Enum in C# 11

enum DaysOfWeek
{
    Monday,
    Tuesday,
    Wednesday,
    Thursday,
    Friday,
    Saturday,
    Sunday
}

DaysOfWeek today = DaysOfWeek.Monday;

if (today == DaysOfWeek.Saturday || today == DaysOfWeek.Sunday)
{
    Console.WriteLine("It's the weekend!");
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine("It's a weekday.");
}

switch (today)
{
    case DaysOfWeek.Monday:
        Console.WriteLine("Back to work!");
        break;
    case DaysOfWeek.Friday:
        Console.WriteLine("TGIF!");
        break;
    default:
        Console.WriteLine("Just another day...");
        break;
}

enum StatusCode : byte
{
    OK = 200,
    NotFound = 404,
    InternalServerError = 500
}

enum Colors
{
    [Description("Red color")]
    Red,
    [Description("Blue color")]
    Blue,
    [Description("Green color")]
    Green
}

In this example, we've added a Description attribute to each enum value to provide a human-readable description of each color.

That's it! You now know how to define and use enums in C#.

Top 5 FAQs on C# enums

Here are five frequently asked questions about C# enums and their answers:

Can I assign a value to an enum member?

Yes, you can assign a specific value to each enum member. By default, the first member is assigned the value 0, and each subsequent member is assigned a value that is one greater than the previous member. However, you can override these default values by specifying the value explicitly. Here's an example:

enum Status
{
    Pending = 1,
    Approved = 2,
    Rejected = 3
}

In this example, we've assigned specific values to each enum member.

Can I use an enum as a method parameter or return type?

Yes, you can use an enum as a parameter or return type in a method. Here's an example:

enum Status
{
    Pending,
    Approved,
    Rejected
}

public Status GetStatus()
{
    // implementation here
}

public void UpdateStatus(Status newStatus)
{
    // implementation here
}

In this example, we've defined a method called GetStatus that returns a value of type Status, and a method called UpdateStatus that takes a parameter of type Status.

Can I convert an enum to a string?

Yes, you can convert an enum to a string using the ToString method. Here's an example:

enum Status
{
    Pending,
    Approved,
    Rejected
}

Status myStatus = Status.Approved;
string statusString = myStatus.ToString(); // "Approved"

In this example, we've converted the myStatus enum value to a string using the ToString method.

Can I convert a string to an enum?

Yes, you can convert a string to an enum using the Enum.Parse method. Here's an example:

enum Status
{
    Pending,
    Approved,
    Rejected
}

string statusString = "Approved";
Status myStatus = (Status)Enum.Parse(typeof(Status), statusString);

In this example, we've converted the statusString string to an enum value using the Enum.Parse method.

Can I iterate over the values of an enum?

Yes, you can iterate over the values of an enum using the Enum.GetValues method. Here's an example:

enum Status
{
    Pending,
    Approved,
    Rejected
}

foreach (Status status in Enum.GetValues(typeof(Status)))
{
    Console.WriteLine(status);
}

In this example, we've used a foreach loop to iterate over the values of the Status enum and print each one to the console.

Learn more about the Top 7 C# Enum Code Examples.