Enums

An Enum (short for Enumeration) is a special Java type used to define collections of constants.

Defining an Enum

enum Level {
    LOW,
    MEDIUM,
    HIGH
}
Level myVar = Level.MEDIUM;

Enums in Switch Statements

Enums are often used in switch statements to check for corresponding values.

switch(myVar) {
    case LOW:
        // ...
        break;
}

Enums are Classes

In Java, enums are real classes. They can have attributes and methods!

enum Level {
    LOW(1), MEDIUM(5), HIGH(10); // Constructor calls
    
    private final int value; // Field
    
    Level(int value) { 
        this.value = value; 
    }
    
    public int getValue() { 
        return value; 
    }
}

Full Example

Summary