How Can I Associate Strings with Enums in C#?

Associating Strings with Enums in C#

Creating enums with string values is not directly supported in C# due to the intrinsic integer nature of enums. However, there are several alternative options to achieve similar functionality.

Properties in a Class:

One approach is to utilize properties within a class. Properties resemble enums while providing the flexibility of using string values. For instance, consider the following class:

public class LogCategory
{
    private LogCategory(string value) { Value = value; }

    public string Value { get; private set; }

    public static LogCategory Trace { get { return new LogCategory("Trace"); } }
    public static LogCategory Debug { get { return new LogCategory("Debug"); } }
    ...
}

Type-Safe String Parameters:

Another option is to pass type-safe string values as parameters to methods. This ensures code readability and safety. For example:

public static void Write(string message, LogCategory logCategory)
{
    var log = new LogEntry { Message = message };
    Logger.Write(log, logCategory.Value);
}

Usage:

Both approaches allow for intuitive and readable usage:

Logger.Write("This is almost like an enum.", LogCategory.Info);

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