How can I guarantee that my enums definition doesn't change in JavaScript?

Question

Would the following make the objects fulfil all characteristics that enums have in JavaScript? Something like:

my.namespace.ColorEnum = {
  RED : 0,
  GREEN : 1,
  BLUE : 2
}

// later on

if(currentColor == my.namespace.ColorEnum.RED) {
  // whatever
}

Or is there some other way I can do this?

Answer 1

Self-Descriptive Extensible Variable Names

Let's cut straight to the problem: file size. Every other answer listed here bloats your minified code to the extreme. I present to you that for the best possible reduction in code size by minification, performance, readability of code, large scale project management, and syntax hinting in many code editors, this is the correct way to do enumerations: underscore-notation variables.

---

As demonstrated in the chart above and example below, here are five easy steps to get started:

1. Determine a name for the enumeration group. Think of a noun that can describe the purpose of the enumeration or at least the entries in the enumeration. For example, a group of enumerations representing colors choosable by the user might be better named COLORCHOICES than COLORS.
2. Decide whether enumerations in the group are mutually-exclusive or independent. If mutually-exclusive, start each enumerated variable name with ENUM_. If independent or side-by-side, use INDEX_.
3. For each entry, create a new local variable whose name starts with ENUM_ or INDEX_, then the name of the group, then an underscore, then a unique friendly name for the property
4. Add a ENUMLENGTH_, ENUMLEN_, INDEXLENGTH_, or INDEXLEN_ (whether LEN_ or LENGTH_ is personal preference) enumerated variable at the very end. You should use this variable wherever possible in your code to ensure that adding an extra entry to the enumeration and incrementing this value won't break your code.
5. Give each successive enumerated variable a value one more than the last, starting at 0. There are comments on this page that say 0 should not be used as an enumerated value because 0 == null, 0 == false, 0 == "", and other JS craziness. I submit to you that, to avoid this problem and boost performance at the same time, always use === and never let == appear in your code except with typeof (e.x. typeof X == "string"). In all my years of using ===, I have never once had a problem with using 0 as an enumeration value. If you are still squeamish, then 1 could be used as the starting value in ENUM_ enumerations (but not in INDEX_ enumerations) without performance penalty in many cases.

const ENUM_COLORENUM_RED   = 0;
const ENUM_COLORENUM_GREEN = 1;
const ENUM_COLORENUM_BLUE  = 2;
const ENUMLEN_COLORENUM    = 3;

// later on

if(currentColor === ENUM_COLORENUM_RED) {
   // whatever
}

Here is how I remember when to use INDEX_ and when to use ENUM_:

// Precondition: var arr = []; //
arr[INDEX_] = ENUM_;

However, ENUM_ can, in certain circumstances, be appropriate as an index such as when counting the occurrences of each item.

const ENUM_PET_CAT = 0,
      ENUM_PET_DOG = 1,
      ENUM_PET_RAT = 2,
      ENUMLEN_PET  = 3;

var favoritePets = [ENUM_PET_CAT, ENUM_PET_DOG, ENUM_PET_RAT,
                    ENUM_PET_DOG, ENUM_PET_DOG, ENUM_PET_CAT,
                    ENUM_PET_RAT, ENUM_PET_CAT, ENUM_PET_DOG];

var petsFrequency = [];

for (var i=0; i<ENUMLEN_PET; i=i+1|0)
  petsFrequency[i] = 0;

for (var i=0, len=favoritePets.length|0, petId=0; i<len; i=i+1|0)
  petsFrequency[petId = favoritePets[i]|0] = (petsFrequency[petId]|0) + 1|0;

console.log({
    "cat": petsFrequency[ENUM_PET_CAT],
    "dog": petsFrequency[ENUM_PET_DOG],
    "rat": petsFrequency[ENUM_PET_RAT]
});

Observe that, in the code above, it's really easy to add in a new kind of pet: you would just have to append a new entry after ENUM_PET_RAT and update ENUMLEN_PET accordingly. It might be more difficult and buggy to add a new entry in other systems of enumeration.

---

Extend Uppercase Variables With Addition

Additionally, this syntax of enumerations allows for clear and concise class extending as seen below. To extend a class, add an incrementing number to the LEN_ entry of the parent class. Then, finish out the subclass with its own LEN_ entry so that the subclass may be extended further in the future.

(function(window){
    "use strict";
    var parseInt = window.parseInt;

    // use INDEX_ when representing the index in an array instance
    const INDEX_PIXELCOLOR_TYPE = 0, // is a ENUM_PIXELTYPE
          INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR   = 1,
          INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_R    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+0,
          INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_G    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+1,
          INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_B    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+2,
          INDEXLEN_SOLIDCOLOR   = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+3,
          INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_R    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+0,
          INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_G    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+1,
          INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_B    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+2,
          INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_A    = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+3,
          INDEXLEN_ALPHACOLOR   = INDEXLEN_PIXELCOLOR+4,
    // use ENUM_ when representing a mutually-exclusive species or type
          ENUM_PIXELTYPE_SOLID = 0,
          ENUM_PIXELTYPE_ALPHA = 1,
          ENUM_PIXELTYPE_UNKNOWN = 2,
          ENUMLEN_PIXELTYPE    = 2;

    function parseHexColor(inputString) {
        var rawstr = inputString.trim().substring(1);
        var result = [];
        if (rawstr.length === 8) {
            result[INDEX_PIXELCOLOR_TYPE] = ENUM_PIXELTYPE_ALPHA;
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_R] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(0,2), 16);
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_G] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(2,4), 16);
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_B] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(4,6), 16);
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_A] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(4,6), 16);
        } else if (rawstr.length === 4) {
            result[INDEX_PIXELCOLOR_TYPE] = ENUM_PIXELTYPE_ALPHA;
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_R] = parseInt(rawstr[0], 16) * 0x11;
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_G] = parseInt(rawstr[1], 16) * 0x11;
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_B] = parseInt(rawstr[2], 16) * 0x11;
            result[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_A] = parseInt(rawstr[3], 16) * 0x11;
        } else if (rawstr.length === 6) {
            result[INDEX_PIXELCOLOR_TYPE] = ENUM_PIXELTYPE_SOLID;
            result[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_R] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(0,2), 16);
            result[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_G] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(2,4), 16);
            result[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_B] = parseInt(rawstr.substring(4,6), 16);
        } else if (rawstr.length === 3) {
            result[INDEX_PIXELCOLOR_TYPE] = ENUM_PIXELTYPE_SOLID;
            result[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_R] = parseInt(rawstr[0], 16) * 0x11;
            result[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_G] = parseInt(rawstr[1], 16) * 0x11;
            result[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_B] = parseInt(rawstr[2], 16) * 0x11;
        } else {
            result[INDEX_PIXELCOLOR_TYPE] = ENUM_PIXELTYPE_UNKNOWN;
        }
        return result;
    }

    // the red component of green
    console.log(parseHexColor("#0f0")[INDEX_SOLIDCOLOR_R]);
    // the alpha of transparent purple
    console.log(parseHexColor("#f0f7")[INDEX_ALPHACOLOR_A]); 
    // the enumerated array for turquoise
    console.log(parseHexColor("#40E0D0"));
})(self);

(Length: 2,450 bytes)

Some may say that this is less practical than other solutions: it wastes tons of space, it takes a long time to write, and it is not coated with sugar syntax. Those people would be right if they do not minify their code. However, no reasonable person would leave unminified code in the end product. For this minification, Closure Compiler is the best I have yet to find. Online access can be found here. Closure compiler is able to take all of this enumeration data and inline it, making your Javascript be super duper small and run super duper fast. Thus, Minify with Closure Compiler. Observe.

---

Minify With Closure Compiler

Closure compiler is able to perform some pretty incredible optimizations via inferences that are way beyond the capacities of any other Javascript minifier. Closure Compiler is able to inline primitive variables set to a fixed value. Closure Compiler is also able to make inferences based upon these inlined values and eliminate unused blocks in if-statements and loops.

'use strict';(function(e){function d(a){a=a.trim().substring(1);var b=[];8===a.length?(b[0]=1,b[1]=c(a.substring(0,2),16),b[2]=c(a.substring(2,4),16),b[3]=c(a.substring(4,6),16),b[4]=c(a.substring(4,6),16)):4===a.length?(b[1]=17*c(a[0],16),b[2]=17*c(a[1],16),b[3]=17*c(a[2],16),b[4]=17*c(a[3],16)):6===a.length?(b[0]=0,b[1]=c(a.substring(0,2),16),b[2]=c(a.substring(2,4),16),b[3]=c(a.substring(4,6),16)):3===a.length?(b[0]=0,b[1]=17*c(a[0],16),b[2]=17*c(a[1],16),b[3]=17*c(a[2],16)):b[0]=2;return b}var c=
e.parseInt;console.log(d("#0f0")[1]);console.log(d("#f0f7")[4]);console.log(d("#40E0D0"))})(self);

(Length: 605 bytes)

Closure Compiler rewards you for coding smarter and organizing your code well because, whereas many minifiers punish organized code with a bigger minified file size, Closure Compiler is able to sift through all your cleanliness and sanity to output an even smaller file size if you use tricks like variable name enumerations. That, in this one mind, is the holy grail of coding: a tool that both assists your code with a smaller minified size and assists your mind by training better programming habits.

---

Smaller Code Size

Now, let us see how big the equivalent file would be without any of these enumerations.

Source Without Using Enumerations (length: 1,973 bytes (477 bytes shorter than enumerated code!))
Minified Without Using Enumerations (length: 843 bytes (238 bytes longer than enumerated code))

As seen, without enumerations, the source code is shorter at the cost of a larger minified code. I do not know about you; but I know for sure that I do not incorporate source code into the end product. Thus, this form of enumerations is far superior insomuch that it results in smaller minified file sizes.

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Cooperative 🤝 Bug Fixing

Another advantage about this form of enumeration is that it can be used to easily manage large scale projects without sacrificing minified code size. When working on a large project with lots of other people, it might be beneficial to explicitly mark and label the variable names with who created the code so that the original creator of the code can be quickly identified for collaborative bug fixing.

// JG = Jack Giffin
const ENUM_JG_COLORENUM_RED   = 0,
      ENUM_JG_COLORENUM_GREEN = 1,
      ENUM_JG_COLORENUM_BLUE  = 2,
      ENUMLEN_JG_COLORENUM    = 3;

// later on

if(currentColor === ENUM_JG_COLORENUM_RED) {
   // whatever
}

// PL = Pepper Loftus
// BK = Bob Knight
const ENUM_PL_ARRAYTYPE_UNSORTED   = 0,
      ENUM_PL_ARRAYTYPE_ISSORTED   = 1,
      ENUM_BK_ARRAYTYPE_CHUNKED    = 2, // added by Bob Knight
      ENUM_JG_ARRAYTYPE_INCOMPLETE = 3, // added by jack giffin
      ENUMLEN_PL_COLORENUM         = 4;

// later on

if(
  randomArray === ENUM_PL_ARRAYTYPE_UNSORTED ||
  randomArray === ENUM_BK_ARRAYTYPE_CHUNKED
) {
   // whatever
}

---

Superior Performance

Further, this form of enumeration is also much faster after minification. In normal named properties, the browser has to use hashmaps to look up where the property is on the object. Although JIT compilers intelligently cache this location on the object, there is still tremendous overhead due to special cases such as deleting a lower property from the object.

But, with continuous non-sparse integer-indexed PACKED_ELEMENTS arrays, the browser is able to skip much of that overhead because the index of the value in the internal array is already specified. Yes, according to the ECMAScript standard, all properties are supposed to be treated as strings. Nevertheless, this aspect of the ECMAScript standard is very misleading about performance because all browsers have special optimizations for numeric indexes in arrays.

/// Hashmaps are slow, even with JIT juice
var ref = {};
ref.count = 10;
ref.value = "foobar";

Compare the code above to the code below.

/// Arrays, however, are always lightning fast
const INDEX_REFERENCE_COUNT = 0;
const INDEX_REFERENCE_VALUE = 1;
const INDEXLENGTH_REFERENCE = 2;

var ref = [];
ref[INDEX_REFERENCE_COUNT] = 10;
ref[INDEX_REFERENCE_VALUE] = "foobar";

One might object to the code with enumerations seeming to be much longer than the code with ordinary objects, but looks can be deceiving. It is important to remember that source code size is not proportional to output size when using the epic Closure Compiler. Observe.

/// Hashmaps are slow, even with JIT juice
var a={count:10,value:"foobar"};

The minified code without enumerations is above and the minified code with enumerations is below.

/// Arrays, however, are always lightning fast
var a=[10,"foobar"];

The example above demonstrates that, in addition to having superior performance, the enumerated code also results in a smaller minified file size.

---

Easy Debugging

Furthermore, this one's personal cherry on the top is using this form of enumerations along with the CodeMirror text editor in Javascript mode. CodeMirror's Javascript syntax highlighting mode highlights local variables in the current scope. That way, you know instantly when you type in a variable name correctly because if the variable name was previously declared with the var keyword, then the variable name turns a special color (cyan by default). Even if you do not use CodeMirror, then at least the browser throws a helpful [variable name] is not defined exception when executing code with mistyped enumeration names. Also, JavaScript tools such as JSLint and Closure Compiler are very loud about telling you when you mistype in an enumeration variable name. CodeMirror, the browser, and various Javascript tools put together make debugging this form of enumeration very simple and really easy.

const ENUM_COLORENUM_RED   = 0,
      ENUM_COLORENUM_GREEN = 1,
      ENUM_COLORENUM_BLUE  = 2,
      ENUMLEN_COLORENUM    = 3;
var currentColor = ENUM_COLORENUM_GREEN;

if(currentColor === ENUM_COLORENUM_RED) {
   // whatever
}

if(currentColor === ENUM_COLORENUM_DNE) {
   // whatever
}

In the above snippet, you were alerted with an error because ENUM_COLORENUM_DNE does not exist.

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Conclusion

I think its safe to say that this methodology of enumeration is indeed the best way to go not just for minified code size, but also for performance, debugging, and collaboration.

Answer 2

You just need to make an immutable object by using Object.freeze(<your_object>):

export const ColorEnum = Object.freeze({
    // you can only change the property values here
    // in the object declaration like in the Java enumaration
    RED: 0,
    GREEN: 1,
    BLUE: 2,
});

ColorEnum.RED = 22    // assigning here will throw an error
ColorEnum.VIOLET = 45 // even adding a new property will throw an error

Answer 3

UPDATE

I don't think my answer below is the best way to write enums in JavaScript anymore. See my blog post for more details: Enums in JavaScript.

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Alerting the name is already possible:

if (currentColor == my.namespace.ColorEnum.RED) {
   // alert name of currentColor (RED: 0)
   var col = my.namespace.ColorEnum;
   for (var name in col) {
     if (col[name] == col.RED)
       alert(name);
   }
}

Alternatively, you could make the values objects, so you can have the cake and eat it too:

var SIZE = {
  SMALL : {value: 0, name: "Small", code: "S"}, 
  MEDIUM: {value: 1, name: "Medium", code: "M"}, 
  LARGE : {value: 2, name: "Large", code: "L"}
};

var currentSize = SIZE.MEDIUM;
if (currentSize == SIZE.MEDIUM) {
  // this alerts: "1: Medium"
  alert(currentSize.value + ": " + currentSize.name);
}

In JavaScript, as it is a dynamic language, it is even possible to add enum values to the set later:

// Add EXTRALARGE size
SIZE.EXTRALARGE = {value: 3, name: "Extra Large", code: "XL"};

Remember, the fields of the enum (value, name and code in this example) are not needed for the identity check and are only there for convenience. Also the name of the size property itself does not need to be hard coded, but can also be set dynamically. So supposing you only know the name for your new enum value, you can still add it without problems:

// Add 'Extra Large' size, only knowing it's name
var name = "Extra Large";
SIZE[name] = {value: -1, name: name, code: "?"};

Of course this means that some assumptions can no longer be made (that value represents the correct order for the size for example).

Remember, in JavaScript an object is just like a map or hash table. A set of name-value pairs. You can loop through them or otherwise manipulate them without knowing much about them in advance.

Example

for (var sz in SIZE) {
  // sz will be the names of the objects in SIZE, so
  // 'SMALL', 'MEDIUM', 'LARGE', 'EXTRALARGE'
  var size = SIZE[sz]; // Get the object mapped to the name in sz
  for (var prop in size) {
    // Get all the properties of the size object, iterates over
    // 'value', 'name' and 'code'. You can inspect everything this way.        
  }
} 

And by the way, if you are interested in namespaces, you may want to have a look at my solution for simple but powerful namespace and dependency management for JavaScript: Packages JS

Answer 4

I was searching for an answer to this question too & found this page with an answer that I think seams to be different from most answers here: https://www.sohamkamani.com/javascript/enums/

I will copy over the answer part of the article to here, just in case the link gets invalid in the future or something:

Enums with Symbols:

Symbols let us define values that are guaranteed not to collide with one another.

For example:

const Summer1 = Symbol("summer")
const Summer2 = Symbol("summer")

// Even though they have the same apparent value
// Summer1 and Summer2 don't equate
console.log(Summer1 === Summer2)
// false

console.log(Summer1)

We can define our enums using Symbols to ensure that they are not duplicated:

const Summer = Symbol("summer")
const Autumn = Symbol("autumn")
const Winter = Symbol("winter")
const Spring = Symbol("spring")

let season = Spring

switch (season) {
    case Summer:
    console.log('the season is summer')
    break;
    case Winter:
    console.log('the season is winter')
    break;
    case Spring:
    console.log('the season is spring')
    break;
    case Autumn:
    console.log('the season is autumn')
    break;
    default:
    console.log('season not defined')
}

Using Symbols ensures that the only way we can assign an enum value is by using the constants that we defined initially.

Enums with Classes:

To make our code more semantically correct, we can create a class to hold groups of enums.

For example, our seasons should have a way for us to identify that they all belong to a similar classification.

Let’s see how we can use classes and objects to create distinct enum groups:

// Season enums can be grouped as static members of a class
class Season {
  // Create new instances of the same class as static attributes
  static Summer = new Season("summer")
  static Autumn = new Season("autumn")
  static Winter = new Season("winter")
  static Spring = new Season("spring")

  constructor(name) {
    this.name = name
  }
}

// Now we can access enums using namespaced assignments
// this makes it semantically clear that "Summer" is a "Season"
let season = Season.Summer

// We can verify whether a particular variable is a Season enum
console.log(season instanceof Season)
// true
console.log(Symbol('something') instanceof Season)
//false

// We can explicitly check the type based on each enums class
console.log(season.constructor.name)
// 'Season'

personal note: I would have used this constructor instead: (Note: sets: this.name, to a string instead of an object, looses some of the verifications below. Optionally remove the: .description. I would also like to find a way to not have to type Seasons.summer.name but instead only need: Seasons.summer to make it return a string)

  constructor(name) {
    this.name = Symbol(name).description
  }

Listing All Possible Enum Values:

If we used the class-based approach above, we can loop through the keys of the Season class to obtain all the enum values under the same group:

Object.keys(Season).forEach(season => console.log("season:", season))
// season: Summer
// season: Autumn
// season: Winter
// season: Spring

When to Use Enums in Javascript?

In general, enums are helpful if there are a definite number of fixed values for any one variable_

For example, the crypto standard library for Node.js has a list of supported algorithms, that can be considered an enum group.

Using enums in Javascript correctly will lead to better code that is more stable, easier to read and less error prone.

Answer 5

Since 1.8.5 it's possible to seal and freeze the object, so define the above as:

const DaysEnum = Object.freeze({"monday":1, "tuesday":2, "wednesday":3, ...})

or

const DaysEnum = {"monday":1, "tuesday":2, "wednesday":3, ...}
Object.freeze(DaysEnum)

and voila! JS enums.

However, this doesn't prevent you from assigning an undesired value to a variable, which is often the main goal of enums:

let day = DaysEnum.tuesday
day = 298832342 // goes through without any errors

One way to ensure a stronger degree of type safety (with enums or otherwise) is to use a tool like TypeScript or Flow.

Quotes aren't needed but I kept them for consistency.

Answer 6

Update 05.11.2020:
Modified to include static fields and methods to closer replicate "true" enum behavior.

Has anyone tried doing this with a class that contains private fields and "get" accessors? I realize private class fields are still experimental at this point but it seems to work for the purposes of creating a class with immutable fields/properties. Browser support is decent as well. The only "major" browsers that don't support it are Firefox (which I'm sure they will soon) and IE (who cares).

DISCLAIMER:
I am not a developer. I was just looking for an answer to this question and started thinking about how I sometimes create "enhanced" enums in C# by creating classes with private fields and restricted property accessors.

Sample Class

class Sizes {
    // Private Fields
    static #_SMALL = 0;
    static #_MEDIUM = 1;
    static #_LARGE = 2;

    // Accessors for "get" functions only (no "set" functions)
    static get SMALL() { return this.#_SMALL; }
    static get MEDIUM() { return this.#_MEDIUM; }
    static get LARGE() { return this.#_LARGE; }
}

You should now be able to call your enums directly.

Sizes.SMALL; // 0
Sizes.MEDIUM; // 1
Sizes.LARGE; // 2

The combination of using private fields and limited accessors means that the enum values are well protected.

Sizes.SMALL = 10 // Sizes.SMALL is still 0
Sizes._SMALL = 10 // Sizes.SMALL is still 0
Sizes.#_SMALL = 10 // Sizes.SMALL is still 0

Answer 7

Here's my take on a (flagged) Enum factory. Here's a working demo.

/*
 * Notes: 
 * The proxy handler enables case insensitive property queries
 * BigInt is used to enable bitflag strings /w length > 52
*/
function EnumFactory() {
  const proxyfy = {
    construct(target, args) { 
      const caseInsensitiveHandler = { 
          get(target, key) {
          return target[key.toUpperCase()] || target[key];  
        } 
      };
      const proxified = new Proxy(new target(...args), caseInsensitiveHandler ); 
      return Object.freeze(proxified);
    },
  }
  const ProxiedEnumCtor = new Proxy(EnumCtor, proxyfy);
  const throwIf = (
      assertion = false, 
      message = `Unspecified error`, 
      ErrorType = Error ) => 
      assertion && (() => { throw new ErrorType(message); })();
  const hasFlag = (val, sub) => {
    throwIf(!val || !sub, "valueIn: missing parameters", RangeError);
    const andVal = (sub & val);
    return andVal !== BigInt(0) && andVal === val;
  };

  function EnumCtor(values) {
    throwIf(values.constructor !== Array || 
            values.length < 2 || 
        values.filter( v => v.constructor !== String ).length > 0,
      `EnumFactory: expected Array of at least 2 strings`, TypeError);
    const base = BigInt(1);
    this.NONE = BigInt(0);
    values.forEach( (v, i) => this[v.toUpperCase()] = base<<BigInt(i) );
  }

  EnumCtor.prototype = {
    get keys() { return Object.keys(this).slice(1); },
    subset(sub) {
      const arrayValues = this.keys;
      return new ProxiedEnumCtor(
        [...sub.toString(2)].reverse()
          .reduce( (acc, v, i) => ( +v < 1 ? acc : [...acc, arrayValues[i]] ), [] )
      );
    },
    getLabel(enumValue) {
      const tryLabel = Object.entries(this).find( value => value[1] === enumValue );
      return !enumValue || !tryLabel.length ? 
        "getLabel: no value parameter or value not in enum" :
        tryLabel.shift();
    },
    hasFlag(val, sub = this) { return hasFlag(val, sub); },
  };
  
  return arr => new ProxiedEnumCtor(arr);
}

Answer 8

This can be useful:

const [CATS, DOGS, BIRDS] = ENUM();

The implementation is simple and efficient:

function * ENUM(count=1) { while(true) yield count++ }

A generator can yield the exact sequence of integers required, without knowing how many constants there are. It can also support an optional argument that specifies which (possibly negative) number to start from (defaulting to 1).

Answer 9

export const ButtonType = Object.freeze({ 
   DEFAULT: 'default', 
   BIG: 'big', 
   SMALL: 'small'
})

source: https://medium.com/@idanlevi2/enum-in-javascript-5f2ff500f149

Answer 10

I wasn't satisfied with any of the answers, so I made Yet Another Enum (YEA!).

This implementation:

• uses more up-to-date JS
• requires just the declaration of this one class to easily create enums
• has mapping by name (colors.RED), string (colors["RED"]), and index (colors[0]), but you only need to pass in the strings as an array
• binds equivalent toString() and valueOf() functions to each enum object (if this is somehow not desired, one can simply remove it - small overhead for JS though)
• has optional global naming/storage by name string
• freezes the enum object once created so that it can't be modified

Special thanks to Andre 'Fi''s answer for some inspiration.

---

The codes:

class Enums {
  static create({ name = undefined, items = [] }) {
    let newEnum = {};
    newEnum.length = items.length;
    newEnum.items = items;
    for (let itemIndex in items) {
      //Map by name.
      newEnum[items[itemIndex]] = parseInt(itemIndex, 10);
      //Map by index.
      newEnum[parseInt(itemIndex, 10)] = items[itemIndex];
    }
    newEnum.toString = Enums.enumToString.bind(newEnum);
    newEnum.valueOf = newEnum.toString;
    //Optional naming and global registration.
    if (name != undefined) {
      newEnum.name = name;
      Enums[name] = newEnum;
    }
    //Prevent modification of the enum object.
    Object.freeze(newEnum);
    return newEnum;
  }
  static enumToString() {
    return "Enum " +
      (this.name != undefined ? this.name + " " : "") +
      "[" + this.items.toString() + "]";
  }
}

---

Usage:

let colors = Enums.create({
  name: "COLORS",
  items: [ "RED", "GREEN", "BLUE", "PORPLE" ]
});

//Global access, if named.
Enums.COLORS;

colors.items; //Array(4) [ "RED", "GREEN", "BLUE", "PORPLE" ]
colors.length; //4

colors.RED; //0
colors.GREEN; //1
colors.BLUE; //2
colors.PORPLE; //3
colors[0]; //"RED"
colors[1]; //"GREEN"
colors[2]; //"BLUE"
colors[3]; //"PORPLE"

colors.toString(); //"Enum COLORS [RED,GREEN,BLUE,PORPLE]"

//Enum frozen, makes it a real enum.
colors.RED = 9001;
colors.RED; //0

Answer 11

Read all the answers and didn't found any non-verbose and DRY solution. I use this one-liner:

const modes = ['DRAW', 'SCALE', 'DRAG'].reduce((o, v) => ({ ...o, [v]: v }), {});

it generates an object with human-readable values:

{
  DRAW: 'DRAW',
  SCALE: 'SCALE',
  DRAG: 'DRAG'
}

Answer 12

class Enum {
  constructor (...vals) {
    vals.forEach( val => {
      const CONSTANT = Symbol(val);
      Object.defineProperty(this, val.toUpperCase(), {
        get () {
          return CONSTANT;
        },
        set (val) {
          const enum_val = "CONSTANT";
          // generate TypeError associated with attempting to change the value of a constant
          enum_val = val;
        }
      });
    });
  }
}

Example of usage:

const COLORS = new Enum("red", "blue", "green");

Answer 13

Use Javascript Proxies

TLDR: Add this class to your utility methods and use it throughout your code, it mocks Enum behavior from traditional programming languages, and actually throws errors when you try to either access an enumerator that does not exist or add/update an enumerator. No need to rely on Object.freeze().

class Enum {
  constructor(enumObj) {
    const handler = {
      get(target, name) {
        if (typeof target[name] != 'undefined') {
          return target[name];
        }
        throw new Error(`No such enumerator: ${name}`);
      },
      set() {
        throw new Error('Cannot add/update properties on an Enum instance after it is defined')
      }
    };

    return new Proxy(enumObj, handler);
  }
}

Then create enums by instantiating the class:

const roles = new Enum({
  ADMIN: 'Admin',
  USER: 'User',
});

---

Full Explanation:

One very beneficial feature of Enums that you get from traditional languages is that they blow up (throw a compile-time error) if you try to access an enumerator which does not exist.

Besides freezing the mocked enum structure to prevent additional values from accidentally/maliciously being added, none of the other answers address that intrinsic feature of Enums.

As you are probably aware, accessing non-existing members in JavaScript simply returns undefined and does not blow up your code. Since enumerators are predefined constants (i.e. days of the week), there should never be a case when an enumerator should be undefined.

Don't get me wrong, JavaScript's behavior of returning undefined when accessing undefined properties is actually a very powerful feature of language, but it's not a feature you want when you are trying to mock traditional Enum structures.

This is where Proxy objects shine. Proxies were standardized in the language with the introduction of ES6 (ES2015). Here's the description from MDN:

The Proxy object is used to define custom behavior for fundamental operations (e.g. property lookup, assignment, enumeration, function invocation, etc).

Similar to a web server proxy, JavaScript proxies are able to intercept operations on objects (with the use of "traps", call them hooks if you like) and allow you to perform various checks, actions and/or manipulations before they complete (or in some cases stopping the operations altogether which is exactly what we want to do if and when we try to reference an enumerator which does not exist).

Here's a contrived example that uses the Proxy object to mimic Enums. The enumerators in this example are standard HTTP Methods (i.e. "GET", "POST", etc.):

// Class for creating enums (13 lines)
// Feel free to add this to your utility library in 
// your codebase and profit! Note: As Proxies are an ES6 
// feature, some browsers/clients may not support it and 
// you may need to transpile using a service like babel

class Enum {
  // The Enum class instantiates a JavaScript Proxy object.
  // Instantiating a `Proxy` object requires two parameters, 
  // a `target` object and a `handler`. We first define the handler,
  // then use the handler to instantiate a Proxy.

  // A proxy handler is simply an object whose properties
  // are functions which define the behavior of the proxy 
  // when an operation is performed on it. 
  
  // For enums, we need to define behavior that lets us check what enumerator
  // is being accessed and what enumerator is being set. This can be done by 
  // defining "get" and "set" traps.
  constructor(enumObj) {
    const handler = {
      get(target, name) {
        if (typeof target[name] != 'undefined') {
          return target[name]
        }
        throw new Error(`No such enumerator: ${name}`)
      },
      set() {
        throw new Error('Cannot add/update properties on an Enum instance after it is defined')
      }
    }


    // Freeze the target object to prevent modifications
    return new Proxy(enumObj, handler)
  }
}


// Now that we have a generic way of creating Enums, lets create our first Enum!
const httpMethods = new Enum({
  DELETE: "DELETE",
  GET: "GET",
  OPTIONS: "OPTIONS",
  PATCH: "PATCH",
  POST: "POST",
  PUT: "PUT"
})

// Sanity checks
console.log(httpMethods.DELETE)
// logs "DELETE"

try {
  httpMethods.delete = "delete"
} catch (e) {
console.log("Error: ", e.message)
}
// throws "Cannot add/update properties on an Enum instance after it is defined"

try {
  console.log(httpMethods.delete)
} catch (e) {
  console.log("Error: ", e.message)
}
// throws "No such enumerator: delete"

---

ASIDE: What the heck is a proxy?

I remember when I first started seeing the word proxy everywhere, it definitely didn't make sense to me for a long time. If that's you right now, I think an easy way to generalize proxies is to think of them as software, institutions, or even people that act as intermediaries or middlemen between two servers, companies, or people.

Answer 14

You can do something like this

    var Enum = (function(foo) {

    var EnumItem = function(item){
        if(typeof item == "string"){
            this.name = item;
        } else {
            this.name = item.name;
        }
    }
    EnumItem.prototype = new String("DEFAULT");
    EnumItem.prototype.toString = function(){
        return this.name;
    }
    EnumItem.prototype.equals = function(item){
        if(typeof item == "string"){
            return this.name == item;
        } else {
            return this == item && this.name == item.name;
        }
    }

    function Enum() {
        this.add.apply(this, arguments);
        Object.freeze(this);
    }
    Enum.prototype.add = function() {
        for (var i in arguments) {
            var enumItem = new EnumItem(arguments[i]);
            this[enumItem.name] = enumItem;
        }
    };
    Enum.prototype.toList = function() {
        return Object.keys(this);
    };
    foo.Enum = Enum;
    return Enum;
})(this);
var STATUS = new Enum("CLOSED","PENDING", { name : "CONFIRMED", ackd : true });
var STATE = new Enum("CLOSED","PENDING","CONFIRMED",{ name : "STARTED"},{ name : "PROCESSING"});

As defined in this library. https://github.com/webmodule/foo/blob/master/foo.js#L217

Complete example https://gist.github.com/lnt/bb13a2fd63cdb8bce85fd62965a20026

Answer 15

This answer is an alternative approach for specific circumstances. I needed a set of bitmask constants based on attribute sub-values (cases where an attribute value is an array or list of values). It encompasses the equivalent of several overlapping enums.

I created a class to both store and generate the bitmask values. I can then use the pseudo-constant bitmask values this way to test, for example, if green is present in an RGB value:

if (value & Ez.G) {...}

In my code I create only one instance of this class. There doesn't seem to be a clean way to do this without instantiating at least one instance of the class. Here is the class declaration and bitmask value generation code:

class Ez {
constructor() {
    let rgba = ["R", "G", "B", "A"];
    let rgbm = rgba.slice();
    rgbm.push("M");              // for feColorMatrix values attribute
    this.createValues(rgba);
    this.createValues(["H", "S", "L"]);
    this.createValues([rgba, rgbm]);
    this.createValues([attX, attY, attW, attH]);
}
createValues(a) {                // a for array
    let i, j;
    if (isA(a[0])) {             // max 2 dimensions
        let k = 1;
        for (i of a[0]) {
            for (j of a[1]) {
                this[i + j] = k;
                k *= 2;
            }
        }
    }
    else {                       // 1D array is simple loop
        for (i = 0, j = 1; i < a.length; i++, j *= 2)
            this[a[i]] = j;
   }
}

The 2D array is for the SVG feColorMatrix values attribute, which is a 4x5 matrix of RGBA by RGBAM, where M is a multiplier. The resulting Ez properties are Ez.RR, Ez.RG, etc.

Answer 16

This is how Typescript translates it's enum into Javascript:

var makeEnum = function(obj) {
    obj[ obj['Active'] = 1 ] = 'Active';
    obj[ obj['Closed'] = 2 ] = 'Closed';
    obj[ obj['Deleted'] = 3 ] = 'Deleted';
}

Now:

makeEnum( NewObj = {} )
// => {1: "Active", 2: "Closed", 3: "Deleted", Active: 1, Closed: 2, Deleted: 3}

At first I was confused why obj[1] returns 'Active', but then realised that its dead simple - Assignment operator assigns value and then returns it:

obj['foo'] = 1
// => 1

Answer 17

es7 way, (iterator, freeze), usage:

const ThreeWiseMen = new Enum('Melchior', 'Caspar', 'Balthazar')

for (let name of ThreeWiseMen)
    console.log(name)


// with a given key
let key = ThreeWiseMen.Melchior

console.log(key in ThreeWiseMen) // true (string conversion, also true: 'Melchior' in ThreeWiseMen)

for (let entry from key.enum)
     console.log(entry)


// prevent alteration (throws TypeError in strict mode)
ThreeWiseMen.Me = 'Me too!'
ThreeWiseMen.Melchior.name = 'Foo'

code:

class EnumKey {

    constructor(props) { Object.freeze(Object.assign(this, props)) }

    toString() { return this.name }

}

export class Enum {

    constructor(...keys) {

        for (let [index, key] of keys.entries()) {

            Object.defineProperty(this, key, {

                value: new EnumKey({ name:key, index, enum:this }),
                enumerable: true,

            })

        }

        Object.freeze(this)

    }

    *[Symbol.iterator]() {

        for (let key of Object.keys(this))
            yield this[key]

    }

    toString() { return [...this].join(', ') }

}

Answer 18

In most modern browsers, there is a symbol primitive data type which can be used to create an enumeration. It will ensure type safety of the enum as each symbol value is guaranteed by JavaScript to be unique, i.e. Symbol() != Symbol(). For example:

const COLOR = Object.freeze({RED: Symbol(), BLUE: Symbol()});

To simplify debugging, you can add a description to enum values:

const COLOR = Object.freeze({RED: Symbol("RED"), BLUE: Symbol("BLUE")});

Plunker demo

On GitHub you can find a wrapper that simplifies the code required to initialize the enum:

const color = new Enum("RED", "BLUE")

color.RED.toString() // Symbol(RED)
color.getName(color.RED) // RED
color.size // 2
color.values() // Symbol(RED), Symbol(BLUE)
color.toString() // RED,BLUE

Answer 19

You can use a simple funcion to invert keys and values, it will work with arrays also as it converts numerical integer strings to numbers. The code is small, simple and reusable for this and other use cases.

var objInvert = function (obj) {
    var invert = {}
    for (var i in obj) {
      if (i.match(/^\d+$/)) i = parseInt(i,10)
      invert[obj[i]] = i
    }
    return invert
}
 
var musicStyles = Object.freeze(objInvert(['ROCK', 'SURF', 'METAL',
'BOSSA-NOVA','POP','INDIE']))

console.log(musicStyles)

Answer 20

Create an object literal:

const Modes = {
  DRAGGING: 'drag',
  SCALING:  'scale',
  CLICKED:  'click'
};

Answer 21

You could try using https://bitbucket.org/snippets/frostbane/aAjxM.

my.namespace.ColorEnum = new Enum(
    "RED = 0",
    "GREEN",
    "BLUE"
)

It should work up to ie8.

Answer 22

var DaysEnum = Object.freeze ({ monday: {}, tuesday: {}, ... });

You don't need to specify an id, you can just use an empty object to compare enums.

if (incommingEnum === DaysEnum.monday) //incommingEnum is monday

EDIT: If you are going to serialize the object (to JSON for instance) you'll the id again.

• ( taken from Gabriel Llamas comment )
• ( edit based on Stijn de Witt's comment )

Answer 23

In ES7 , you can do an elegant ENUM relying on static attributes:

class ColorEnum  {
    static RED = 0 ;
    static GREEN = 1;
    static BLUE = 2;
}

then

if (currentColor === ColorEnum.GREEN ) {/*-- coding --*/}

The advantage ( of using class instead of literal object) is to have a parent class Enum then all your Enums will extends that class.

 class ColorEnum  extends Enum {/*....*/}

Answer 24

Even though only static methods (and not static properties) are supported in ES2015 (see here as well, §15.2.2.2), curiously you can use the below with Babel with the es2015 preset:

class CellState {
    v: string;
    constructor(v: string) {
        this.v = v;
        Object.freeze(this);
    }
    static EMPTY       = new CellState('e');
    static OCCUPIED    = new CellState('o');
    static HIGHLIGHTED = new CellState('h');
    static values      = function(): Array<CellState> {
        const rv = [];
        rv.push(CellState.EMPTY);
        rv.push(CellState.OCCUPIED);
        rv.push(CellState.HIGHLIGHTED);
        return rv;
    }
}
Object.freeze(CellState);

I found this to be working as expected even across modules (e.g. importing the CellState enum from another module) and also when I import a module using Webpack.

The advantage this method has over most other answers is that you can use it alongside a static type checker (e.g. Flow) and you can assert, at development time using static type checking, that your variables, parameters, etc. are of the specific CellState "enum" rather than some other enum (which would be impossible to distinguish if you used generic objects or symbols).

update

The above code has a deficiency in that it allows one to create additional objects of type CellState (even though one can't assign them to the static fields of CellState since it's frozen). Still, the below more refined code offers the following advantages:

1. no more objects of type CellState may be created
2. you are guaranteed that no two enum instances are assigned the same code
3. utility method to get the enum back from a string representation

4. the values function that returns all instances of the enum does not have to create the return value in the above, manual (and error-prone) way.

   'use strict';
   
   class Status {
   
   constructor(code, displayName = code) {
       if (Status.INSTANCES.has(code))
           throw new Error(`duplicate code value: [${code}]`);
       if (!Status.canCreateMoreInstances)
           throw new Error(`attempt to call constructor(${code}`+
          `, ${displayName}) after all static instances have been created`);
       this.code        = code;
       this.displayName = displayName;
       Object.freeze(this);
       Status.INSTANCES.set(this.code, this);
   }
   
   toString() {
       return `[code: ${this.code}, displayName: ${this.displayName}]`;
   }
   static INSTANCES   = new Map();
   static canCreateMoreInstances      = true;
   
   // the values:
   static ARCHIVED    = new Status('Archived');
   static OBSERVED    = new Status('Observed');
   static SCHEDULED   = new Status('Scheduled');
   static UNOBSERVED  = new Status('Unobserved');
   static UNTRIGGERED = new Status('Untriggered');
   
   static values      = function() {
       return Array.from(Status.INSTANCES.values());
   }
   
   static fromCode(code) {
       if (!Status.INSTANCES.has(code))
           throw new Error(`unknown code: ${code}`);
       else
           return Status.INSTANCES.get(code);
   }
   }
   
   Status.canCreateMoreInstances = false;
   Object.freeze(Status);
   exports.Status = Status;
   

Answer 25

I've made an Enum class that can fetch values AND names at O(1). It can also generate an Object Array containing all Names and Values.

function Enum(obj) {
    // Names must be unique, Values do not.
    // Putting same values for different Names is risky for this implementation

    this._reserved = {
        _namesObj: {},
        _objArr: [],
        _namesArr: [],
        _valuesArr: [],
        _selectOptionsHTML: ""
    };

    for (k in obj) {
        if (obj.hasOwnProperty(k)) {
            this[k] = obj[k];
            this._reserved._namesObj[obj[k]] = k;
        }
    }
}
(function () {
    this.GetName = function (val) {
        if (typeof this._reserved._namesObj[val] === "undefined")
            return null;
        return this._reserved._namesObj[val];
    };

    this.GetValue = function (name) {
        if (typeof this[name] === "undefined")
            return null;
        return this[name];
    };

    this.GetObjArr = function () {
        if (this._reserved._objArr.length == 0) {
            var arr = [];
            for (k in this) {
                if (this.hasOwnProperty(k))
                    if (k != "_reserved")
                        arr.push({
                            Name: k,
                            Value: this[k]
                        });
            }
            this._reserved._objArr = arr;
        }
        return this._reserved._objArr;
    };

    this.GetNamesArr = function () {
        if (this._reserved._namesArr.length == 0) {
            var arr = [];
            for (k in this) {
                if (this.hasOwnProperty(k))
                    if (k != "_reserved")
                        arr.push(k);
            }
            this._reserved._namesArr = arr;
        }
        return this._reserved._namesArr;
    };

    this.GetValuesArr = function () {
        if (this._reserved._valuesArr.length == 0) {
            var arr = [];
            for (k in this) {
                if (this.hasOwnProperty(k))
                    if (k != "_reserved")
                        arr.push(this[k]);
            }
            this._reserved._valuesArr = arr;
        }
        return this._reserved._valuesArr;
    };

    this.GetSelectOptionsHTML = function () {
        if (this._reserved._selectOptionsHTML.length == 0) {
            var html = "";
            for (k in this) {
                if (this.hasOwnProperty(k))
                    if (k != "_reserved")
                        html += "<option value='" + this[k] + "'>" + k + "</option>";
            }
            this._reserved._selectOptionsHTML = html;
        }
        return this._reserved._selectOptionsHTML;
    };
}).call(Enum.prototype);

You can init'd it like this:

var enum1 = new Enum({
    item1: 0,
    item2: 1,
    item3: 2
});

To fetch a value (like Enums in C#):

var val2 = enum1.item2;

To fetch a name for a value (can be ambiguous when putting the same value for different names):

var name1 = enum1.GetName(0);  // "item1"

To get an array with each name & value in an object:

var arr = enum1.GetObjArr();

Will generate:

[{ Name: "item1", Value: 0}, { ... }, ... ]

You can also get the html select options readily:

var html = enum1.GetSelectOptionsHTML();

Which holds:

"<option value='0'>item1</option>..."

Answer 26

The Alien solution is to make things as simple as possible:

1. use enum keyword (reserved in javascript)

2. If enum keyword is just reserved but not implemented in your javascript, define the following

   const enumerate = spec => spec.split(/\s*,\s*/)
     .reduce((e, n) => Object.assign(e,{[n]:n}), {}) 
   

Now, you can easily use it

const kwords = enumerate("begin,end, procedure,if")
console.log(kwords, kwords.if, kwords.if == "if", kwords.undef)

I see no reason to make the enum values explicit variables. The scripts are morphic anyway and it makes no difference if part of your code is a string or valid code. What really matters is that you do not need to deal with tons of quotation marks whenever use or define them.

Answer 27

You can use Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()

var findInEnum,
    colorEnum = {
    red : 0,
    green : 1,
    blue : 2
};

// later on

findInEnum = function (enumKey) {
  if (colorEnum.hasOwnProperty(enumKey)) {
    return enumKey+' Value: ' + colorEnum[enumKey]
  }
}

alert(findInEnum("blue"))

Answer 28

Simplest solution:

Create

var Status = Object.freeze({
    "Connecting":0,
    "Ready":1,
    "Loading":2,
    "Processing": 3
});

Get Value

console.log(Status.Ready) // 1

Get Key

console.log(Object.keys(Status)[Status.Ready]) // Ready

Answer 29

IE8 does Not support freeze() method.
Source: http://kangax.github.io/compat-table/es5/, Click on "Show obsolete browsers?" on top, and check IE8 & freeze row col intersection.

In my current game project, I have used below, since few customers still use IE8:

var CONST_WILD_TYPES = {
    REGULAR: 'REGULAR',
    EXPANDING: 'EXPANDING',
    STICKY: 'STICKY',
    SHIFTING: 'SHIFTING'
};

We could also do:

var CONST_WILD_TYPES = {
    REGULAR: 'RE',
    EXPANDING: 'EX',
    STICKY: 'ST',
    SHIFTING: 'SH'
};

or even this:

var CONST_WILD_TYPES = {
    REGULAR: '1',
    EXPANDING: '2',
    STICKY: '3',
    SHIFTING: '4'
};

The last one, seems most efficient for string, it reduces your total bandwidth if you have server & client exchanging this data.
Of course, now it's your duty to make sure there are no conflicts in the data (RE, EX, etc. must be unique, also 1, 2, etc. should be unique). Note that you need to maintain these forever for backward compatibility.

Assignment:

var wildType = CONST_WILD_TYPES.REGULAR;

Comparision:

if (wildType === CONST_WILD_TYPES.REGULAR) {
    // do something here
}

Answer 30

You can try this:

   var Enum = Object.freeze({
            Role: Object.freeze({ Administrator: 1, Manager: 2, Supervisor: 3 }),
            Color:Object.freeze({RED : 0, GREEN : 1, BLUE : 2 })
            });

    alert(Enum.Role.Supervisor);
    alert(Enum.Color.GREEN);
    var currentColor=0;
    if(currentColor == Enum.Color.RED) {
       alert('Its Red');
    }