Reputation: 15990
String representation of an Enum
I have the following enumeration:
public enum AuthenticationMethod
{
FORMS = 1,
WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = 2,
SINGLESIGNON = 3
}
The problem however is that I need the word "FORMS" when I ask for AuthenticationMethod.FORMS and not the id 1.
I have found the following solution for this problem (link):
First I need to create a custom attribute called "StringValue":
public class StringValue : System.Attribute
{
private readonly string _value;
public StringValue(string value)
{
_value = value;
}
public string Value
{
get { return _value; }
}
}
Then I can add this attribute to my enumeration:
public enum AuthenticationMethod
{
[StringValue("FORMS")]
FORMS = 1,
[StringValue("WINDOWS")]
WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = 2,
[StringValue("SSO")]
SINGLESIGNON = 3
}
And of course I need something to retrieve that StringValue:
public static class StringEnum
{
public static string GetStringValue(Enum value)
{
string output = null;
Type type = value.GetType();
//Check first in our cached results...
//Look for our 'StringValueAttribute'
//in the field's custom attributes
FieldInfo fi = type.GetField(value.ToString());
StringValue[] attrs =
fi.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(StringValue),
false) as StringValue[];
if (attrs.Length > 0)
{
output = attrs[0].Value;
}
return output;
}
}
Good now I've got the tools to get a string value for an enumeration. I can then use it like this:
string valueOfAuthenticationMethod = StringEnum.GetStringValue(AuthenticationMethod.FORMS);
Okay now all of these work like a charm but I find it a whole lot of work. I was wondering if there is a better solution for this.
I also tried something with a dictionary and static properties but that wasn't better either.
Upvotes: 962
Views: 830577
Answers (30)
Reputation: 458
I wanted to post this as a comment to the post quoted below but couldn't because I don't have enough rep. The code contained an error and I wanted to point this out to individuals trying to use this solution:
[TypeConverter(typeof(CustomEnumTypeConverter(typeof(MyEnum))] public enum MyEnum { // The custom type converter will use the description attribute [Description("A custom description")] ValueWithCustomDescription, // This will be exposed exactly. Exact }
should be
[TypeConverter(typeof(CustomEnumTypeConverter<MyEnum>))]
public enum MyEnum
{
// The custom type converter will use the description attribute
[Description("A custom description")]
ValueWithCustomDescription,
// This will be exposed exactly.
Exact
}
Upvotes: 6
Reputation: 15207
I created a base class for creating string-valued enums in .NET. It is just one C# file that you can copy & paste into your projects, or install via NuGet package named StringEnum. GitHub Repo
- Intellisense will suggest the enum name if the class is annotated with the xml comment
<completitionlist>. (Works in both C# and VB)
- Usage similar to a regular enum:
///<completionlist cref="HexColor"/>
class HexColor : StringEnum<HexColor>
{
public static readonly HexColor Blue = Create("#FF0000");
public static readonly HexColor Green = Create("#00FF00");
public static readonly HexColor Red = Create("#000FF");
}
// Static Parse Method
HexColor.Parse("#FF0000") // => HexColor.Red
HexColor.Parse("#ff0000", caseSensitive: false) // => HexColor.Red
HexColor.Parse("invalid") // => throws InvalidOperationException
// Static TryParse method.
HexColor.TryParse("#FF0000") // => HexColor.Red
HexColor.TryParse("#ff0000", caseSensitive: false) // => HexColor.Red
HexColor.TryParse("invalid") // => null
// Parse and TryParse returns the preexistent instances
object.ReferenceEquals(HexColor.Parse("#FF0000"), HexColor.Red) // => true
// Conversion from your `StringEnum` to `string`
string myString1 = HexColor.Red.ToString(); // => "#FF0000"
string myString2 = HexColor.Red; // => "#FF0000" (implicit cast)
Instalation:
- Paste the following StringEnum base class to your project. (latest version)
- Or install StringEnum NuGet package, which is based on
.Net Standard 1.0so it runs on.Net Core>= 1.0,.Net Framework>= 4.5,Mono>= 4.6, etc.
/// <summary>
/// Base class for creating string-valued enums in .NET.<br/>
/// Provides static Parse() and TryParse() methods and implicit cast to string.
/// </summary>
/// <example>
/// <code>
/// class Color : StringEnum <Color>
/// {
/// public static readonly Color Blue = Create("Blue");
/// public static readonly Color Red = Create("Red");
/// public static readonly Color Green = Create("Green");
/// }
/// </code>
/// </example>
/// <typeparam name="T">The string-valued enum type. (i.e. class Color : StringEnum<Color>)</typeparam>
public abstract class StringEnum<T> : IEquatable<T> where T : StringEnum<T>, new()
{
protected string Value;
private static Dictionary<string, T> valueDict = new Dictionary<string, T>();
protected static T Create(string value)
{
if (value == null)
return null; // the null-valued instance is null.
var result = new T() { Value = value };
valueDict.Add(value, result);
return result;
}
public static implicit operator string(StringEnum<T> enumValue) => enumValue.Value;
public override string ToString() => Value;
public static bool operator !=(StringEnum<T> o1, StringEnum<T> o2) => o1?.Value != o2?.Value;
public static bool operator ==(StringEnum<T> o1, StringEnum<T> o2) => o1?.Value == o2?.Value;
public override bool Equals(object other) => this.Value.Equals((other as T)?.Value ?? (other as string));
bool IEquatable<T>.Equals(T other) => this.Value.Equals(other.Value);
public override int GetHashCode() => Value.GetHashCode();
/// <summary>
/// Parse the <paramref name="value"/> specified and returns a valid <typeparamref name="T"/> or else throws InvalidOperationException.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">The string value representad by an instance of <typeparamref name="T"/>. Matches by string value, not by the member name.</param>
/// <param name="caseSensitive">If true, the strings must match case and takes O(log n). False allows different case but is little bit slower (O(n))</param>
public static T Parse(string value, bool caseSensitive = true)
{
var result = TryParse(value, caseSensitive);
if (result == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException((value == null ? "null" : $"'{value}'") + $" is not a valid {typeof(T).Name}");
return result;
}
/// <summary>
/// Parse the <paramref name="value"/> specified and returns a valid <typeparamref name="T"/> or else returns null.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">The string value representad by an instance of <typeparamref name="T"/>. Matches by string value, not by the member name.</param>
/// <param name="caseSensitive">If true, the strings must match case. False allows different case but is slower: O(n)</param>
public static T TryParse(string value, bool caseSensitive = true)
{
if (value == null) return null;
if (valueDict.Count == 0) System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.RunClassConstructor(typeof(T).TypeHandle); // force static fields initialization
if (caseSensitive)
{
if (valueDict.TryGetValue(value, out T item))
return item;
else
return null;
}
else
{
// slower O(n) case insensitive search
return valueDict.FirstOrDefault(f => f.Key.Equals(value, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)).Value;
// Why Ordinal? => https://esmithy.net/2007/10/15/why-stringcomparisonordinal-is-usually-the-right-choice/
}
}
}
Upvotes: 7
Reputation: 402
You can declare enum and the dictionary in which the key will be the value of the enumeration. In the future, you can refer to the dictionary to get the value. Thus, it will be possible to pass parameters to functions as the type of enum, but to get the real value from the dictionary:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace console_test
{
class Program
{
#region SaveFormat
internal enum SaveFormat
{
DOCX,
PDF
}
internal static Dictionary<SaveFormat,string> DictSaveFormat = new Dictionary<SaveFormat, string>
{
{ SaveFormat.DOCX,"This is value for DOCX enum item" },
{ SaveFormat.PDF,"This is value for PDF enum item" }
};
internal static void enum_value_test(SaveFormat save_format)
{
Console.WriteLine(DictSaveFormat[save_format]);
}
#endregion
internal static void Main(string[] args)
{
enum_value_test(SaveFormat.DOCX);//Output: This is value for DOCX enum item
Console.Write("Press any key to continue . . . ");
Console.ReadKey(true);
}
}
}
Upvotes: 0
Reputation: 2550
Update: Visiting this page, 8 years later, after not touching C# for a long while, looks like my answer is no longer the best solution. I really like the converter solution tied with attribute-functions.
If you are reading this, please make sure you also check out other answers.
(hint: they are above this one)
As most of you, I really liked the selected answer by Jakub Šturc, but I also really hate to copy-paste code, and try to do it as little as I can.
So I decided I wanted an EnumBase class from which most of the functionality is inherited/built-in, leaving me to focus on the content instead of behavior.
The main problem with this approach is based on the fact that although Enum values are type-safe instances, the interaction is with the Static implementation of the Enum Class type. So with a little help of generics magic, I think I finally got the correct mix. Hope someone finds this as useful as I did.
I'll start with Jakub's example, but using inheritance and generics:
public sealed class AuthenticationMethod : EnumBase<AuthenticationMethod, int>
{
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod FORMS =
new AuthenticationMethod(1, "FORMS");
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION =
new AuthenticationMethod(2, "WINDOWS");
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod SINGLESIGNON =
new AuthenticationMethod(3, "SSN");
private AuthenticationMethod(int Value, String Name)
: base( Value, Name ) { }
public new static IEnumerable<AuthenticationMethod> All
{ get { return EnumBase<AuthenticationMethod, int>.All; } }
public static explicit operator AuthenticationMethod(string str)
{ return Parse(str); }
}
And here is the base class:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq; // for the .AsEnumerable() method call
// E is the derived type-safe-enum class
// - this allows all static members to be truly unique to the specific
// derived class
public class EnumBase<E, T> where E: EnumBase<E, T>
{
#region Instance code
public T Value { get; private set; }
public string Name { get; private set; }
protected EnumBase(T EnumValue, string Name)
{
Value = EnumValue;
this.Name = Name;
mapping.Add(Name, this);
}
public override string ToString() { return Name; }
#endregion
#region Static tools
static private readonly Dictionary<string, EnumBase<E, T>> mapping;
static EnumBase() { mapping = new Dictionary<string, EnumBase<E, T>>(); }
protected static E Parse(string name)
{
EnumBase<E, T> result;
if (mapping.TryGetValue(name, out result))
{
return (E)result;
}
throw new InvalidCastException();
}
// This is protected to force the child class to expose it's own static
// method.
// By recreating this static method at the derived class, static
// initialization will be explicit, promising the mapping dictionary
// will never be empty when this method is called.
protected static IEnumerable<E> All
{ get { return mapping.Values.AsEnumerable().Cast<E>(); } }
#endregion
}
Upvotes: 12
Reputation: 8783
Enum.GetName(typeof(MyEnum), (int)MyEnum.FORMS)
Enum.GetName(typeof(MyEnum), (int)MyEnum.WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION)
Enum.GetName(typeof(MyEnum), (int)MyEnum.SINGLESIGNON)
outputs are:
"FORMS"
"WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION"
"SINGLESIGNON"
Upvotes: 2
Reputation: 807
For larger string enum sets, the listed examples can become tiresome. If you want a list of status codes, or a list of other string based enums, an attribute system is annoying to use, and a static class with instances of itself is annoying to configure. For my own solution, I make use of T4 templating to make it easier to have string-backed enums. The result comes out similar to how the HttpMethod class works.
You can use it like this:
string statusCode = ResponseStatusCode.SUCCESS; // Automatically converts to string when needed
ResponseStatusCode codeByValueOf = ResponseStatusCode.ValueOf(statusCode); // Returns null if not found
// Implements TypeConverter so you can use it with string conversion methods.
var converter = System.ComponentModel.TypeDescriptor.GetConverter(typeof(ResponseStatusCode));
ResponseStatusCode code = (ResponseStatusCode) converter.ConvertFromInvariantString(statusCode);
// You can get a full list of the values
bool canIterateOverValues = ResponseStatusCode.Values.Any();
// Comparisons are by value of the "Name" property. Not by memory pointer location.
bool implementsByValueEqualsEqualsOperator = "SUCCESS" == ResponseStatusCode.SUCCESS;
You start out with a Enum.tt file.
<#@ include file="StringEnum.ttinclude" #>
<#+
public static class Configuration
{
public static readonly string Namespace = "YourName.Space";
public static readonly string EnumName = "ResponseStatusCode";
public static readonly bool IncludeComments = true;
public static readonly object Nodes = new
{
SUCCESS = "The response was successful.",
NON_SUCCESS = "The request was not successful.",
RESOURCE_IS_DISCONTINUED = "The resource requested has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed."
};
}
#>
Then, you add in your StringEnum.ttinclude file.
<#@ template debug="false" hostspecific="false" language="C#" #>
<#@ assembly name="System.Core" #>
<#@ import namespace="System" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Linq" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Text" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Reflection" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Collections.Generic" #>
<#@ output extension=".cs" #>
<#@ CleanupBehavior processor="T4VSHost" CleanupAfterProcessingtemplate="true" #>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <auto-generated>
// This code was generated by a tool.
//
// Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
// the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Globalization;
namespace <#= Configuration.Namespace #>
{
/// <summary>
/// TypeConverter implementations allow you to use features like string.ToNullable(T).
/// </summary>
public class <#= Configuration.EnumName #>TypeConverter : TypeConverter
{
public override bool CanConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, Type sourceType)
{
return sourceType == typeof(string) || base.CanConvertFrom(context, sourceType);
}
public override object ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, object value)
{
var casted = value as string;
if (casted != null)
{
var result = <#= Configuration.EnumName #>.ValueOf(casted);
if (result != null)
{
return result;
}
}
return base.ConvertFrom(context, culture, value);
}
public override object ConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, object value, Type destinationType)
{
var casted = value as <#= Configuration.EnumName #>;
if (casted != null && destinationType == typeof(string))
{
return casted.ToString();
}
return base.ConvertTo(context, culture, value, destinationType);
}
}
[TypeConverter(typeof(<#= Configuration.EnumName #>TypeConverter))]
public class <#= Configuration.EnumName #> : IEquatable<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>>
{
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// V A L U E S _ L I S T
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<# Write(Helpers.PrintEnumProperties(Configuration.Nodes)); #>
private static List<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>> _list { get; set; } = null;
public static List<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>> ToList()
{
if (_list == null)
{
_list = typeof(<#= Configuration.EnumName #>).GetFields().Where(x => x.IsStatic && x.IsPublic && x.FieldType == typeof(<#= Configuration.EnumName #>))
.Select(x => x.GetValue(null)).OfType<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>>().ToList();
}
return _list;
}
public static List<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>> Values()
{
return ToList();
}
/// <summary>
/// Returns the enum value based on the matching Name of the enum. Case-insensitive search.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="key"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static <#= Configuration.EnumName #> ValueOf(string key)
{
return ToList().FirstOrDefault(x => string.Compare(x.Name, key, true) == 0);
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// I N S T A N C E _ D E F I N I T I O N
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
public string Name { get; private set; }
public string Description { get; private set; }
public override string ToString() { return this.Name; }
/// <summary>
/// Implcitly converts to string.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="d"></param>
public static implicit operator string(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> d)
{
return d.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the == method. Handles nulls gracefully.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="a"></param>
/// <param name="b"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool operator !=(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> a, <#= Configuration.EnumName #> b)
{
return !(a == b);
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .Equals method. Handles nulls gracefully.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="a"></param>
/// <param name="b"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool operator ==(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> a, <#= Configuration.EnumName #> b)
{
return a?.ToString() == b?.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .ToString() method
/// </summary>
/// <param name="o"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public override bool Equals(object o)
{
return this.ToString() == o?.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .ToString() method
/// </summary>
/// <param name="other"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public bool Equals(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> other)
{
return this.ToString() == other?.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .Name property
/// </summary>
/// <returns></returns>
public override int GetHashCode()
{
return this.Name.GetHashCode();
}
}
}
<#+
public static class Helpers
{
public static string PrintEnumProperties(object nodes)
{
string o = "";
Type nodesTp = Configuration.Nodes.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] props = nodesTp.GetProperties().OrderBy(p => p.Name).ToArray();
for(int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
{
var prop = props[i];
if (Configuration.IncludeComments)
{
o += "\r\n\r\n";
o += "\r\n ///<summary>";
o += "\r\n /// "+Helpers.PrintPropertyValue(prop, Configuration.Nodes);
o += "\r\n ///</summary>";
}
o += "\r\n public static readonly "+Configuration.EnumName+" "+prop.Name+ " = new "+Configuration.EnumName+"(){ Name = \""+prop.Name+"\", Description = "+Helpers.PrintPropertyValue(prop, Configuration.Nodes)+ "};";
}
o += "\r\n\r\n";
return o;
}
private static Dictionary<string, string> GetValuesMap()
{
Type nodesTp = Configuration.Nodes.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] props= nodesTp.GetProperties();
var dic = new Dictionary<string,string>();
for(int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
{
var prop = nodesTp.GetProperties()[i];
dic[prop.Name] = prop.GetValue(Configuration.Nodes).ToString();
}
return dic;
}
public static string PrintMasterValuesMap(object nodes)
{
Type nodesTp = Configuration.Nodes.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] props= nodesTp.GetProperties();
string o = " private static readonly Dictionary<string, string> ValuesMap = new Dictionary<string, string>()\r\n {";
for(int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
{
var prop = nodesTp.GetProperties()[i];
o += "\r\n { \""+prop.Name+"\", "+(Helpers.PrintPropertyValue(prop,Configuration.Nodes)+" },");
}
o += ("\r\n };\r\n");
return o;
}
public static string PrintPropertyValue(PropertyInfo prop, object objInstance)
{
switch(prop.PropertyType.ToString()){
case "System.Double":
return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"D";
case "System.Float":
return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"F";
case "System.Decimal":
return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"M";
case "System.Long":
return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"L";
case "System.Boolean":
case "System.Int16":
case "System.Int32":
return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString().ToLowerInvariant();
case "System.String":
return "\""+prop.GetValue(objInstance)+"\"";
}
return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString();
}
public static string _ (int numSpaces)
{
string o = "";
for(int i = 0; i < numSpaces; i++){
o += " ";
}
return o;
}
}
#>
Finally, you recompile your Enum.tt file and the output looks like this:
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <auto-generated>
// This code was generated by a tool.
//
// Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
// the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace YourName.Space
{
public class ResponseStatusCode
{
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// V A L U E S _ L I S T
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
///<summary>
/// "The response was successful."
///</summary>
public static readonly ResponseStatusCode SUCCESS = new ResponseStatusCode(){ Name = "SUCCESS", Description = "The response was successful."};
///<summary>
/// "The request was not successful."
///</summary>
public static readonly ResponseStatusCode NON_SUCCESS = new ResponseStatusCode(){ Name = "NON_SUCCESS", Description = "The request was not successful."};
///<summary>
/// "The resource requested has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed."
///</summary>
public static readonly ResponseStatusCode RESOURCE_IS_DISCONTINUED = new ResponseStatusCode(){ Name = "RESOURCE_IS_DISCONTINUED", Description = "The resource requested has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed."};
private static List<ResponseStatusCode> _list { get; set; } = null;
public static List<ResponseStatusCode> ToList()
{
if (_list == null)
{
_list = typeof(ResponseStatusCode).GetFields().Where(x => x.IsStatic && x.IsPublic && x.FieldType == typeof(ResponseStatusCode))
.Select(x => x.GetValue(null)).OfType<ResponseStatusCode>().ToList();
}
return _list;
}
public static List<ResponseStatusCode> Values()
{
return ToList();
}
/// <summary>
/// Returns the enum value based on the matching Name of the enum. Case-insensitive search.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="key"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static ResponseStatusCode ValueOf(string key)
{
return ToList().FirstOrDefault(x => string.Compare(x.Name, key, true) == 0);
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// I N S T A N C E _ D E F I N I T I O N
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Description { get; set; }
public override string ToString() { return this.Name; }
/// <summary>
/// Implcitly converts to string.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="d"></param>
public static implicit operator string(ResponseStatusCode d)
{
return d.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the == method. Handles nulls gracefully.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="a"></param>
/// <param name="b"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool operator !=(ResponseStatusCode a, ResponseStatusCode b)
{
return !(a == b);
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .Equals method. Handles nulls gracefully.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="a"></param>
/// <param name="b"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool operator ==(ResponseStatusCode a, ResponseStatusCode b)
{
return a?.ToString() == b?.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .ToString() method
/// </summary>
/// <param name="o"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public override bool Equals(object o)
{
return this.ToString() == o?.ToString();
}
/// <summary>
/// Compares based on the .Name property
/// </summary>
/// <returns></returns>
public override int GetHashCode()
{
return this.Name.GetHashCode();
}
}
}
Upvotes: 1
Reputation: 123
I know pretty well that this question have already been answered and that the OP is already happy with the accepted answer. But I found most of the answers, including the accepted one, to be a little bit more complicated.
I have a project which gave me a situation like this and I was able to achieve it this way.
First, you have to consider the casing of your enum names:
public enum AuthenticationMethod
{
Forms = 1,
WindowsAuthentication = 2,
SingleSignOn = 3
}
Then, have this extension:
using System.Text.RegularExpression;
public static class AnExtension
{
public static string Name(this Enum value)
{
string strVal = value.ToString();
try
{
return Regex.Replace(strVal, "([a-z])([A-Z])", "$1 $2");
}
catch
{
}
return strVal;
}
}
Through this you can turn your every enum name to its string representation with each word separated with a space. Ex:
AuthenticationMethod am = AuthenticationMethod.WindowsAuthentication;
MessageBox.Show(am.Name());
Upvotes: 0
Reputation: 311
Very simple solution to this with .Net 4.0 and above. No other code is needed.
public enum MyStatus
{
Active = 1,
Archived = 2
}
To get the string about just use:
MyStatus.Active.ToString("f");
or
MyStatus.Archived.ToString("f");`
The value will be "Active" or "Archived".
To see the different string formats (the "f" from above) when calling Enum.ToString see this Enumeration Format Strings page
Upvotes: 31
Reputation: 5543
If you've come here looking to implement a simple "Enum" but whose values are strings instead of ints, here is the simplest solution:
public sealed class MetricValueList
{
public static readonly string Brand = "A4082457-D467-E111-98DC-0026B9010912";
public static readonly string Name = "B5B5E167-D467-E111-98DC-0026B9010912";
}
Implementation:
var someStringVariable = MetricValueList.Brand;
Upvotes: 11
Reputation: 1893
In your question you never said that you actually need the numeric value of the enum anywhere.
If you do not and just need an enum of type string (which is not an integral type so can not be a base of enum) here is a way:
static class AuthenticationMethod
{
public static readonly string
FORMS = "Forms",
WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = "WindowsAuthentication";
}
you can use the same syntax as enum to reference it
if (bla == AuthenticationMethod.FORMS)
It will be a bit slower than with numeric values (comparing strings instead of numbers) but on the plus side it is not using reflection (slow) to access the string.
Upvotes: 12
Reputation: 17384
old post but...
The answer to this may actually be very simple. Use Enum.ToString() function
There are 6 overloads of this function, you can use Enum.Tostring("F") or Enum.ToString() to return the string value. No need to bother with anything else. Here is a working Demo
Note that this solution may not work for all compilers (this demo does not work as expected) but at least it works for the latest compiler.
Upvotes: 3
Reputation: 155822
Unfortunately reflection to get attributes on enums is quite slow:
See this question: Anyone know a quick way to get to custom attributes on an enum value?
The .ToString() is quite slow on enums too.
You can write extension methods for enums though:
public static string GetName( this MyEnum input ) {
switch ( input ) {
case MyEnum.WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION:
return "Windows";
//and so on
}
}
This isn't great, but will be quick and not require the reflection for attributes or field name.
C#6 Update
If you can use C#6 then the new nameof operator works for enums, so nameof(MyEnum.WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION) will be converted to "WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION" at compile time, making it the quickest way to get enum names.
Note that this will convert the explicit enum to an inlined constant, so it doesn't work for enums that you have in a variable. So:
nameof(AuthenticationMethod.FORMS) == "FORMS"
But...
var myMethod = AuthenticationMethod.FORMS;
nameof(myMethod) == "myMethod"
Upvotes: 76
Reputation: 2286
If I'm understanding you correctly, you can simply use .ToString() to retrieve the name of the enum from the value (Assuming it's already cast as the Enum); If you had the naked int (lets say from a database or something) you can first cast it to the enum. Both methods below will get you the enum name.
AuthenticationMethod myCurrentSetting = AuthenticationMethod.FORMS;
Console.WriteLine(myCurrentSetting); // Prints: FORMS
string name = Enum.GetNames(typeof(AuthenticationMethod))[(int)myCurrentSetting-1];
Console.WriteLine(name); // Prints: FORMS
Keep in mind though, the second technique assumes you are using ints and your index is 1 based (not 0 based). The function GetNames also is quite heavy by comparison, you are generating a whole array each time it's called. As you can see in the first technique, .ToString() is actually called implicitly. Both of these are already mentioned in the answers of course, I'm just trying to clarify the differences between them.
Upvotes: 3
Reputation: 5313
I use a combination of several of the suggestions above, combined with some caching. Now, I got the idea from some code that I found somewhere on the net, but I can neither remember where I got it or find it. So if anyone ever finds something that looks similar please comment with the attribution.
Anyway, the usage involves the type converters, so if you are binding to the UI it 'just works'. You can extended with Jakub's pattern for quick code lookup by initializing from the type converter into the static methods.
The base usage would look like this
[TypeConverter(typeof(CustomEnumTypeConverter<MyEnum>))]
public enum MyEnum
{
// The custom type converter will use the description attribute
[Description("A custom description")]
ValueWithCustomDescription,
// This will be exposed exactly.
Exact
}
The code for the custom enum type converter follows:
public class CustomEnumTypeConverter<T> : EnumConverter
where T : struct
{
private static readonly Dictionary<T,string> s_toString =
new Dictionary<T, string>();
private static readonly Dictionary<string, T> s_toValue =
new Dictionary<string, T>();
private static bool s_isInitialized;
static CustomEnumTypeConverter()
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.Assert(typeof(T).IsEnum,
"The custom enum class must be used with an enum type.");
}
public CustomEnumTypeConverter() : base(typeof(T))
{
if (!s_isInitialized)
{
Initialize();
s_isInitialized = true;
}
}
protected void Initialize()
{
foreach (T item in Enum.GetValues(typeof(T)))
{
string description = GetDescription(item);
s_toString[item] = description;
s_toValue[description] = item;
}
}
private static string GetDescription(T optionValue)
{
var optionDescription = optionValue.ToString();
var optionInfo = typeof(T).GetField(optionDescription);
if (Attribute.IsDefined(optionInfo, typeof(DescriptionAttribute)))
{
var attribute =
(DescriptionAttribute)Attribute.
GetCustomAttribute(optionInfo, typeof(DescriptionAttribute));
return attribute.Description;
}
return optionDescription;
}
public override object ConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context,
System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture,
object value, Type destinationType)
{
var optionValue = (T)value;
if (destinationType == typeof(string) &&
s_toString.ContainsKey(optionValue))
{
return s_toString[optionValue];
}
return base.ConvertTo(context, culture, value, destinationType);
}
public override object ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context,
System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture, object value)
{
var stringValue = value as string;
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(stringValue) && s_toValue.ContainsKey(stringValue))
{
return s_toValue[stringValue];
}
return base.ConvertFrom(context, culture, value);
}
}
}
Upvotes: 13
Reputation: 35787
Try type-safe-enum pattern.
public sealed class AuthenticationMethod {
private readonly String name;
private readonly int value;
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod FORMS = new AuthenticationMethod (1, "FORMS");
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = new AuthenticationMethod (2, "WINDOWS");
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod SINGLESIGNON = new AuthenticationMethod (3, "SSN");
private AuthenticationMethod(int value, String name){
this.name = name;
this.value = value;
}
public override String ToString(){
return name;
}
}
Update Explicit (or implicit) type conversion can be done by
adding static field with mapping
private static readonly Dictionary<string, AuthenticationMethod> instance = new Dictionary<string,AuthenticationMethod>();- n.b. In order that the initialisation of the the "enum member" fields doesn't throw a NullReferenceException when calling the instance constructor, be sure to put the Dictionary field before the "enum member" fields in your class. This is because static field initialisers are called in declaration order, and before the static constructor, creating the weird and necessary but confusing situation that the instance constructor can be called before all static fields have been initialised, and before the static constructor is called.
filling this mapping in instance constructor
instance[name] = this;and adding user-defined type conversion operator
public static explicit operator AuthenticationMethod(string str) { AuthenticationMethod result; if (instance.TryGetValue(str, out result)) return result; else throw new InvalidCastException(); }
Upvotes: 891
Reputation: 2190
A lot of great answers here but in my case did not solve what I wanted out of an "string enum", which was:
- Usable in a switch statement e.g switch(myEnum)
- Can be used in function parameters e.g. foo(myEnum type)
- Can be referenced e.g. myEnum.FirstElement
- I can use strings e.g. foo("FirstElement") == foo(myEnum.FirstElement)
1,2 & 4 can actually be solved with a C# Typedef of a string (since strings are switchable in c#)
3 can be solved by static const strings. So if you have the same needs, this is the simplest approach:
public sealed class Types
{
private readonly String name;
private Types(String name)
{
this.name = name;
}
public override String ToString()
{
return name;
}
public static implicit operator Types(string str)
{
return new Types(str);
}
public static implicit operator string(Types str)
{
return str.ToString();
}
#region enum
public const string DataType = "Data";
public const string ImageType = "Image";
public const string Folder = "Folder";
#endregion
}
This allows for example:
public TypeArgs(Types SelectedType)
{
Types SelectedType = SelectedType
}
and
public TypeObject CreateType(Types type)
{
switch (type)
{
case Types.ImageType:
//
break;
case Types.DataType:
//
break;
}
}
Where CreateType can be called with a string or a type. However the downside is that any string is automatically a valid enum, this could be modified but then it would require some kind of init function...or possibly make they explicit cast internal?
Now if an int value was important to you (perhaps for comparison speed), you could use some ideas from Jakub Šturc fantastic answer and do something a bit crazy, this is my stab at it:
public sealed class Types
{
private static readonly Dictionary<string, Types> strInstance = new Dictionary<string, Types>();
private static readonly Dictionary<int, Types> intInstance = new Dictionary<int, Types>();
private readonly String name;
private static int layerTypeCount = 0;
private int value;
private Types(String name)
{
this.name = name;
value = layerTypeCount++;
strInstance[name] = this;
intInstance[value] = this;
}
public override String ToString()
{
return name;
}
public static implicit operator Types(int val)
{
Types result;
if (intInstance.TryGetValue(val, out result))
return result;
else
throw new InvalidCastException();
}
public static implicit operator Types(string str)
{
Types result;
if (strInstance.TryGetValue(str, out result))
{
return result;
}
else
{
result = new Types(str);
return result;
}
}
public static implicit operator string(Types str)
{
return str.ToString();
}
public static bool operator ==(Types a, Types b)
{
return a.value == b.value;
}
public static bool operator !=(Types a, Types b)
{
return a.value != b.value;
}
#region enum
public const string DataType = "Data";
public const string ImageType = "Image";
#endregion
}
but of course "Types bob = 4;" would be meaningless unless you had initialized them first which would sort of defeat the point...
But in theory TypeA == TypeB would be quicker...
Upvotes: 3
Reputation: 12191
When I am in a situation like that I propose the solution below.
And as a consuming class you could have
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
namespace MyApp.Dictionaries
{
class Greek
{
public static readonly string Alpha = "Alpha";
public static readonly string Beta = "Beta";
public static readonly string Gamma = "Gamma";
public static readonly string Delta = "Delta";
private static readonly BiDictionary<int, string> Dictionary = new BiDictionary<int, string>();
static Greek() {
Dictionary.Add(1, Alpha);
Dictionary.Add(2, Beta);
Dictionary.Add(3, Gamma);
Dictionary.Add(4, Delta);
}
public static string getById(int id){
return Dictionary.GetByFirst(id);
}
public static int getByValue(string value)
{
return Dictionary.GetBySecond(value);
}
}
}
And using a bidirectional dictionary: Based on this (https://stackoverflow.com/a/255638/986160) assuming that the keys will be associated with single values in the dictionary and similar to (https://stackoverflow.com/a/255630/986160) but a bit more elegant. This dictionary is also enumerable and you can go back and forth from ints to strings. Also you don't have to have any string in your codebase with the exception of this class.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Collections;
namespace MyApp.Dictionaries
{
class BiDictionary<TFirst, TSecond> : IEnumerable
{
IDictionary<TFirst, TSecond> firstToSecond = new Dictionary<TFirst, TSecond>();
IDictionary<TSecond, TFirst> secondToFirst = new Dictionary<TSecond, TFirst>();
public void Add(TFirst first, TSecond second)
{
firstToSecond.Add(first, second);
secondToFirst.Add(second, first);
}
public TSecond this[TFirst first]
{
get { return GetByFirst(first); }
}
public TFirst this[TSecond second]
{
get { return GetBySecond(second); }
}
public TSecond GetByFirst(TFirst first)
{
return firstToSecond[first];
}
public TFirst GetBySecond(TSecond second)
{
return secondToFirst[second];
}
public IEnumerator GetEnumerator()
{
return GetFirstEnumerator();
}
public IEnumerator GetFirstEnumerator()
{
return firstToSecond.GetEnumerator();
}
public IEnumerator GetSecondEnumerator()
{
return secondToFirst.GetEnumerator();
}
}
}
Upvotes: 1
Reputation: 81
I'm with Harvey but don't use const. I can mix and match string, int, whatever.
public class xlsLayout
{
public int xlHeaderRow = 1;
public int xlFirstDataRow = 2;
public int xlSkipLinesBetweenFiles = 1; //so 0 would mean don't skip
public string xlFileColumn = "A";
public string xlFieldColumn = "B";
public string xlFreindlyNameColumn = "C";
public string xlHelpTextColumn = "D";
}
Then later ...
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
xlsLayout xlLayout = new xlsLayout();
xl.SetCell(xlLayout.xlFileColumn, xlLayout.xlHeaderRow, "File Name");
xl.SetCell(xlLayout.xlFieldColumn, xlLayout.xlHeaderRow, "Code field name");
xl.SetCell(xlLayout.xlFreindlyNameColumn, xlLayout.xlHeaderRow, "Freindly name");
xl.SetCell(xlLayout.xlHelpTextColumn, xlLayout.xlHeaderRow, "Inline Help Text");
}
Upvotes: 0
Reputation: 3997
I use an extension method:
public static class AttributesHelperExtension
{
public static string ToDescription(this Enum value)
{
var da = (DescriptionAttribute[])(value.GetType().GetField(value.ToString())).GetCustomAttributes(typeof(DescriptionAttribute), false);
return da.Length > 0 ? da[0].Description : value.ToString();
}
}
Now decorate the enum with:
public enum AuthenticationMethod
{
[Description("FORMS")]
FORMS = 1,
[Description("WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION")]
WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = 2,
[Description("SINGLESIGNON ")]
SINGLESIGNON = 3
}
When you call
AuthenticationMethod.FORMS.ToDescription() you will get "FORMS".
Upvotes: 61
Reputation: 24424
I really like Jakub Šturc's answer, but it's shortcoming is that you cannot use it with a switch-case statement. Here's a slightly modified version of his answer that can be used with a switch statement:
public sealed class AuthenticationMethod
{
#region This code never needs to change.
private readonly string _name;
public readonly Values Value;
private AuthenticationMethod(Values value, String name){
this._name = name;
this.Value = value;
}
public override String ToString(){
return _name;
}
#endregion
public enum Values
{
Forms = 1,
Windows = 2,
SSN = 3
}
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod FORMS = new AuthenticationMethod (Values.Forms, "FORMS");
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = new AuthenticationMethod (Values.Windows, "WINDOWS");
public static readonly AuthenticationMethod SINGLESIGNON = new AuthenticationMethod (Values.SSN, "SSN");
}
So you get all of the benefits of Jakub Šturc's answer, plus we can use it with a switch statement like so:
var authenticationMethodVariable = AuthenticationMethod.FORMS; // Set the "enum" value we want to use.
var methodName = authenticationMethodVariable.ToString(); // Get the user-friendly "name" of the "enum" value.
// Perform logic based on which "enum" value was chosen.
switch (authenticationMethodVariable.Value)
{
case authenticationMethodVariable.Values.Forms: // Do something
break;
case authenticationMethodVariable.Values.Windows: // Do something
break;
case authenticationMethodVariable.Values.SSN: // Do something
break;
}
Upvotes: 28
Reputation: 453
Just use the ToString() method
public enum any{Tomato=0,Melon,Watermelon}
To reference the string Tomato, just use
any.Tomato.ToString();
Upvotes: 42
Reputation: 31
Here is yet another way to accomplish the task of associating strings with enums:
struct DATABASE {
public enum enums {NOTCONNECTED, CONNECTED, ERROR}
static List<string> strings =
new List<string>() {"Not Connected", "Connected", "Error"};
public string GetString(DATABASE.enums value) {
return strings[(int)value];
}
}
This method is called like this:
public FormMain() {
DATABASE dbEnum;
string enumName = dbEnum.GetString(DATABASE.enums.NOTCONNECTED);
}
You can group related enums in their own struct. Since this method uses the enum type, you can use Intellisense to display the list of enums when making the GetString() call.
You can optionally use the new operator on the DATABASE struct. Not using it means the strings List is not allocated until the first GetString() call is made.
Upvotes: 3
Reputation: 31
Well, after reading all of the above I feel that the guys have over complicated the issue of transforming enumerators into strings. I liked the idea of having attributes over enumerated fields but i think that attributes are mainly used for Meta-data, but in your case i think that all you need is some sort of localization.
public enum Color
{ Red = 1, Green = 2, Blue = 3}
public static EnumUtils
{
public static string GetEnumResourceString(object enumValue)
{
Type enumType = enumValue.GetType();
string value = Enum.GetName(enumValue.GetType(), enumValue);
string resourceKey = String.Format("{0}_{1}", enumType.Name, value);
string result = Resources.Enums.ResourceManager.GetString(resourceKey);
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(result))
{
result = String.Format("{0}", value);
}
return result;
}
}
Now if we try to call the above method we can call it this way
public void Foo()
{
var col = Color.Red;
Console.WriteLine (EnumUtils.GetEnumResourceString (col));
}
All you need to do is just create a resource file containing all the enumerator values and the corresponding strings
Resource Name Resource Value Color_Red My String Color in Red Color_Blue Blueeey Color_Green Hulk Color
What is actually very nice about that is that it will be very helpful if you need your application to be localized, since all you need to do is just create another resource file with your new language! and Voe-la!
Upvotes: 2
Reputation: 3736
for me, the pragmatic approach is class inside class, sample:
public class MSEModel
{
class WITS
{
public const string DATE = "5005";
public const string TIME = "5006";
public const string MD = "5008";
public const string ROP = "5075";
public const string WOB = "5073";
public const string RPM = "7001";
...
}
Upvotes: 4
Reputation: 21
The approach i found for internationalization of Enums or getting text of Enums from respective Resource files is to create an attribute class by inheriting DescriptionAttribute class
public class EnumResourceAttribute : DescriptionAttribute
{
public Type ResourceType { get; private set; }
public string ResourceName { get; private set; }
public int SortOrder { get; private set; }
public EnumResourceAttribute(Type ResourceType,
string ResourceName,
int SortOrder)
{
this.ResourceType = ResourceType;
this.ResourceName = ResourceName;
this.SortOrder = SortOrder;
}
}
Create another Static class that will provide extension methods for GetString and GetStrings.
public static class EnumHelper
{
public static string GetString(this Enum value)
{
EnumResourceAttribute ea =
(EnumResourceAttribute)value.GetType().GetField(value.ToString())
.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(EnumResourceAttribute), false)
.FirstOrDefault();
if (ea != null)
{
PropertyInfo pi = ea.ResourceType
.GetProperty(CommonConstants.ResourceManager);
if (pi != null)
{
ResourceManager rm = (ResourceManager)pi
.GetValue(null, null);
return rm.GetString(ea.ResourceName);
}
}
return string.Empty;
}
public static IList GetStrings(this Type enumType)
{
List<string> stringList = new List<string>();
FieldInfo[] fiArray = enumType.GetFields();
foreach (FieldInfo fi in fiArray)
{
EnumResourceAttribute ea =
(EnumResourceAttribute)fi
.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(EnumResourceAttribute), false)
.FirstOrDefault();
if (ea != null)
{
PropertyInfo pi = ea.ResourceType
.GetProperty(CommonConstants.ResourceManager);
if (pi != null)
{
ResourceManager rm = (ResourceManager)pi
.GetValue(null, null);
stringList.Add(rm.GetString(ea.ResourceName));
}
}
}
return stringList.ToList();
}
}
And on the elements of your Enum you can write :
public enum Priority
{
[EnumResourceAttribute(typeof(Resources.AdviceModule), Resources.ResourceNames.AdviceCreateAdviceExternaPriorityMemberHigh, 1)]
High,
[EnumResourceAttribute(typeof(Resources.AdviceModule), Resources.ResourceNames.AdviceCreateAdviceExternaPriorityMemberRoutine, 2)]
Routine
}
Where Resources.ResourceNames.AdviceCreateAdviceExternaPriorityMemberHigh & Resources.ResourceNames.AdviceCreateAdviceExternaPriorityMemberRoutine are constants in the resource file or you can say the strings whose values can be available in different cultures.
If you are implementing your web application in MVC architecture then create a property
private IList result;
public IList Result
{
get
{
result = typeof(Priority).GetStrings();
return result;
}
}
and in your .cshtml file you can just bind the enum to your dropdownlist like :
@Html.DropDownListFor(model => Model.vwClinicalInfo.Priority, new SelectList(Model.Result))
Thanks Ratnesh
Upvotes: 0
Reputation: 146557
Use method
Enum.GetName(Type MyEnumType, object enumvariable)
as in (Assume Shipper is a defined Enum)
Shipper x = Shipper.FederalExpress;
string s = Enum.GetName(typeof(Shipper), x);
There are a bunch of other static methods on the Enum class worth investigating too...
Upvotes: 237
Reputation: 4124
My answer, working on @user29964 's answer (which is by far the simplest and closest to a Enum) is
public class StringValue : System.Attribute
{
private string _value;
public StringValue(string value)
{
_value = value;
}
public string Value
{
get { return _value; }
}
public static string GetStringValue(Enum Flagvalue)
{
Type type = Flagvalue.GetType();
string[] flags = Flagvalue.ToString().Split(',').Select(x => x.Trim()).ToArray();
List<string> values = new List<string>();
for (int i = 0; i < flags.Length; i++)
{
FieldInfo fi = type.GetField(flags[i].ToString());
StringValue[] attrs =
fi.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(StringValue),
false) as StringValue[];
if (attrs.Length > 0)
{
values.Add(attrs[0].Value);
}
}
return String.Join(",", values);
}
usage
[Flags]
public enum CompeteMetric
{
/// <summary>
/// u
/// </summary>
[StringValue("u")]//Json mapping
Basic_UniqueVisitors = 1 //Basic
,
/// <summary>
/// vi
/// </summary>
[StringValue("vi")]//json mapping
Basic_Visits = 2// Basic
,
/// <summary>
/// rank
/// </summary>
[StringValue("rank")]//json mapping
Basic_Rank = 4//Basic
}
Example
CompeteMetric metrics = CompeteMetric.Basic_Visits | CompeteMetric.Basic_Rank;
string strmetrics = StringValue.GetStringValue(metrics);
this will return "vi,rank"
Upvotes: 0
Reputation: 121
How I solved this as an extension method:
using System.ComponentModel;
public static string GetDescription(this Enum value)
{
var descriptionAttribute = (DescriptionAttribute)value.GetType()
.GetField(value.ToString())
.GetCustomAttributes(false)
.Where(a => a is DescriptionAttribute)
.FirstOrDefault();
return descriptionAttribute != null ? descriptionAttribute.Description : value.ToString();
}
Enum:
public enum OrderType
{
None = 0,
[Description("New Card")]
NewCard = 1,
[Description("Reload")]
Refill = 2
}
Usage (where o.OrderType is a property with the same name as the enum):
o.OrderType.GetDescription()
Which gives me a string of "New Card" or "Reload" instead of the actual enum value NewCard and Refill.
Upvotes: 12
Reputation: 324
My variant
public struct Colors
{
private String current;
private static string red = "#ff0000";
private static string green = "#00ff00";
private static string blue = "#0000ff";
private static IList<String> possibleColors;
public static Colors Red { get { return (Colors) red; } }
public static Colors Green { get { return (Colors) green; } }
public static Colors Blue { get { return (Colors) blue; } }
static Colors()
{
possibleColors = new List<string>() {red, green, blue};
}
public static explicit operator String(Colors value)
{
return value.current;
}
public static explicit operator Colors(String value)
{
if (!possibleColors.Contains(value))
{
throw new InvalidCastException();
}
Colors color = new Colors();
color.current = value;
return color;
}
public static bool operator ==(Colors left, Colors right)
{
return left.current == right.current;
}
public static bool operator !=(Colors left, Colors right)
{
return left.current != right.current;
}
public bool Equals(Colors other)
{
return Equals(other.current, current);
}
public override bool Equals(object obj)
{
if (ReferenceEquals(null, obj)) return false;
if (obj.GetType() != typeof(Colors)) return false;
return Equals((Colors)obj);
}
public override int GetHashCode()
{
return (current != null ? current.GetHashCode() : 0);
}
public override string ToString()
{
return current;
}
}
Code looks a bit ugly, but usages of this struct are pretty presentative.
Colors color1 = Colors.Red;
Console.WriteLine(color1); // #ff0000
Colors color2 = (Colors) "#00ff00";
Console.WriteLine(color2); // #00ff00
// Colors color3 = "#0000ff"; // Compilation error
// String color4 = Colors.Red; // Compilation error
Colors color5 = (Colors)"#ff0000";
Console.WriteLine(color1 == color5); // True
Colors color6 = (Colors)"#00ff00";
Console.WriteLine(color1 == color6); // False
Also, I think, if a lot of such enums required, code generation (e.g. T4) might be used.
Upvotes: 5
Reputation: 21
based on the MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc138362.aspx
foreach (string str in Enum.GetNames(typeof(enumHeaderField)))
{
Debug.WriteLine(str);
}
str will be the names of the fields
Upvotes: 2