CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#enums
Kim Sandberg
Kim Sandberg

Reputation: 85

how do i compare a string to an enum

I have a problem where i get some status codes in string format, and after som datahandling, i have to persist those status codes also as strings.

Example of statuscodes is "0", "3"

But in between retrieving and saving data i have to handle the data in code. I also want my code to make sence to other members of my team, and future programmers. For that ive created an Enum with 4 statuscodes written in words.

Example of statuscodes enum. Resigned, Active.

Now enums are integers, so i cannot switch on the string statuscode and compare with enumvalues like ex.

// object.statuscode is a string.

switch(object.statuscode){
  case Enums.Statuscodes.Resigned:
    .
    .
    .
  case Enums.Statuscodes.Active:
    .
    .
    .
}

I am not in control of dataformat, but just been given the task of making the code more readable with enums.

Is there a way around this.

Ive tried something like [EnumMember(Value = "0")] Resigned . . .

and then case Enums.Statuscodes.Resigned: But that does not work.

Does anybody have an idea if this is possible or do i have to suggest that data should be retrieved and stored differently for this to work.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1517

Answers (2)

Adam Janovec
Adam Janovec

Reputation: 81

I would do simple method if you have small count of enums, otherwise approache from Max Play with Dictionary is great option too

enum StatusCode
{
    Resigned = 0,
    Active = 3,
    Undefined = 999
}

public static StatusCode GetStatusCode(string code)
{
    switch (code)
    {
         case "0": return StatusCode.Resigned;
         case "3": return StatusCode.Active;
         default:
             throw new Exception($"Not valid status code: {code}");
           //return StatusCode.UNDEFINED;
     }
 }

//Example
if (GetStatusCode(object.statuscode) == StatusCode.Resigned)
{
    //Do what you want
}

Upvotes: 1

Max Play
Max Play

Reputation: 4038

An option would be to layout your enums similar to the receiving status codes and cast them appropriately.

enum StatusCode
{
    Resigned = 0,
    Active = 3,
    ...
    Undefined = 99999
}

Then, when retrieving the data as string, you have multiple options. One would be to double-cast it into the enum, like phuzi mentioned:

string statusCodeString;
StatusCode result = StatusCode.Undefined;

if (int.TryParse(statusCodeString, out int statusCodeInt))
{
    result = (StatusCode)statusCodeInt;
}

An alternative would be to buildup a dictionary beforehand, based on the enum values. This allows for a more direct "cast" and catches issues that are not being caught by the code above:

// This should be a static member somewhere
Dictionary<string, StatusCode> stringToStatusCode = new();

StatusCode[] allStatusCodes = (StatusCode[])Enum.GetValues(typeof(StatusCode));
foreach (StatusCode statusCode in allStatusCodes)
{
    stringToStatusCode.Add(((int)statusCode).ToString(), statusCode);
}

Now, you should be able to check against the dictionary. If the key is not in the dictionary, the code is undefined:

string statusCodeString;

if (!stringToStatusCode.TryGetValue(statusCodeString, out result))
    result = StatusCode.Undefined;

Upvotes: 2

Related Questions