C: "array type has incomplete element type" when using array of struct without typedef

Problem: The following code snippet compiles well (where both struct types are typedefed):

typedef struct {
    int a;
    float b;
} member_struct;

typedef struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
} outside_struct;

outside_struct my_struct_array[4];

However, if the typedef of the "outside_struct" is dropped:

typedef struct {
    int a;
    float b;
} member_struct;

struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
} outside_struct;

struct outside_struct my_struct_array[4];

I get the error:
"array type has incomplete element type 'struct outside_struct'".
And if I also drop the typedef of "member_struct", I get an extra error:
"field 'c' has incomplete type"

Question: Why it happens? Is using typedef strictly necessary here? In my code, I otherwise never use typedef for structure types, so I am looking for a way to avoid that, if possible.

>Solution :

In this declaration

struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
} outside_struct;

there is declared the object outside_struct of unnamed structure type. Neither structure with the name struct outside_struct is declared.

So the compiler issues an error in this declaration of an array

struct outside_struct my_struct_array[4];

because in this declaration there is introduced the type specifier struct outside_struct that is not defined. That is in this declaration the type specifier struct outside_struct is an incomplete type.

You may not declare an array with an incomplete element type.

Instead of declaring the object outside_struct of an unnamed structure you need to declare a structure with the same tag name as

struct  outside_struct {
    int a;
    double b;
    member_struct c;
};