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Enums in C

Introduction

Enums, short for enumerations, are a user-defined data type in C that allow you to assign names to integral constants. They make the code more readable and maintainable.

Syntax

enum enum_name {
    value1,
    value2,
    // ...
};

Example

enum Color {
    RED,
    GREEN,
    BLUE
};

Usage

1. Defining Enums:

   Enums are defined using the enum keyword followed by the enum name and a list of possible values. These values are automatically assigned integers starting from 0.

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

2. Accessing Enum Values:

   Enum values can be accessed using dot notation.

   enum Days today = WEDNESDAY;

3. Explicitly Assigning Values:

   You can explicitly assign values to enum members.

   enum Status {SUCCESS=0, FAILURE=1, ERROR=2};
   

4. Size of Enums:

   sizeof(enum) returns the size of the enum in bytes.

   printf("Size of enum Status: %d bytes", sizeof(enum Status));
   

Benefits of Enums

• Readability: Enums make the code more human-readable as the constants have meaningful names.

• Maintainability: If the underlying values need to change, you only need to modify the enum definition.

• Avoiding Magic Numbers: Enums help avoid the use of 'magic numbers' in the code, which can be hard to understand.

Conclusion

Enums are a powerful feature in C that allow you to create named constants, improving code readability and maintainability.

Further Reading:

 For further information and examples, Please visit[ C-Programming From Scratch to Advanced 2023-2024]

Top Resources

• Learn-C.org
• C Programming at LearnCpp.com
• GeeksforGeeks - C Programming Language
• C Programming on Tutorialspoint
• Codecademy - Learn C
• CProgramming.com
• C Programming Wikibook
• C Programming - Reddit Community
• C Programming Language - Official Documentation
• GitHub - Awesome C
• HackerRank - C Language
• LeetCode - C

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