c - How can I add items into a struct without creating variables -

i using struct store string , integer so:

struct movement {     char *direction;     int steps; }; 

i can add items struct doing this

struct movement m1= { "right",20 }; struct movement m2= { "left" ,10 }; 

the end result trying achieve collect user inputs (e.g. "right 20"), , store in struct. how can store unknown number of user inputs struct without use of variables (m1, m2 etc) since not know how many items there @ end.

use linked list. recursive data structure great want.

here example code wrote while ago might help:

#include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <string.h>  /* basic linked list structure */ typedef struct node node_t;  struct node {     char *direction;     int steps;     node_t *next; };  /* pointers head , tail of list */ typedef struct {     node_t *head;     node_t *foot; } list_t;  list_t *initialize_list(void); list_t *insert_nodes(list_t *list, char *direction, int steps); void free_list(list_t *list); node_t *generate_node(void); void print_list(list_t *list); void exit_if_null(void *ptr, const char *msg);  int main(int argc, char const *argv[]) {     list_t *list;      /* empty list created */     list = initialize_list();      /* inserting information 1 time */     list = insert_nodes(list, "right", 20);     list = insert_nodes(list, "left", 10);      print_list(list);      /* freeing list @ end */     free_list(list);     list = null;      return 0; }  /* function insert information node */ list_t *insert_nodes(list_t *list, char *direction, int steps) {      /* called generate_node() create new node */     node_t *new;     new = generate_node();      /* puts steps information node */     new->steps = steps;      /* allocates space direction string */     /* needed because *direction pointer */     new->direction = malloc(strlen(direction)+1);      /* copies direction info node */     strcpy(new->direction, direction);      /* inserting information @ tail of list */     new->next = null;      if (list->foot == null) {         /* first insertion list */         list->head = list->foot = new;     } else {         list->foot->next = new;         list->foot = new;     }      /* returns modified list */     return list; }  .* function generates new nodes */ node_t *generate_node(void) {     node_t *newnode;      /* create space new node */     newnode = malloc(sizeof(*newnode));     exit_if_null(newnode, "allocation");      /* initialize node info nothing */     newnode->direction = null;     newnode->steps = 0;      return newnode; }  /* creates empty linked list */ list_t  *initialize_list(void) {     list_t *list;      create space list */     list = malloc(sizeof(*list));     exit_if_null(list, "allocation");      /* set pointers null */     /* don't want them pointing @ yet */     list->head = list->foot = null;      return list; }  /* function prints entire list */ void print_list(list_t *list) {      /* start @ head of list */     node_t *curr = list->head;      while (curr) {         printf("%s %d\n", curr->direction, curr->steps);          /* steps through list */         curr = curr->next;     } }  /* function frees nodes */ void free_list(list_t *list) {     node_t *curr, *prev;      /* start @ beginning of list */     curr = list->head;      /* frees nodes 1 @ time */     while(curr) {         prev = curr;         curr = curr->next;         free(prev);     }      /* frees entire list */     free(list); }  /* function checks malloc(), , whether enough space allocated */ void exit_if_null(void *ptr, const char *msg) {     if (!ptr) {         printf("unexpected null pointer: %s\n", msg);         exit(exit_failure);     } }