enumkonstanter

An enum constant, often shortened to just "enum" or "enumerator," is a named value within an enumeration type. Enumerations are a user-defined data type that consists of a set of named integer constants. These constants provide a more readable and maintainable way to represent a fixed set of distinct values compared to using raw integer literals. For example, instead of using the integer 0 to represent "Monday," a programming language might allow you to define an enumeration type `DaysOfWeek` with an enum constant `MONDAY`.

When an enum constant is declared, it is typically associated with an underlying integer value, though this is often handled implicitly by the programming language. The primary purpose of enum constants is to improve code clarity and prevent errors. By using named constants, developers make their intentions explicit, making the code easier to understand and debug. If the underlying integer representation of a day of the week were to change, only the enum definition would need updating, rather than searching and replacing all occurrences of the integer literal throughout the codebase.

Enum constants are often used in switch statements, conditional logic, and as return values from functions to indicate specific states or types. Many modern programming languages support enumerations, including Java, C#, Python, Swift, and others, each with slightly different syntax and features. The concept of named constants predates explicit enum types, with macro definitions serving a similar purpose in older programming paradigms.