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Enums in Python

Enums in Python : Enumerate Your Values

Enums are a way to create a set of symbolic names (members) bound to unique, constant values. They are a way to define a set of named constants. Enums are defined using the enumenum module. Enumerations are created using classes. Enums have names and values associated with them. Enums are defined by creating a new class that inherits from EnumEnum. Enums can be iterated over. Enums can be compared using ==== and isis.

Syntax

The syntax for creating an Enum in Python is as follows:

Enum Syntax
from enum import Enum
 
class EnumName(Enum):
    MEMBER1 = value1
    MEMBER2 = value2
    MEMBER3 = value3
    ...
Enum Syntax
from enum import Enum
 
class EnumName(Enum):
    MEMBER1 = value1
    MEMBER2 = value2
    MEMBER3 = value3
    ...

In the above syntax:

  • EnumNameEnumName is the name of the Enum.
  • MEMBER1MEMBER1, MEMBER2MEMBER2, MEMBER3MEMBER3, etc. are the members of the Enum.
  • value1value1, value2value2, value3value3, etc. are the values associated with the members.

Creating Enums

To create an Enum, you need to import the EnumEnum class from the enumenum module. Then, you can create a new class that inherits from EnumEnum. Each member of the Enum is defined as a class attribute. The value of the member is passed as an argument to the EnumEnum constructor. The value of the member can be any type, such as an integer, string, or float.

Enums in Python
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
Enums in Python
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3

In the above code:

  • ColorColor is the name of the Enum.
  • REDRED, GREENGREEN, and BLUEBLUE are the members of the Enum.
  • 11, 22, and 33 are the values associated with the members.
  • The members of the Enum are accessed using the dot notation, e.g., Color.REDColor.RED, Color.GREENColor.GREEN, Color.BLUEColor.BLUE.
  • The members of the Enum can be compared using ==== and isis.

Iterating Over Enums

Enums can be iterated over using a forfor loop. When you iterate over an Enum, you get the members of the Enum.

Iterating Over Enums
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
for color in Color:
    print(color)
Iterating Over Enums
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
for color in Color:
    print(color)

In the above code, the output will be:

Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
Color.RED
Color.GREEN
Color.BLUE
Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
Color.RED
Color.GREEN
Color.BLUE

Comparing Enums

Enums can be compared using the ==== and isis operators. When you compare two Enums using the ==== operator, it compares the values of the Enums. When you compare two Enums using the isis operator, it compares the memory addresses of the Enums.

Comparing Enums
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
color1 = Color.RED
color2 = Color.RED
 
print(color1 == color2) # Output: True
print(color1 is color2) # Output: True
Comparing Enums
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
color1 = Color.RED
color2 = Color.RED
 
print(color1 == color2) # Output: True
print(color1 is color2) # Output: True

In the above code, the output will be:

Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
True
True
Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
True
True

Enum Members

You can access the members of an Enum using the dot notation. The members of an Enum are instances of the Enum class.

Accessing Enum Members
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
print(Color.RED) 
print(Color.GREEN)
print(Color.BLUE)
Accessing Enum Members
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
print(Color.RED) 
print(Color.GREEN)
print(Color.BLUE)

In the above code, the output will be:

Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
Color.RED
Color.GREEN
Color.BLUE
Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
Color.RED
Color.GREEN
Color.BLUE

Accessing Enum Members

You can access the members of an Enum using the dot notation. The members of an Enum are instances of the Enum class.

Accessing Enum Members
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
currentColor = Color.RED
print(type(currentColor))
print(currentColor.name)
print(currentColor.value)
Accessing Enum Members
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
currentColor = Color.RED
print(type(currentColor))
print(currentColor.name)
print(currentColor.value)

In the above code, the output will be:

Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
<enum 'Color'>
RED
1
Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
<enum 'Color'>
RED
1

In the above code:

  • currentColorcurrentColor is an instance of the ColorColor Enum.
  • currentColor.namecurrentColor.name returns the name of the Enum member.
  • currentColor.valuecurrentColor.value returns the value of the Enum member.

Accessing Enum Members using Iteration

You can access the members of an Enum using iteration. When you iterate over an Enum, you get the members of the Enum.

Accessing Enum Members using Iteration
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
for color in Color:
    print(color.name, color.value)
Accessing Enum Members using Iteration
from enum import Enum
 
class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3
 
for color in Color:
    print(color.name, color.value)

In the above code, the output will be:

Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
RED 1
GREEN 2
BLUE 3
Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
RED 1
GREEN 2
BLUE 3

A Real-World Example

Here is a real-world example of using Enums in Python. In this example, we define an Enum called WeekdayWeekday that represents the days of the week. We then create a function that takes a WeekdayWeekday Enum as an argument and prints the name of the day.

Real-World Example
from enum import Enum
 
class Weekday(Enum):
    MONDAY = 1
    TUESDAY = 2
    WEDNESDAY = 3
    THURSDAY = 4
    FRIDAY = 5
    SATURDAY = 6
    SUNDAY = 7
 
def print_day(day):
    print(day.name)
 
print_day(Weekday.MONDAY)
print_day(Weekday.FRIDAY)
Real-World Example
from enum import Enum
 
class Weekday(Enum):
    MONDAY = 1
    TUESDAY = 2
    WEDNESDAY = 3
    THURSDAY = 4
    FRIDAY = 5
    SATURDAY = 6
    SUNDAY = 7
 
def print_day(day):
    print(day.name)
 
print_day(Weekday.MONDAY)
print_day(Weekday.FRIDAY)

In the above code, the output will be:

Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
MONDAY
FRIDAY
Output
C:/Users/username/desktop>python enum.py
MONDAY
FRIDAY

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned about Enums in Python. Enums are a way to create a set of symbolic names (members) bound to unique, constant values. Enums are defined using the enumenum module. Enums are created using classes. Enums have names and values associated with them. Enums can be iterated over. Enums can be compared using ==== and isis. For more information on Enums, you can refer to the official documentation. For more tutorials on Python Central Hub.

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