lorty

So, are enums ok or not?

https://lemmy.ml/post/6273756

So, are enums ok or not? - Lemmy

I have googled this and even got to the second page, and there does not seem to be any kind of consensus. As far as I can tell, it’s a bad idea because it creates code you don’t see and accepts inputs that you wouldn’t want. And yet, many people seem to like them more than, say, const unions due to being easier to refactor in bulk. So what gives? Is this a case of IT people having very strong opinions on stuff that doesn’t matter? Or is there a technical reason for or against it?

Oct 10, 2023 at 3:07amWeb
Show threadbobby_hillOct 10, 2023
Yes
Show threadspartanatreyuOct 10, 2023
Basically, you can use them if you want to, but every single case where you would use them would be better served with a union type.
Show threadLeafOnTheWindOct 10, 2023
Or by an enum class.
Show threadpm_me_your_quackersOct 10, 2023
To add, turning everything into an enum can make the code nearly unreadable and hard to work with. This isn’t Rust, and there’s no performance gain for using enums over string unions.
Show threadfidodoFeb 11, 2024
Another good option is const objects, it’s a recommended alternative in the official docs. www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/enums.html#o…
Handbook - Enums

How TypeScript enums work

Show threadAuxOct 10, 2023
Use enums when you need enums. Don’t use them when you don’t need them. What’s the issue?
Show threadfidodoFeb 11, 2024
You probably don’t ever need enums since the const keyword was added after enums and const objects handle enum use cases unions don’t.
Show threadAuxFeb 12, 2024
You mean const assertions. Well, the thing is that const assertions are not enums. They don’t handle enum use cases in any way.
Show threadfidodoFeb 12, 2024
I’m talking about if you want an object syntax for accessing constant types to act as an enum www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/enums.html#o…
Handbook - Enums

How TypeScript enums work

Show threadStatickOct 11, 2023

At work, when I was helping with some frontend stuff, we used object literals.

const DIRECTIONS = { UP: “UP”, DOWN: “DOWN” } as const;type DIRECTIONS = typeof DIRECTIONS[keyof typeof DIRECTIONS];

Taken from option 2 from this blog post. …medium.com/alternatives-to-typescript-enums-50e4…

Show threadFisherswampOct 11, 2023
This is, in my opinion, the absolute best way to do it
Show threadfidodoFeb 11, 2024

That’s what the typescript official docs recommend as an alternative too

www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/enums.html#o…

The const keyword was added after enums. I doubt enums would exist if the feature was added earlier.

Handbook - Enums

How TypeScript enums work