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Lesson 3012 min read

Enums

Learn how to define and use enums to represent a fixed set of named values in C#.

What is an Enum?

An enum (enumeration) defines a named set of related constants, making code far more readable than using raw numbers or strings to represent a fixed set of options.

Declaring an Enum

enum OrderStatus
{
    Pending,
    Shipped,
    Delivered,
    Cancelled
}


OrderStatus status = OrderStatus.Shipped;
Console.WriteLine(status);


if (status == OrderStatus.Shipped)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Your order is on the way!");
}
Output

Click Run to see what this code prints.

Underlying Values

Behind the scenes, each enum member maps to an integer, starting at 0 by default — but you can assign your own values explicitly.

enum HttpStatus
{
    Ok = 200,
    NotFound = 404,
    ServerError = 500
}


Console.WriteLine((int)HttpStatus.NotFound); // 404

FAQs

Enums are checked at compile time, so a typo becomes a compile error instead of a silent runtime bug, and they're far cheaper to compare than strings.

Summary

  • Enums represent a fixed, named set of related values.
  • Each member maps to an underlying integer, customizable if needed.
  • Enums are safer and more readable than raw numbers or strings.
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Structs