Getting the string representing the enum value ~ Proposal

[James Dunne]

kris wrote:
> Ben Gardner wrote:
> 
>> I've done that "the hard way" in C.
>> Here's an example in D:
>>
>> /////
>> import std.stdio;
>> import std.string;
>>
>> enum X {
>>   Apple,
>>   Bat,
>>   Car,
>> }
>>
>> char [][] X_names = [
>>    X.Apple : "Apple",
>>    X.Bat   : "Bat",
>>    X.Car   : "Car",
>> ];
>>
>> char [] get_X_name(X e)
>> {
>>    if ((e >= X.min) && (cast(int)e < X_names.length) &&
>>        (X_names[e] !is null)) {
>>       return X_names[e];
>>    }
>>    return ("invalid");
>> }
>>
>> X get_X_id(char [] name)
>> {
>>    for (int idx = 0; idx < X_names.length; idx++) {
>>       if ((X_names[idx] !is null) && (icmp(X_names[idx], name) == 0))
>>          return cast(X)idx;
>>    }
>>    return cast(X)-1;
>> }
>>
>> void main(char [][] args)
>> {
>>    for (int i = -1; i < 4; i++)
>>    {
>>       writef("%d = '%s'\n", i, get_X_name(cast(X)i));
>>    }
>>
>>    char [] name = "bat";
>>    writef("id for '%s' is %d\n", name, cast(int)get_X_id(name));
>> }
>> ////
>>
>> Running this produces the output:
>> -1 = 'invalid'
>> 0 = 'Apple'
>> 1 = 'Bat'
>> 2 = 'Car'
>> 3 = 'invalid'
>> id for 'bat' is 1
>>
>> Ben
>>
>> Hasan Aljudy wrote:
>>
>>> say I have an enum
>>>
>>>    enum X
>>>    {
>>>     A,
>>>     B,
>>>     C
>>>    }
>>>
>>> and I have
>>>
>>>    void someFunc( X e )
>>>    {
>>>     //.. some code
>>>    }
>>>
>>> I want to print the value of 'e' but I don't want to get a number!! I
>>> want to get a string that represents it. i.e. A or B or C
>>>
>>>
>>>    void someFunc( X e )
>>>    {
>>>       toString(e);
>>>       e.string;
>>>       e.value;
>>>       //or something like that ..
>>>    }
>>>
>>> Is there any such thing in D?
>>>
> 
> 
> I'll propose that a new property be added, somewhat like the .mangleof 
> property. Instead, a .nameof property would simply return the lexical 
> token for the named entity. Doesn't matter whether it refers to a 
> struct, class, some attribute thereof, enum types or members, whatever 
> ... the x.nameof should just return a char[] of the respective name.
> 
> Thoughts?

What if it's an alias?  Return the alias identifier's name or the thing 
which it aliases?

Template parameters?  Return the name of the template parameter or the 
actual object passed in?

-- 
Regards,
James Dunne