To define an enumeration in C, you can use the enum keyword followed by the name of the enumeration and a list of named constants (also known as enumerators).
Here's the syntax:
enum enum_name {
constant1,
constant2,
constant3,
// ...
};
Let's break down the syntax:
- enum is the keyword used to indicate that you are defining an enumeration.
- enum_name is the name you give to the enumeration. This name will be used to refer to the enumeration type.
- constant1, constant2, constant3, and so on are the named constants (enumerators) associated with the enumeration. These constants represent the possible values that an identifier of this enumeration type can take.
Here's an example to illustrate the definition of an enumeration representing the days of the week:
enum Weekday {
MONDAY,
TUESDAY,
WEDNESDAY,
THURSDAY,
FRIDAY,
SATURDAY,
SUNDAY
};
In this example, we define an enumeration called Weekday with seven constants: MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, and SUNDAY. Each constant represents a day of the week and can be used to assign values to variables of the Weekday enumeration type.
By defining an enumeration, you establish a set of named constants that can be used to represent specific values in your C program, making the code more readable and maintainable.