String representation of an Enum

Try type-safe-enum pattern.

public sealed class AuthenticationMethod {

    private readonly String name;
    private readonly int value;

    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod FORMS = new AuthenticationMethod (1, "FORMS");
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = new AuthenticationMethod (2, "WINDOWS");
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod SINGLESIGNON = new AuthenticationMethod (3, "SSN");        

    private AuthenticationMethod(int value, String name){
        this.name = name;
        this.value = value;
    }

    public override String ToString(){
        return name;
    }

}

Update Explicit (or implicit) type conversion can be done by

adding static field with mapping private static readonly Dictionary instance = new Dictionary(); n.b. In order that the initialisation of the the "enum member" fields doesn't throw a NullReferenceException when calling the instance constructor, be sure to put the Dictionary field before the "enum member" fields in your class. This is because static field initialisers are called in declaration order, and before the static constructor, creating the weird and necessary but confusing situation that the instance constructor can be called before all static fields have been initialised, and before the static constructor is called.

n.b. In order that the initialisation of the the "enum member" fields doesn't throw a NullReferenceException when calling the instance constructor, be sure to put the Dictionary field before the "enum member" fields in your class. This is because static field initialisers are called in declaration order, and before the static constructor, creating the weird and necessary but confusing situation that the instance constructor can be called before all static fields have been initialised, and before the static constructor is called.

filling this mapping in instance constructor instance[name] = this;

and adding user-defined type conversion operator public static explicit operator AuthenticationMethod(string str) { AuthenticationMethod result; if (instance.TryGetValue(str, out result)) return result; else throw new InvalidCastException(); }

---

Use method

Enum.GetName(Type MyEnumType,  object enumvariable)  

as in (Assume Shipper is a defined Enum)

Shipper x = Shipper.FederalExpress;
string s = Enum.GetName(typeof(Shipper), x);

There are a bunch of other static methods on the Enum class worth investigating too...

---

You can reference the name rather than the value by using ToString()

Console.WriteLine("Auth method: {0}", AuthenticationMethod.Forms.ToString());

The documentation is here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/16c1xs4z.aspx

...and if you name your enums in Pascal Case (as I do - such as ThisIsMyEnumValue = 1 etc.) then you could use a very simple regex to print the friendly form:

static string ToFriendlyCase(this string EnumString)
{
    return Regex.Replace(EnumString, "(?!^)([A-Z])", " $1");
}

which can easily be called from any string:

Console.WriteLine("ConvertMyCrazyPascalCaseSentenceToFriendlyCase".ToFriendlyCase());

Outputs:

Convert My Crazy Pascal Case Sentence To Friendly Case

That saves running all the way around the houses creating custom attributes and attaching them to your enums or using lookup tables to marry an enum value with a friendly string and best of all it's self managing and can be used on any Pascal Case string which is infinitely more reusable. Of course, it doesn't allow you to have a different friendly name than your enum which your solution does provide.

I do like your original solution though for more complex scenarios though. You could take your solution one step further and make your GetStringValue an extension method of your enum and then you wouldn't need to reference it like StringEnum.GetStringValue...

public static string GetStringValue(this AuthenticationMethod value)
{
  string output = null;
  Type type = value.GetType();
  FieldInfo fi = type.GetField(value.ToString());
  StringValue[] attrs = fi.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(StringValue), false) as StringValue[];
  if (attrs.Length > 0)
    output = attrs[0].Value;
  return output;
}

You could then access it easily straight from your enum instance:

Console.WriteLine(AuthenticationMethod.SSO.GetStringValue());

---

Unfortunately reflection to get attributes on enums is quite slow:

See this question: Anyone know a quick way to get to custom attributes on an enum value?

The .ToString() is quite slow on enums too.

You can write extension methods for enums though:

public static string GetName( this MyEnum input ) {
    switch ( input ) {
        case MyEnum.WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION:
            return "Windows";
        //and so on
    }
}

This isn't great, but will be quick and not require the reflection for attributes or field name.

C#6 Update

If you can use C#6 then the new nameof operator works for enums, so nameof(MyEnum.WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION) will be converted to "WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION" at compile time, making it the quickest way to get enum names.

Note that this will convert the explicit enum to an inlined constant, so it doesn't work for enums that you have in a variable. So:

nameof(AuthenticationMethod.FORMS) == "FORMS"

But...

var myMethod = AuthenticationMethod.FORMS;
nameof(myMethod) == "myMethod"

---

I use an extension method:

public static class AttributesHelperExtension
    {
        public static string ToDescription(this Enum value)
        {
            var da = (DescriptionAttribute[])(value.GetType().GetField(value.ToString())).GetCustomAttributes(typeof(DescriptionAttribute), false);
            return da.Length > 0 ? da[0].Description : value.ToString();
        }
}

Now decorate the enum with:

public enum AuthenticationMethod
{
    [Description("FORMS")]
    FORMS = 1,
    [Description("WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION")]
    WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = 2,
    [Description("SINGLESIGNON ")]
    SINGLESIGNON = 3
}

When you call

AuthenticationMethod.FORMS.ToDescription() you will get "FORMS".

---

Just use the ToString() method

public enum any{Tomato=0,Melon,Watermelon}

To reference the string Tomato, just use

any.Tomato.ToString();

---

Very simple solution to this with .Net 4.0 and above. No other code is needed.

public enum MyStatus
{
    Active = 1,
    Archived = 2
}

To get the string about just use:

MyStatus.Active.ToString("f");

or

MyStatus.Archived.ToString("f");`

The value will be "Active" or "Archived".

To see the different string formats (the "f" from above) when calling Enum.ToString see this Enumeration Format Strings page

---

I use the Description attribute from the System.ComponentModel namespace. Simply decorate the enum and then use this code to retrieve it:

public static string GetDescription<T>(this object enumerationValue)
            where T : struct
        {
            Type type = enumerationValue.GetType();
            if (!type.IsEnum)
            {
                throw new ArgumentException("EnumerationValue must be of Enum type", "enumerationValue");
            }

            //Tries to find a DescriptionAttribute for a potential friendly name
            //for the enum
            MemberInfo[] memberInfo = type.GetMember(enumerationValue.ToString());
            if (memberInfo != null && memberInfo.Length > 0)
            {
                object[] attrs = memberInfo[0].GetCustomAttributes(typeof(DescriptionAttribute), false);

                if (attrs != null && attrs.Length > 0)
                {
                    //Pull out the description value
                    return ((DescriptionAttribute)attrs[0]).Description;
                }
            }
            //If we have no description attribute, just return the ToString of the enum
            return enumerationValue.ToString();

        }

As an example:

public enum Cycle : int
{        
   [Description("Daily Cycle")]
   Daily = 1,
   Weekly,
   Monthly
}

This code nicely caters for enums where you don't need a "Friendly name" and will return just the .ToString() of the enum.

---

I really like Jakub Šturc's answer, but it's shortcoming is that you cannot use it with a switch-case statement. Here's a slightly modified version of his answer that can be used with a switch statement:

public sealed class AuthenticationMethod
{
    #region This code never needs to change.
    private readonly string _name;
    public readonly Values Value;

    private AuthenticationMethod(Values value, String name){
        this._name = name;
        this.Value = value;
    }

    public override String ToString(){
        return _name;
    }
    #endregion

    public enum Values
    {
        Forms = 1,
        Windows = 2,
        SSN = 3
    }

    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod FORMS = new AuthenticationMethod (Values.Forms, "FORMS");
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = new AuthenticationMethod (Values.Windows, "WINDOWS");
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod SINGLESIGNON = new AuthenticationMethod (Values.SSN, "SSN");
}

So you get all of the benefits of Jakub Šturc's answer, plus we can use it with a switch statement like so:

var authenticationMethodVariable = AuthenticationMethod.FORMS;  // Set the "enum" value we want to use.
var methodName = authenticationMethodVariable.ToString();       // Get the user-friendly "name" of the "enum" value.

// Perform logic based on which "enum" value was chosen.
switch (authenticationMethodVariable.Value)
{
    case authenticationMethodVariable.Values.Forms: // Do something
        break;
    case authenticationMethodVariable.Values.Windows: // Do something
        break;
    case authenticationMethodVariable.Values.SSN: // Do something
        break;      
}

---

I use a combination of several of the suggestions above, combined with some caching. Now, I got the idea from some code that I found somewhere on the net, but I can neither remember where I got it or find it. So if anyone ever finds something that looks similar please comment with the attribution.

Anyway, the usage involves the type converters, so if you are binding to the UI it 'just works'. You can extended with Jakub's pattern for quick code lookup by initializing from the type converter into the static methods.

The base usage would look like this

[TypeConverter(typeof(CustomEnumTypeConverter<MyEnum>))]
public enum MyEnum
{
    // The custom type converter will use the description attribute
    [Description("A custom description")]
    ValueWithCustomDescription,

   // This will be exposed exactly.
   Exact
}

The code for the custom enum type converter follows:

public class CustomEnumTypeConverter<T> : EnumConverter
    where T : struct
{
    private static readonly Dictionary<T,string> s_toString = 
      new Dictionary<T, string>();

    private static readonly Dictionary<string, T> s_toValue = 
      new Dictionary<string, T>();

    private static bool s_isInitialized;

    static CustomEnumTypeConverter()
    {
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.Assert(typeof(T).IsEnum,
          "The custom enum class must be used with an enum type.");
    }

    public CustomEnumTypeConverter() : base(typeof(T))
    {
        if (!s_isInitialized)
        {
            Initialize();
            s_isInitialized = true;
        }
    }

    protected void Initialize()
    {
        foreach (T item in Enum.GetValues(typeof(T)))
        {
            string description = GetDescription(item);
            s_toString[item] = description;
            s_toValue[description] = item;
        }
    }

    private static string GetDescription(T optionValue)
    {
        var optionDescription = optionValue.ToString();
        var optionInfo = typeof(T).GetField(optionDescription);
        if (Attribute.IsDefined(optionInfo, typeof(DescriptionAttribute)))
        {
            var attribute = 
              (DescriptionAttribute)Attribute.
                 GetCustomAttribute(optionInfo, typeof(DescriptionAttribute));
            return attribute.Description;
        }
        return optionDescription;
    }

    public override object ConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context, 
       System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture, 
       object value, Type destinationType)
    {
        var optionValue = (T)value;

        if (destinationType == typeof(string) && 
            s_toString.ContainsKey(optionValue))
        {
            return s_toString[optionValue];
        }

        return base.ConvertTo(context, culture, value, destinationType);
    }

    public override object ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, 
       System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture, object value)
    {
        var stringValue = value as string;

        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(stringValue) && s_toValue.ContainsKey(stringValue))
        {
            return s_toValue[stringValue];
        }

        return base.ConvertFrom(context, culture, value);
    }
}

}

---

In your question you never said that you actually need the numeric value of the enum anywhere.

If you do not and just need an enum of type string (which is not an integral type so can not be a base of enum) here is a way:

    static class AuthenticationMethod
    {
        public static readonly string
            FORMS = "Forms",
            WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = "WindowsAuthentication";
    }

you can use the same syntax as enum to reference it

if (bla == AuthenticationMethod.FORMS)

It will be a bit slower than with numeric values (comparing strings instead of numbers) but on the plus side it is not using reflection (slow) to access the string.

---

Update: Visiting this page, 8 years later, after not touching C# for a long while, looks like my answer is no longer the best solution. I really like the converter solution tied with attribute-functions.

If you are reading this, please make sure you also check out other answers. (hint: they are above this one)

As most of you, I really liked the selected answer by Jakub Šturc, but I also really hate to copy-paste code, and try to do it as little as I can.

So I decided I wanted an EnumBase class from which most of the functionality is inherited/built-in, leaving me to focus on the content instead of behavior.

The main problem with this approach is based on the fact that although Enum values are type-safe instances, the interaction is with the Static implementation of the Enum Class type. So with a little help of generics magic, I think I finally got the correct mix. Hope someone finds this as useful as I did.

I'll start with Jakub's example, but using inheritance and generics:

public sealed class AuthenticationMethod : EnumBase<AuthenticationMethod, int>
{
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod FORMS =
        new AuthenticationMethod(1, "FORMS");
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION =
        new AuthenticationMethod(2, "WINDOWS");
    public static readonly AuthenticationMethod SINGLESIGNON =
        new AuthenticationMethod(3, "SSN");

    private AuthenticationMethod(int Value, String Name)
        : base( Value, Name ) { }
    public new static IEnumerable<AuthenticationMethod> All
    { get { return EnumBase<AuthenticationMethod, int>.All; } }
    public static explicit operator AuthenticationMethod(string str)
    { return Parse(str); }
}

And here is the base class:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq; // for the .AsEnumerable() method call

// E is the derived type-safe-enum class
// - this allows all static members to be truly unique to the specific
//   derived class
public class EnumBase<E, T> where E: EnumBase<E, T>
{
    #region Instance code
    public T Value { get; private set; }
    public string Name { get; private set; }

    protected EnumBase(T EnumValue, string Name)
    {
        Value = EnumValue;
        this.Name = Name;
        mapping.Add(Name, this);
    }

    public override string ToString() { return Name; }
    #endregion

    #region Static tools
    static private readonly Dictionary<string, EnumBase<E, T>> mapping;
    static EnumBase() { mapping = new Dictionary<string, EnumBase<E, T>>(); }
    protected static E Parse(string name)
    {
        EnumBase<E, T> result;
        if (mapping.TryGetValue(name, out result))
        {
            return (E)result;
        }

        throw new InvalidCastException();
    }
    // This is protected to force the child class to expose it's own static
    // method.
    // By recreating this static method at the derived class, static
    // initialization will be explicit, promising the mapping dictionary
    // will never be empty when this method is called.
    protected static IEnumerable<E> All
    { get { return mapping.Values.AsEnumerable().Cast<E>(); } }
    #endregion
}

---

How I solved this as an extension method:

using System.ComponentModel;
public static string GetDescription(this Enum value)
{
    var descriptionAttribute = (DescriptionAttribute)value.GetType()
        .GetField(value.ToString())
        .GetCustomAttributes(false)
        .Where(a => a is DescriptionAttribute)
        .FirstOrDefault();

    return descriptionAttribute != null ? descriptionAttribute.Description : value.ToString();
}

Enum:

public enum OrderType
{
    None = 0,
    [Description("New Card")]
    NewCard = 1,
    [Description("Reload")]
    Refill = 2
}

Usage (where o.OrderType is a property with the same name as the enum):

o.OrderType.GetDescription()

Which gives me a string of "New Card" or "Reload" instead of the actual enum value NewCard and Refill.

---

If you've come here looking to implement a simple "Enum" but whose values are strings instead of ints, here is the simplest solution:

    public sealed class MetricValueList
    {
        public static readonly string Brand = "A4082457-D467-E111-98DC-0026B9010912";
        public static readonly string Name = "B5B5E167-D467-E111-98DC-0026B9010912";
    }

Implementation:

var someStringVariable = MetricValueList.Brand;

---

I agree with Keith, but I can't vote up (yet).

I use a static method and swith statement to return exactly what I want. In the database I store tinyint and my code only uses the actual enum, so the strings are for UI requirements. After numerous testing this resulted in the best performance and most control over the output.

public static string ToSimpleString(this enum)
{
     switch (enum)
     {
         case ComplexForms:
             return "ComplexForms";
             break;
     }
}

public static string ToFormattedString(this enum)
{
     switch (enum)
     {
         case ComplexForms:
             return "Complex Forms";
             break;
     }
}

However, by some accounts, this leads to a possible maintenance nightmare and some code smell. I try to keep an eye for enums that are long and a lot of enums, or those that change frequently. Otherwise, this has been a great solution for me.

---

When I'm confronted with this problem, there are a couple of questions that I try to find the answers to first:

Are the names of my enum values sufficiently friendly for the purpose, or do I need to provide friendlier ones?

Do I need to round-trip? That is, will I need to take text values and parse them into enum values?

Is this something I need to do for many enums in my project, or just one?

What kind of UI elements will I be presenting this information in - in particular, will I be binding to the UI, or using property sheets?

Does this need to be localizable?

The simplest way to do this is with Enum.GetValue (and support round-tripping using Enum.Parse). It's also often worth building a TypeConverter, as Steve Mitcham suggests, to support UI binding. (It's not necessary to build a TypeConverter when you're using property sheets, which is one of the nice things about property sheets. Though lord knows they have their own issues.)

In general, if the answers to the above questions suggest that's not going to work, my next step is to create and populate a static Dictionary<MyEnum, string>, or possibly a Dictionary<Type, Dictionary<int, string>>. I tend to skip the intermediate decorate-the-code-with-attributes step because what's usually coming down the pike next is the need to change the friendly values after deployment (often, but not always, because of localization).

---

I wanted to post this as a comment to the post quoted below but couldn't because I don't have enough rep - so please don't down-vote. The code contained an error and I wanted to point this out to individuals trying to use this solution:

[TypeConverter(typeof(CustomEnumTypeConverter(typeof(MyEnum))] public enum MyEnum { // The custom type converter will use the description attribute [Description("A custom description")] ValueWithCustomDescription, // This will be exposed exactly. Exact }

should be

[TypeConverter(typeof(CustomEnumTypeConverter<MyEnum>))]
public enum MyEnum
{
  // The custom type converter will use the description attribute
  [Description("A custom description")]
  ValueWithCustomDescription,

  // This will be exposed exactly.
  Exact
}

Brillant!

---

I created a base class for creating string-valued enums in .NET. It is just one C# file that you can copy & paste into your projects, or install via NuGet package named StringEnum. GitHub Repo

Intellisense will suggest the enum name if the class is annotated with the xml comment . (Works in both C# and VB)

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gerardog/StringEnum/master/images/intellisense.gif

Usage similar to a regular enum:

///<completionlist cref="HexColor"/> 
class HexColor : StringEnum<HexColor>
{
    public static readonly HexColor Blue = Create("#FF0000");
    public static readonly HexColor Green = Create("#00FF00");
    public static readonly HexColor Red = Create("#000FF");
}

    // Static Parse Method
    HexColor.Parse("#FF0000") // => HexColor.Red
    HexColor.Parse("#ff0000", caseSensitive: false) // => HexColor.Red
    HexColor.Parse("invalid") // => throws InvalidOperationException

    // Static TryParse method.
    HexColor.TryParse("#FF0000") // => HexColor.Red
    HexColor.TryParse("#ff0000", caseSensitive: false) // => HexColor.Red
    HexColor.TryParse("invalid") // => null

    // Parse and TryParse returns the preexistent instances
    object.ReferenceEquals(HexColor.Parse("#FF0000"), HexColor.Red) // => true

    // Conversion from your `StringEnum` to `string`
    string myString1 = HexColor.Red.ToString(); // => "#FF0000"
    string myString2 = HexColor.Red; // => "#FF0000" (implicit cast)

Instalation:

Paste the following StringEnum base class to your project. (latest version)

Or install StringEnum NuGet package, which is based on .Net Standard 1.0 so it runs on .Net Core >= 1.0, .Net Framework >= 4.5, Mono >= 4.6, etc.

    /// <summary>
    /// Base class for creating string-valued enums in .NET.<br/>
    /// Provides static Parse() and TryParse() methods and implicit cast to string.
    /// </summary>
    /// <example> 
    /// <code>
    /// class Color : StringEnum &lt;Color&gt;
    /// {
    ///     public static readonly Color Blue = Create("Blue");
    ///     public static readonly Color Red = Create("Red");
    ///     public static readonly Color Green = Create("Green");
    /// }
    /// </code>
    /// </example>
    /// <typeparam name="T">The string-valued enum type. (i.e. class Color : StringEnum&lt;Color&gt;)</typeparam>
    public abstract class StringEnum<T> : IEquatable<T> where T : StringEnum<T>, new()
    {
        protected string Value;
        private static Dictionary<string, T> valueDict = new Dictionary<string, T>();
        protected static T Create(string value)
        {
            if (value == null)
                return null; // the null-valued instance is null.

            var result = new T() { Value = value };
            valueDict.Add(value, result);
            return result;
        }

        public static implicit operator string(StringEnum<T> enumValue) => enumValue.Value;
        public override string ToString() => Value;

        public static bool operator !=(StringEnum<T> o1, StringEnum<T> o2) => o1?.Value != o2?.Value;
        public static bool operator ==(StringEnum<T> o1, StringEnum<T> o2) => o1?.Value == o2?.Value;

        public override bool Equals(object other) => this.Value.Equals((other as T)?.Value ?? (other as string));
        bool IEquatable<T>.Equals(T other) => this.Value.Equals(other.Value);
        public override int GetHashCode() => Value.GetHashCode();

        /// <summary>
        /// Parse the <paramref name="value"/> specified and returns a valid <typeparamref name="T"/> or else throws InvalidOperationException.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="value">The string value representad by an instance of <typeparamref name="T"/>. Matches by string value, not by the member name.</param>
        /// <param name="caseSensitive">If true, the strings must match case and takes O(log n). False allows different case but is little bit slower (O(n))</param>
        public static T Parse(string value, bool caseSensitive = true)
        {
            var result = TryParse(value, caseSensitive);
            if (result == null)
                throw new InvalidOperationException((value == null ? "null" : $"'{value}'") + $" is not a valid {typeof(T).Name}");

            return result;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Parse the <paramref name="value"/> specified and returns a valid <typeparamref name="T"/> or else returns null.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="value">The string value representad by an instance of <typeparamref name="T"/>. Matches by string value, not by the member name.</param>
        /// <param name="caseSensitive">If true, the strings must match case. False allows different case but is slower: O(n)</param>
        public static T TryParse(string value, bool caseSensitive = true)
        {
            if (value == null) return null;
            if (valueDict.Count == 0) System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.RunClassConstructor(typeof(T).TypeHandle); // force static fields initialization
            if (caseSensitive)
            {
                if (valueDict.TryGetValue(value, out T item))
                    return item;
                else
                    return null;
            }
            else
            {
                // slower O(n) case insensitive search
                return valueDict.FirstOrDefault(f => f.Key.Equals(value, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)).Value;
                // Why Ordinal? => https://esmithy.net/2007/10/15/why-stringcomparisonordinal-is-usually-the-right-choice/
            }
        }
    }

---

My variant

public struct Colors
{
    private String current;

    private static string red = "#ff0000";
    private static string green = "#00ff00";
    private static string blue = "#0000ff";

    private static IList<String> possibleColors; 

    public static Colors Red { get { return (Colors) red; } }
    public static Colors Green { get { return (Colors) green; } }
    public static Colors Blue { get { return (Colors) blue; } }

    static Colors()
    {
        possibleColors = new List<string>() {red, green, blue};
    }

    public static explicit operator String(Colors value)
    {
        return value.current;
    }

    public static explicit operator Colors(String value)
    {
        if (!possibleColors.Contains(value))
        {
            throw new InvalidCastException();
        }

        Colors color = new Colors();
        color.current = value;
        return color;
    }

    public static bool operator ==(Colors left, Colors right)
    {
        return left.current == right.current;
    }

    public static bool operator !=(Colors left, Colors right)
    {
        return left.current != right.current;
    }

    public bool Equals(Colors other)
    {
        return Equals(other.current, current);
    }

    public override bool Equals(object obj)
    {
        if (ReferenceEquals(null, obj)) return false;
        if (obj.GetType() != typeof(Colors)) return false;
        return Equals((Colors)obj);
    }

    public override int GetHashCode()
    {
        return (current != null ? current.GetHashCode() : 0);
    }

    public override string ToString()
    {
        return current;
    }
}

Code looks a bit ugly, but usages of this struct are pretty presentative.

Colors color1 = Colors.Red;
Console.WriteLine(color1); // #ff0000

Colors color2 = (Colors) "#00ff00";
Console.WriteLine(color2); // #00ff00

// Colors color3 = "#0000ff"; // Compilation error
// String color4 = Colors.Red; // Compilation error

Colors color5 = (Colors)"#ff0000";
Console.WriteLine(color1 == color5); // True

Colors color6 = (Colors)"#00ff00";
Console.WriteLine(color1 == color6); // False

Also, I think, if a lot of such enums required, code generation (e.g. T4) might be used.

---

Option 1:

public sealed class FormsAuth
{
     public override string ToString{return "Forms Authtentication";}
}
public sealed class WindowsAuth
{
     public override string ToString{return "Windows Authtentication";}
}

public sealed class SsoAuth
{
     public override string ToString{return "SSO";}
}

and then

object auth = new SsoAuth(); //or whatever

//...
//...
// blablabla

DoSomethingWithTheAuth(auth.ToString());

Option 2:

public enum AuthenticationMethod
{
        FORMS = 1,
        WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION = 2,
        SINGLESIGNON = 3
}

public class MyClass
{
    private Dictionary<AuthenticationMethod, String> map = new Dictionary<AuthenticationMethod, String>();
    public MyClass()
    {
         map.Add(AuthenticationMethod.FORMS,"Forms Authentication");
         map.Add(AuthenticationMethod.WINDOWSAUTHENTICATION ,"Windows Authentication");
         map.Add(AuthenticationMethod.SINGLESIGNON ,"SSo Authentication");
    }
}

---

If you think about the problem we're trying to solve, it's not an enum we need at all. We need an object that allows a certain number of values to be associated with eachother; in other words, to define a class.

Jakub Šturc's type-safe enum pattern is the best option I see here.

Look at it:

It has a private constructor so only the class itself can define the allowed values.

It is a sealed class so values can't be modifed through inheritence.

It is type-safe, allowing your methods to require only that type.

There is no reflection performance hit incurred by accessing the values.

And lastly, it can be modified to associate more than two fields together, for example a Name, Description, and a numeric Value.

---

for me, the pragmatic approach is class inside class, sample:

public class MSEModel
{
    class WITS
    {
        public const string DATE = "5005";
        public const string TIME = "5006";
        public const string MD = "5008";
        public const string ROP = "5075";
        public const string WOB = "5073";
        public const string RPM = "7001";
... 
    }

---

Here is yet another way to accomplish the task of associating strings with enums:

struct DATABASE {
    public enum enums {NOTCONNECTED, CONNECTED, ERROR}
    static List<string> strings =
        new List<string>() {"Not Connected", "Connected", "Error"};

    public string GetString(DATABASE.enums value) {
        return strings[(int)value];
    }
}

This method is called like this:

public FormMain() {
    DATABASE dbEnum;

    string enumName = dbEnum.GetString(DATABASE.enums.NOTCONNECTED);
}

You can group related enums in their own struct. Since this method uses the enum type, you can use Intellisense to display the list of enums when making the GetString() call.

You can optionally use the new operator on the DATABASE struct. Not using it means the strings List is not allocated until the first GetString() call is made.

---

A lot of great answers here but in my case did not solve what I wanted out of an "string enum", which was:

Usable in a switch statement e.g switch(myEnum) Can be used in function parameters e.g. foo(myEnum type) Can be referenced e.g. myEnum.FirstElement I can use strings e.g. foo("FirstElement") == foo(myEnum.FirstElement)

1,2 & 4 can actually be solved with a C# Typedef of a string (since strings are switchable in c#)

3 can be solved by static const strings. So if you have the same needs, this is the simplest approach:

public sealed class Types
{

    private readonly String name;

    private Types(String name)
    {
        this.name = name;

    }

    public override String ToString()
    {
        return name;
    }

    public static implicit operator Types(string str)
    {
        return new Types(str);

    }
    public static implicit operator string(Types str)
    {
        return str.ToString();
    }


    #region enum

    public const string DataType = "Data";
    public const string ImageType = "Image";
    public const string Folder = "Folder";
    #endregion

}

This allows for example:

    public TypeArgs(Types SelectedType)
    {
        Types SelectedType = SelectedType
    }

and

public TypeObject CreateType(Types type)
    {
        switch (type)
        {

            case Types.ImageType:
              //
                break;

            case Types.DataType:
             //
                break;

        }
    }

Where CreateType can be called with a string or a type. However the downside is that any string is automatically a valid enum, this could be modified but then it would require some kind of init function...or possibly make they explicit cast internal?

Now if an int value was important to you (perhaps for comparison speed), you could use some ideas from Jakub Šturc fantastic answer and do something a bit crazy, this is my stab at it:

    public sealed class Types
{
    private static readonly Dictionary<string, Types> strInstance = new Dictionary<string, Types>();
    private static readonly Dictionary<int, Types> intInstance = new Dictionary<int, Types>();

    private readonly String name;
    private static int layerTypeCount = 0;
    private int value;
    private Types(String name)
    {
        this.name = name;
        value = layerTypeCount++;
        strInstance[name] = this;
        intInstance[value] = this;
    }

    public override String ToString()
    {
        return name;
    }


    public static implicit operator Types(int val)
    {
        Types result;
        if (intInstance.TryGetValue(val, out result))
            return result;
        else
            throw new InvalidCastException();
    }

    public static implicit operator Types(string str)
    {
        Types result;
        if (strInstance.TryGetValue(str, out result))
        {
            return result;
        }
        else
        {
            result = new Types(str);
            return result;
        }

    }
    public static implicit operator string(Types str)
    {
        return str.ToString();
    }

    public static bool operator ==(Types a, Types b)
    {
        return a.value == b.value;
    }
    public static bool operator !=(Types a, Types b)
    {
        return a.value != b.value;
    }

    #region enum

    public const string DataType = "Data";
    public const string ImageType = "Image";

    #endregion

}

but of course "Types bob = 4;" would be meaningless unless you had initialized them first which would sort of defeat the point...

But in theory TypeA == TypeB would be quicker...

---

If I'm understanding you correctly, you can simply use .ToString() to retrieve the name of the enum from the value (Assuming it's already cast as the Enum); If you had the naked int (lets say from a database or something) you can first cast it to the enum. Both methods below will get you the enum name.

AuthenticationMethod myCurrentSetting = AuthenticationMethod.FORMS;
Console.WriteLine(myCurrentSetting); // Prints: FORMS
string name = Enum.GetNames(typeof(AuthenticationMethod))[(int)myCurrentSetting-1];
Console.WriteLine(name); // Prints: FORMS

Keep in mind though, the second technique assumes you are using ints and your index is 1 based (not 0 based). The function GetNames also is quite heavy by comparison, you are generating a whole array each time it's called. As you can see in the first technique, .ToString() is actually called implicitly. Both of these are already mentioned in the answers of course, I'm just trying to clarify the differences between them.

---

old post but...

The answer to this may actually be very simple. Use Enum.ToString() function

There are 6 overloads of this function, you can use Enum.Tostring("F") or Enum.ToString() to return the string value. No need to bother with anything else. Here is a working Demo

Note that this solution may not work for all compilers (this demo does not work as expected) but at least it works for the latest compiler.

---

based on the MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc138362.aspx

foreach (string str in Enum.GetNames(typeof(enumHeaderField)))
{
    Debug.WriteLine(str);
}

str will be the names of the fields

---

Well, after reading all of the above I feel that the guys have over complicated the issue of transforming enumerators into strings. I liked the idea of having attributes over enumerated fields but i think that attributes are mainly used for Meta-data, but in your case i think that all you need is some sort of localization.

public enum Color 
{ Red = 1, Green = 2, Blue = 3}


public static EnumUtils 
{
   public static string GetEnumResourceString(object enumValue)
    {
        Type enumType = enumValue.GetType();
        string value = Enum.GetName(enumValue.GetType(), enumValue);
        string resourceKey = String.Format("{0}_{1}", enumType.Name, value);
        string result = Resources.Enums.ResourceManager.GetString(resourceKey);
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(result))
        {
            result = String.Format("{0}", value);
        }
        return result;
    }
}

Now if we try to call the above method we can call it this way

public void Foo()
{
  var col = Color.Red;
  Console.WriteLine (EnumUtils.GetEnumResourceString (col));
}

All you need to do is just create a resource file containing all the enumerator values and the corresponding strings

Resource Name          Resource Value
Color_Red              My String Color in Red
Color_Blue             Blueeey
Color_Green            Hulk Color

What is actually very nice about that is that it will be very helpful if you need your application to be localized, since all you need to do is just create another resource file with your new language! and Voe-la!

---

When I am in a situation like that I propose the solution below.

And as a consuming class you could have

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace MyApp.Dictionaries
{
    class Greek
    {

        public static readonly string Alpha = "Alpha";
        public static readonly string Beta = "Beta";
        public static readonly string Gamma = "Gamma";
        public static readonly string Delta = "Delta";


        private static readonly BiDictionary<int, string> Dictionary = new BiDictionary<int, string>();


        static Greek() {
            Dictionary.Add(1, Alpha);
            Dictionary.Add(2, Beta);
            Dictionary.Add(3, Gamma);
            Dictionary.Add(4, Delta);
        }

        public static string getById(int id){
            return Dictionary.GetByFirst(id);
        }

        public static int getByValue(string value)
        {
            return Dictionary.GetBySecond(value);
        }

    }
}

And using a bidirectional dictionary: Based on this (https://stackoverflow.com/a/255638/986160) assuming that the keys will be associated with single values in the dictionary and similar to (https://stackoverflow.com/a/255630/986160) but a bit more elegant. This dictionary is also enumerable and you can go back and forth from ints to strings. Also you don't have to have any string in your codebase with the exception of this class.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Collections;

namespace MyApp.Dictionaries
{

    class BiDictionary<TFirst, TSecond> : IEnumerable
    {
        IDictionary<TFirst, TSecond> firstToSecond = new Dictionary<TFirst, TSecond>();
        IDictionary<TSecond, TFirst> secondToFirst = new Dictionary<TSecond, TFirst>();

        public void Add(TFirst first, TSecond second)
        {
            firstToSecond.Add(first, second);
            secondToFirst.Add(second, first);
        }

        public TSecond this[TFirst first]
        {
            get { return GetByFirst(first); }
        }

        public TFirst this[TSecond second]
        {
            get { return GetBySecond(second); }
        }

        public TSecond GetByFirst(TFirst first)
        {
            return firstToSecond[first];
        }

        public TFirst GetBySecond(TSecond second)
        {
            return secondToFirst[second];
        }

        public IEnumerator GetEnumerator()
        {
            return GetFirstEnumerator();
        }

        public IEnumerator GetFirstEnumerator()
        {
            return firstToSecond.GetEnumerator();
        }

        public IEnumerator GetSecondEnumerator()
        {
            return secondToFirst.GetEnumerator();
        }
    }
}

---

For larger string enum sets, the listed examples can become tiresome. If you want a list of status codes, or a list of other string based enums, an attribute system is annoying to use, and a static class with instances of itself is annoying to configure. For my own solution, I make use of T4 templating to make it easier to have string-backed enums. The result comes out similar to how the HttpMethod class works.

You can use it like this:

    string statusCode = ResponseStatusCode.SUCCESS; // Automatically converts to string when needed
    ResponseStatusCode codeByValueOf = ResponseStatusCode.ValueOf(statusCode); // Returns null if not found

    // Implements TypeConverter so you can use it with string conversion methods.
    var converter = System.ComponentModel.TypeDescriptor.GetConverter(typeof(ResponseStatusCode));
    ResponseStatusCode code = (ResponseStatusCode) converter.ConvertFromInvariantString(statusCode);

    // You can get a full list of the values
    bool canIterateOverValues = ResponseStatusCode.Values.Any(); 

    // Comparisons are by value of the "Name" property. Not by memory pointer location.
    bool implementsByValueEqualsEqualsOperator = "SUCCESS" == ResponseStatusCode.SUCCESS; 

You start out with a Enum.tt file.

<#@ include file="StringEnum.ttinclude" #>


<#+
public static class Configuration
{
    public static readonly string Namespace = "YourName.Space";
    public static readonly string EnumName = "ResponseStatusCode";
    public static readonly bool IncludeComments = true;

    public static readonly object Nodes = new
    {
        SUCCESS = "The response was successful.",
        NON_SUCCESS = "The request was not successful.",
        RESOURCE_IS_DISCONTINUED = "The resource requested has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed."
    };
}
#>

Then, you add in your StringEnum.ttinclude file.

<#@ template debug="false" hostspecific="false" language="C#" #>
<#@ assembly name="System.Core" #>
<#@ import namespace="System" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Linq" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Text" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Reflection" #>
<#@ import namespace="System.Collections.Generic" #>
<#@ output extension=".cs" #>
<#@ CleanupBehavior processor="T4VSHost" CleanupAfterProcessingtemplate="true" #>

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <auto-generated>
//     This code was generated by a tool.
//
//     Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
//     the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Globalization;

namespace <#= Configuration.Namespace #>
{
    /// <summary>
    /// TypeConverter implementations allow you to use features like string.ToNullable(T).
    /// </summary>
    public class <#= Configuration.EnumName #>TypeConverter : TypeConverter
    {
        public override bool CanConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, Type sourceType)
        {
            return sourceType == typeof(string) || base.CanConvertFrom(context, sourceType);
        }

        public override object ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, object value)
        {
            var casted = value as string;

            if (casted != null)
            {
                var result = <#= Configuration.EnumName #>.ValueOf(casted);
                if (result != null)
                {
                    return result;
                }
            }

            return base.ConvertFrom(context, culture, value);
        }

        public override object ConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, object value, Type destinationType)
        {
            var casted = value as <#= Configuration.EnumName #>;
            if (casted != null && destinationType == typeof(string))
            {
                return casted.ToString();
            }

            return base.ConvertTo(context, culture, value, destinationType);
        }
    }

    [TypeConverter(typeof(<#= Configuration.EnumName #>TypeConverter))]
    public class <#= Configuration.EnumName #> : IEquatable<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>>
    {
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// V A L U E S _ L I S T
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<# Write(Helpers.PrintEnumProperties(Configuration.Nodes)); #>

        private static List<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>> _list { get; set; } = null;
        public static List<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>> ToList()
        {
            if (_list == null)
            {
                _list = typeof(<#= Configuration.EnumName #>).GetFields().Where(x => x.IsStatic && x.IsPublic && x.FieldType == typeof(<#= Configuration.EnumName #>))
                    .Select(x => x.GetValue(null)).OfType<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>>().ToList();
            }

            return _list;
        }

        public static List<<#= Configuration.EnumName #>> Values()
        {
            return ToList();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Returns the enum value based on the matching Name of the enum. Case-insensitive search.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="key"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static <#= Configuration.EnumName #> ValueOf(string key)
        {
            return ToList().FirstOrDefault(x => string.Compare(x.Name, key, true) == 0);
        }


//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// I N S T A N C E _ D E F I N I T I O N
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------      
        public string Name { get; private set; }
        public string Description { get; private set; }
        public override string ToString() { return this.Name; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Implcitly converts to string.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="d"></param>
        public static implicit operator string(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> d)
        {
            return d.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the == method. Handles nulls gracefully.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="a"></param>
        /// <param name="b"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static bool operator !=(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> a, <#= Configuration.EnumName #> b)
        {
            return !(a == b);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .Equals method. Handles nulls gracefully.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="a"></param>
        /// <param name="b"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static bool operator ==(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> a, <#= Configuration.EnumName #> b)
        {
            return a?.ToString() == b?.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .ToString() method
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="o"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public override bool Equals(object o)
        {
            return this.ToString() == o?.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .ToString() method
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="other"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public bool Equals(<#= Configuration.EnumName #> other)
        {
            return this.ToString() == other?.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .Name property
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public override int GetHashCode()
        {
            return this.Name.GetHashCode();
        }
    }
}

<#+

public static class Helpers
{
        public static string PrintEnumProperties(object nodes)
        {
            string o = "";
            Type nodesTp = Configuration.Nodes.GetType();
            PropertyInfo[] props = nodesTp.GetProperties().OrderBy(p => p.Name).ToArray();

            for(int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
            {
                var prop = props[i];
                if (Configuration.IncludeComments)
                {
                    o += "\r\n\r\n";
                    o += "\r\n        ///<summary>";
                    o += "\r\n        /// "+Helpers.PrintPropertyValue(prop, Configuration.Nodes);
                    o += "\r\n        ///</summary>";
                }

                o += "\r\n        public static readonly "+Configuration.EnumName+" "+prop.Name+ " = new "+Configuration.EnumName+"(){ Name = \""+prop.Name+"\", Description = "+Helpers.PrintPropertyValue(prop, Configuration.Nodes)+ "};";
            }

            o += "\r\n\r\n";

            return o;
        }

        private static Dictionary<string, string> GetValuesMap()
        {
            Type nodesTp = Configuration.Nodes.GetType();
            PropertyInfo[] props= nodesTp.GetProperties();
            var dic = new Dictionary<string,string>();
            for(int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
            {
                var prop = nodesTp.GetProperties()[i];
                dic[prop.Name] = prop.GetValue(Configuration.Nodes).ToString();
            }
            return dic;
        }

        public static string PrintMasterValuesMap(object nodes)
        {
            Type nodesTp = Configuration.Nodes.GetType();
            PropertyInfo[] props= nodesTp.GetProperties();
            string o = "        private static readonly Dictionary<string, string> ValuesMap = new Dictionary<string, string>()\r\n        {";
            for(int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
            {
                var prop = nodesTp.GetProperties()[i];
                o += "\r\n            { \""+prop.Name+"\", "+(Helpers.PrintPropertyValue(prop,Configuration.Nodes)+" },");
            }
            o += ("\r\n        };\r\n");

            return o;
        }


        public static string PrintPropertyValue(PropertyInfo prop, object objInstance)
        {
            switch(prop.PropertyType.ToString()){
                case "System.Double":
                    return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"D";
                case "System.Float":
                    return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"F";
                case "System.Decimal":
                    return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"M";
                case "System.Long":
                    return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString()+"L";
                case "System.Boolean":
                case "System.Int16":
                case "System.Int32":
                    return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString().ToLowerInvariant();
                case "System.String":
                    return "\""+prop.GetValue(objInstance)+"\"";
            }

            return prop.GetValue(objInstance).ToString();
        }

        public static string _ (int numSpaces)
        {
            string o = "";
            for(int i = 0; i < numSpaces; i++){
                o += " ";
            }

            return o;
        }
}
#>

Finally, you recompile your Enum.tt file and the output looks like this:

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <auto-generated>
//     This code was generated by a tool.
//
//     Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
//     the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace YourName.Space
{
    public class ResponseStatusCode
    {
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// V A L U E S _ L I S T 
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



        ///<summary>
        /// "The response was successful."
        ///</summary>
        public static readonly ResponseStatusCode SUCCESS = new ResponseStatusCode(){ Name = "SUCCESS", Description = "The response was successful."};


        ///<summary>
        /// "The request was not successful."
        ///</summary>
        public static readonly ResponseStatusCode NON_SUCCESS = new ResponseStatusCode(){ Name = "NON_SUCCESS", Description = "The request was not successful."};


        ///<summary>
        /// "The resource requested has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed."
        ///</summary>
        public static readonly ResponseStatusCode RESOURCE_IS_DISCONTINUED = new ResponseStatusCode(){ Name = "RESOURCE_IS_DISCONTINUED", Description = "The resource requested has been discontinued and can no longer be accessed."};


        private static List<ResponseStatusCode> _list { get; set; } = null;
        public static List<ResponseStatusCode> ToList()
        {
            if (_list == null)
            {
                _list = typeof(ResponseStatusCode).GetFields().Where(x => x.IsStatic && x.IsPublic && x.FieldType == typeof(ResponseStatusCode))
                    .Select(x => x.GetValue(null)).OfType<ResponseStatusCode>().ToList();
            }

            return _list;
        }

        public static List<ResponseStatusCode> Values()
        {
            return ToList();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Returns the enum value based on the matching Name of the enum. Case-insensitive search.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="key"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static ResponseStatusCode ValueOf(string key)
        {
            return ToList().FirstOrDefault(x => string.Compare(x.Name, key, true) == 0);
        }


//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// I N S T A N C E _ D E F I N I T I O N 
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public string Description { get; set; }
        public override string ToString() { return this.Name; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Implcitly converts to string.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="d"></param>
        public static implicit operator string(ResponseStatusCode d)
        {
            return d.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the == method. Handles nulls gracefully.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="a"></param>
        /// <param name="b"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static bool operator !=(ResponseStatusCode a, ResponseStatusCode b)
        {
            return !(a == b);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .Equals method. Handles nulls gracefully.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="a"></param>
        /// <param name="b"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static bool operator ==(ResponseStatusCode a, ResponseStatusCode b)
        {
            return a?.ToString() == b?.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .ToString() method
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="o"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public override bool Equals(object o)
        {
            return this.ToString() == o?.ToString();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Compares based on the .Name property
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public override int GetHashCode()
        {
            return this.Name.GetHashCode();
        }
    }
}

---