System.Enum Class

Namespace: System

Overview

Represents a type that is a universal enumeration type. All enumeration types derive from this type.

The System.Enum class is an abstract base class from which all enumeration types inherit. It provides methods for working with enumeration types, such as retrieving their names, values, and attributes. Enumerations provide a convenient way to define a set of named constants.

Syntax

public abstract class Enum : ValueType, IComparable, IConvertible, IEquatable<Enum>

Remarks

Enumeration types in .NET are value types that inherit from System.Enum. They are used to create a set of named constants that represent a set of discrete values. For example, you can define an enumeration for days of the week: 

public enum DayOfWeek
{
    Sunday,
    Monday,
    Tuesday,
    Wednesday,
    Thursday,
    Friday,
    Saturday
}

The underlying type of an enumeration can be any integral numeric type (byte, sbyte, short, ushort, int, uint, long, or ulong). If not specified, the underlying type is int.

The System.Enum class itself is abstract and cannot be instantiated directly. You interact with enumeration types through the static methods provided by the System.Enum class or by casting to the specific enumeration type.

Fields

System.Enum does not declare any public fields.

Methods

Properties

System.Enum does not declare any public properties.

Struct Layout

System.Enum is an abstract class and therefore does not have a struct layout.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System.Object
    System.ValueType
        System.Enum

Interfaces implemented by System.Enum:

Implementations

System.Enum is the base class for all enumeration types in .NET. Every enumeration type implicitly implements this class.

Examples include: