[java] Using Enum values as String literals

What is the best way to use the values stored in an Enum as String literals? For example:

public enum Modes {
    some-really-long-string,
    mode1,
    mode2,
    mode3
}

Then later I could use Mode.mode1 to return its string representation as mode1. Without having to keep calling Mode.mode1.toString().

You can simply use:

""+ Modes.mode1

after many tries I have come with this solution

public static enum Operation {

    Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division,;

    public String getUserFriendlyString() {
        if (this==Addition) {
            return " + ";
        } else if (this==Subtraction) {
            return " - ";
        } else if (this==Multiplication) {
            return " * ";
        } else if (this==Division) {
            return " / ";
        }
        return "undefined";
       }
}

For my enums I don't really like to think of them being allocated with 1 String each. This is how I implement a toString() method on enums.

enum Animal
{
    DOG, CAT, BIRD;
    public String toString(){
        switch (this) {
            case DOG: return "Dog";
            case CAT: return "Cat";
            case BIRD: return "Bird";
        }
        return null;
    }
}

my solution for your problem!

import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

public enum MapEnumSample {
    Mustang("One of the fastest cars in the world!"), 
    Mercedes("One of the most beautiful cars in the world!"), 
    Ferrari("Ferrari or Mercedes, which one is the best?");

    private final String description;
    private static Map<String, String> enumMap;

    private MapEnumSample(String description) {
        this.description = description;
    }

    public String getEnumValue() {
        return description;
    }

    public static String getEnumKey(String name) {
        if (enumMap == null) {
            initializeMap();
        }
        return enumMap.get(name);
    }

    private static Map<String, String> initializeMap() {
        enumMap = new HashMap<String, String>();
        for (MapEnumSample access : MapEnumSample.values()) {
            enumMap.put(access.getEnumValue(), access.toString());
        }
        return enumMap;
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        // getting value from Description
        System.out.println(MapEnumSample.getEnumKey("One of the fastest cars in the world!"));

        // getting value from Constant
        System.out.println(MapEnumSample.Mustang.getEnumValue());

        System.out.println(MapEnumSample.getEnumKey("One of the most beautiful cars in the world!"));
        System.out.println(MapEnumSample.Mercedes.getEnumValue());

        // doesnt exist in Enum
        System.out.println("Mustang or Mercedes, which one is the best?");
        System.out.println(MapEnumSample.getEnumKey("Mustang or Mercedes, which one is the best?") == null ? "I don't know!" : "I believe that "
                + MapEnumSample.getEnumKey("Ferrari or Mustang, which one is the best?") + " is the best!.");

        // exists in Enum
        System.out.println("Ferrari or Mercedes, wich one is the best?");
        System.out.println(MapEnumSample.getEnumKey("Ferrari or Mercedes, which one is the best?") == null ? "I don't know!" : "I believe that "
                + MapEnumSample.getEnumKey("Ferrari or Mercedes, which one is the best?") + " is the best!");

    }
}

i found this one is more easy for preventing type error:

public enum Modes {
    some-really-long-string,
    mode1,
    mode2,
    mode3;

    String str;

    Modes(){
        this.str = super.name();
    }

    @Override
    @NonNull
    public String toString() {
        return str;
    }

however - this may work when you need to use a String on a log/println or whenever java compiles the toString() method automatically, but on a code line like this ->

// sample method that require (string,value)
intent.putExtra(Modes.mode1 ,shareElement.getMode()); // java error
// first argument enum does not return value

instead as mentioned above you will still have to extend the enum and use .name() in those cases like this:

intent.putExtra(Modes.mode1.name() ,shareElement.getMode()); 

use mode1.name() or String.valueOf(Modes.mode1)

public enum Environment
{
    PROD("https://prod.domain.com:1088/"),
    SIT("https://sit.domain.com:2019/"),
    CIT("https://cit.domain.com:8080/"),
    DEV("https://dev.domain.com:21323/");

    private String url;

    Environment(String envUrl) {
        this.url = envUrl;
    }

    public String getUrl() {
        return url;
    }
}

String prodUrl = Environment.PROD.getUrl();

It will print:

https://prod.domain.com:1088/

This design for enum string constants works in most of the cases.

You can use Mode.mode1.name() however you often don't need to do this.

Mode mode =
System.out.println("The mode is "+mode);

You could override the toString() method for each enum value.

Example:

public enum Country {

  DE {
    @Override
    public String toString() {
      return "Germany";
    }
  },
  IT {
    @Override
    public String toString() {
      return "Italy";
    }
  },
  US {
    @Override
    public String toString() {
      return "United States";
    }
  }

}

Usage:

public static void main(String[] args) {
  System.out.println(Country.DE); // Germany
  System.out.println(Country.IT); // Italy
  System.out.println(Country.US); // United States
}

Enum is just a little bit special class. Enums can store additional fields, implement methods etc. For example

public enum Modes {
    mode1('a'),
    mode2('b'),
    mode3('c'),
    ;
    char c;

    private Modes(char c) {
        this.c = c;
    }
    public char character() {
        return c;
    }
}

Now you can say:

System.out.println(Modes.mode1.character())

and see output: a

package com.common.test;

public  enum Days {


    monday(1,"Monday"),tuesday(2,"Tuesday"),wednesday(3,"Wednesday"),
    thrusday(4,"Thrusday"),friday(5,"Friday"),saturday(6,"Saturday"),sunday(7,"Sunday");

    private int id;
    private String desc;


    Days(int id,String desc){
        this.id=id;
        this.desc=desc;
    }

    public static String getDay(int id){

        for (Days day : Days.values()) {
            if (day.getId() == id) {
                return day.getDesc();
            }
        }
        return null;
    }

    public int getId() {
        return id;
    }

    public void setId(int id) {
        this.id = id;
    }

    public String getDesc() {
        return desc;
    }

    public void setDesc(String desc) {
        this.desc = desc;
    }



};

As far as I know, the only way to get the name would be

Mode.mode1.name();

If you really need it this way, however, you could do:

public enum Modes {
    mode1 ("Mode1"),
    mode2 ("Mode2"),
    mode3 ("Mode3");

    private String name;       

    private Modes(String s) {
        name = s;
    }
}

Every enum has both a name() and a valueOf(String) method. The former returns the string name of the enum, and the latter gives the enum value whose name is the string. Is this like what you're looking for?

String name = Modes.mode1.name();
Modes mode = Modes.valueOf(name);

There's also a static valueOf(Class, String) on Enum itself, so you could also use

Modes mode = Enum.valueOf(Modes.class, name);

mode1.name() or String.valueOf(mode1). It doesn't get better than that, I'm afraid

This method should work with any enum:

public enum MyEnum {
    VALUE1,
    VALUE2,
    VALUE3;

    public int getValue() {
        return this.ordinal();
    }

    public static DataType forValue(int value) {
        return values()[value];
    }

    public String toString() {
        return forValue(getValue()).name();
    }
}

You can try this:

public enum Modes {
    some-really-long-string,
    mode1,
    mode2,
    mode3;

    public String toString(){
        switch(this) {
            case some-really-long-string:
                return "some-really-long-string";
            case mode2:
                return "mode2";
            default: return "undefined";
        }
    }

}

As Benny Neugebauer mentions, you could overwrite the toString(). However instead overwriting the toString for each enum field I like more something like this:

public enum Country{
    SPAIN("España"),
    ITALY("Italia"),
    PORTUGAL("Portugal");


    private String value;

    Country(final String value) {
        this.value = value;
    }

    public String getValue() {
        return value;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return this.getValue();
    }
}

You could also add a static method to retrieve all the fields, to print them all, etc. Simply call getValue to obtain the string associated to each Enum item

public enum Modes {
  MODE1("Mode1"),
  MODE2("Mode2"),
  MODE3("Mode3");

 private String value;
 public String getValue() {
    return value;
   }
 private Modes(String value) {
  this.value = value;
 } 
}

you can make a call like below wherever you want to get the value as a string from the enum.

Modes.MODE1.getvalue();

This will return "Mode1" as a String.