Special Data Type

Special data types are specified by the programming language. One example is the enumeration. Let’s explore this data type.

Your key takeaways are:

• Special data types are specified by the programming language
• Enumeration is a common data type
• It is an example of using the right tool for the job

Study Notes

It’s a data type specific to a particular language. One fairly common data type is an enumeration.

Examples of Enumeration

enum Month (JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC);

enum Season (SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER);

enum Users (SUBSCRIBER, CONTRIBUTOR, AUTHOR, EDITOR, ADMIN, SUPERADMIN);

enum Month (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11);

enum Season (0, 1, 2, 3);

enum Users (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5);

• Maps a number to a string representation
• You use the representation in your code
• Performant
• Specifically designed for this purpose
• Less memory

Languages with Enumeration

• C
• Python
• Pascal
• C#
• Visual Basic
• Java
• SQL