Want the name of an Enum?

13 Comments

• For an Enum like this
  
  Enum Numbers
  One = 1
  Two = 2
  Three = 3
  End Enum
  
  won't Numbers.One.ToString() give the name?
  
  Ponnu
  

• Yes, you can do that with GetName. An alternative way could be using Enum.Parse(typeof(...), "value").ToString().
  
  Michael
  

• EnumName.EnumValue.ToString() ??
  

• Doing a .ToSting() on the enum name will work although I believe it is deprecated in favor of the static Enum.GetName() method.
  

• How about enumname.ToString() ?
  

• What is the behaviour of enum.tostring?
  

• Er.
  
  ToString()?
  

• Ahem, enumname.value.ToString()?
  

• On an instance of the enum in question, call ToString(). Of course that's assuming you have an instance. If not, GetName is the best option.
  

• Cool. thanks everyone. I thought that ToString on the enum value would give me a string representation of the value.
  

• @Sean
  
  How the world could you deprecate ToString()?
  

• ToString() is most common ... but it won't work in all cases. For example an enum that has multiple int values that are same:
  
  public enum Numbers
  {
  First = 0,
  Zero = 0,
  One = 1,
  Two = 2,
  Three = 3,
  Last = 3
  }
  
  This will not write out the expected "First" and "Zero":
  Console.WriteLine(Numbers.First.ToString());
  Console.WriteLine(Numbers.Zero.ToString());
  
  It will be "First" and "First" ... you'll have to go to the Names to get the Zero as far as I know.
  

• GetNames is the way to go.
  
  Anyone remembers how we achieved the same in C++?