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Paul Wicks
Paul Wicks

Reputation: 65550

Returning an enum from a function in C?

If I have something like the following in a header file, how do I declare a function that returns an enum of type Foo?

enum Foo
{
   BAR,
   BAZ
};

Can I just do something like the following?

Foo testFunc()
{
    return Foo.BAR;
}

Or do I need to use typedefs or pointers or something?

Upvotes: 37

Views: 98176

Answers (4)

Jonathan Leffler
Jonathan Leffler

Reputation: 753990

In C++, you could use just Foo.

In C, you must use enum Foo until you provide a typedef for it.

And then, when you refer to BAR, you do not use Foo.BAR but just BAR. All enumeration constants share the same namespace (the “ordinary identifiers” namespace, used by functions, variables, etc).

Hence (for C):

enum Foo { BAR, BAZ };

enum Foo testFunc(void)
{
    return BAR;
}

Or, with a typedef:

typedef enum Foo { BAR, BAZ } Foo;

Foo testFunc(void)
{
    return BAR;
}

Upvotes: 70

dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten
dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten

Reputation: 101181

I believe that the individual values in the enum are identifiers in their own right, just use:

enum Foo testFunc(){
  return BAR;
}

Upvotes: 5

Brian R. Bondy
Brian R. Bondy

Reputation: 347256

enum Foo
{
   BAR,
   BAZ
};

In C, the return type should have enum before it. And when you use the individual enum values, you don't qualify them in any way.

enum Foo testFunc()
{
    enum Foo temp = BAR;
    temp = BAZ;
    return temp;
}

Upvotes: 2

kenny
kenny

Reputation: 22344

I think some compilers may require

typedef enum tagFoo
{
  BAR,
  BAZ,
} Foo;

Upvotes: 2

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