Enums für eine feste Wertemenge

Some values come from a small, fixed menu: a traffic light is red, yellow, or green. An enum names exactly that closed list of options.

You write enum and list the names you want inside braces. Each name is one valid value of that type.

Each entry like red or blue is a real value of the type, not a string. You refer to it through the enum, keeping it tidy and typed.

When Zig already knows the expected type, you can drop the name and just write a dot before the value.

You compare enum values with == just like numbers. This makes branching on a fixed choice clean and readable.

An enum can hold only the names you declared. Try to use one that does not exist and the compiler rejects it right away.

Reading .green is far clearer than reading the number 1. Enums turn magic numbers into meaningful names you can trust.

Accept an enum as a parameter and a caller can only pass one of your valid options, so bad input is caught at compile time.

Enums shine with switch: you handle each named case, and Zig reminds you if you forget one of the options.

Enum types use TitleCase like Color, while the individual values use lower snake_case like light_blue. This keeps the two roles distinct.

Whenever a value is one of a few known states, an enum makes the choices explicit, safe, and impossible to misspell silently.

You want a type that is exactly one of red, green, or blue. What fits?

You met enums: a type that names a fixed set of values. Use the dot shorthand, compare with ==, and let the compiler block invalid choices. 🚦