and the lines inside the struct are indented for you. Do not add extra spaces by hand.

Lessons

1. Lesson 1, learn (10 to 15 minutes): Watch the four symbols on the keyboard demo. Type each one five times.
2. Lesson 2, practice (10 to 15 minutes): Type the struct player block from the example. Then type player.wpm and player.accuracy.
3. Lesson 3, review (10 to 15 minutes): Take the two-minute test with struct lines. Save your result and practice the braces you got wrong.

This week’s goal

This week’s target is 22 WPM and 94% accuracy. Finishing the week’s lessons earns you 1 star. Reach 94% accuracy for 2 stars, and also reach 22 WPM for 3 stars. A missing brace in a struct affects the whole block, so focus on accuracy first.