← Back toFront-end Tips

Use string literals for the TypeScript enum values

Written byPhuoc Nguyen
Category
Practice
Tags
TypeScript
Created
22 Feb, 2021
Let's say that we have the following TypeScript enum:
enum Theme {
DEFAULT,
LIGHT,
DARK,
}
If you don't set the values for enum, they will be set to incremental numbers by default.
So `Theme.DEFAULT`, `Theme.LIGHT` and `Theme.DARK` will take the value of 0, 1, 2, respectively. It is more hard to debug:
console.log(Theme.DARK); // 2
Even if we set the number for enum values, it is still possible for us to set an invalid value for a variable whose type is the enum:
enum Theme {
DEFAULT = 0,
LIGHT = 1,
DARK = 2,
}

// TypeScript doesn't throw errors
const theme: Theme.DEFAULT = 3;
Due to these reasons, it's advised to use string literals for the enum values. The `Theme` enum should look like as follow:
enum Theme {
DEFAULT = 'Default',
LIGHT = 'Light',
DARK = 'Dark',
}

console.log(Theme.DARK); // 'Dark'
let theme: Theme.DEFAULT = 'Default'; // ERROR

Questions? 🙋

Do you have any questions? Not just about this specific post, but about any topic in front-end development that you'd like to learn more about? If so, feel free to send me a message on Twitter or send me an email. You can find them at the bottom of this page.
I have a long list of upcoming posts, but your questions or ideas for the next one will be my top priority. Let's learn together! Sharing knowledge is the best way to grow 🥷.

Recent posts ⚡

Newsletter 🔔

If you're into front-end technologies and you want to see more of the content I'm creating, then you might want to consider subscribing to my newsletter.
By subscribing, you'll be the first to know about new articles, products, and exclusive promotions.
Don't worry, I won't spam you. And if you ever change your mind, you can unsubscribe at any time.
Phước Nguyễn