What Do You Mean by Enumerated Data Type?

What Do You Mean by Enumerated Data Type?

An enumerated data type, also known as an enum, is a user-defined data type in programming languages that consists of a set of named values. These named values are called enumerators or members. Each enumerator represents a unique value within the enum.

Declaring and Defining Enum Types

To declare an enum type, you use the enum keyword followed by the name of the enum and a set of curly braces:

enum Color {
    RED,
    GREEN,
    BLUE
};

In this example, we have declared an enum type called Color. It has three enumerators: RED, GREEN, and BLUE. These enumerators represent different colors.

Using Enumerated Data Types

You can use enumerated data types to define variables that can only take on one of the specified enumerator values. For example:

enum Day {
    MONDAY,
    TUESDAY,
    WEDNESDAY,
    THURSDAY,
    FRIDAY,
    SATURDAY,
    SUNDAY
};

Day today = Day.WEDNESDAY;

In this code snippet, we have defined an enum type called Day. It represents the days of the week.

We then declare a variable named today, which is of type Day. We assign it the value Day.WEDNESDAY.

Benefits of Enumerated Data Types

• Readability: Enumerated data types make the code more readable by using meaningful names for values instead of arbitrary numbers or strings.
• Type Safety: Enumerated data types provide type safety because variables declared with an enum type can only take on one of the specified enumerator values.
• Restricting Values: Enumerated data types allow you to restrict the values that a variable can have, making it easier to validate and handle input.

Overall, enumerated data types are a powerful feature in programming languages that allow you to define a set of named values, providing clarity and type safety in your code.