How do I enumerate an enum in C#?

To enumerate all values of an enum in C#, you can use the Enum.GetValues method. Here’s a step-by-step explanation with examples:

1. Using Enum.GetValues (Non-Generic Method)

This method retrieves an array of the enum’s values. Each value must be cast to the enum type.

using System;

public enum Color
{
    Red,
    Green,
    Blue
}

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        // Loop through all enum values
        foreach (var value in Enum.GetValues(typeof(Color)))
        {
            Color color = (Color)value;
            Console.WriteLine(color);
        }
    }
}

Output:

Red
Green
Blue

2. Using Enum.GetValues<T> (Generic Method in .NET 5+)

In .NET 5+ or .NET Core, use the generic Enum.GetValues<T> for type safety and cleaner code:

foreach (Color color in Enum.GetValues<Color>())
{
    Console.WriteLine(color);
}

3. Get Enum Names with Enum.GetNames

If you need the names (strings) of the enum values instead of the values themselves:

foreach (string name in Enum.GetNames(typeof(Color)))
{
    Console.WriteLine(name);
}

// Or with the generic method in .NET 5+:
foreach (string name in Enum.GetNames<Color>())
{
    Console.WriteLine(name);
}

Output:

Red
Green
Blue

4. Get Both Names and Values

Loop through the enum values and format the output to include both the name and its underlying value:

foreach (Color color in Enum.GetValues(typeof(Color)))
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{color} ({(int)color})");
}

Output:

Red (0)
Green (1)
Blue (2)

5. Handle Flags Enums

For enums marked with [Flags], Enum.GetValues returns all explicitly defined values (including combined flags):

[Flags]
public enum Permissions
{
    None = 0,
    Read = 1,
    Write = 2,
    Execute = 4,
    ReadWrite = Read | Write // Explicitly defined combined value
}

foreach (Permissions permission in Enum.GetValues<Permissions>())
{
    Console.WriteLine(permission);
}

Output:

None
Read
Write
ReadWrite
Execute

Key Points:

• Enum.GetValues returns all defined values of the enum.
• Enum.GetNames returns the names of the enum values as strings.
• Use the generic method (Enum.GetValues<T>) in .NET 5+ for better type safety.
• For flags enums, only explicitly defined values are returned (not all possible combinations).

By following these steps, you can easily enumerate all values of an enum in C#!