Type.GetEnumValues() Method in C#

The Type.GetEnumValues() method in C# returns an array containing the values of all constants in an enumeration type. This method is useful when you need to iterate through all possible values of an enum or perform operations on the entire set of enum values.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for the GetEnumValues() method −

public virtual Array GetEnumValues();

Return Value

Returns an Array that contains the values of the constants in the current enumeration type. The elements of the array are sorted by the binary values of the enumeration constants.

Using GetEnumValues() with Valid Enum Type

The following example demonstrates how to use GetEnumValues() with a proper enumeration type −

using System;

public class Demo {
    enum Vehicle { Car, Bus, Bike, Airplane }
    
    public static void Main() {
        Type type = typeof(Vehicle);
        Array enumValues = type.GetEnumValues();
        
        Console.WriteLine("Enum Values:");
        foreach (Vehicle vehicle in enumValues) {
            Console.WriteLine($"{vehicle} = {(int)vehicle}");
        }
        
        Console.WriteLine("\nUsing GetEnumNames() for comparison:");
        string[] enumNames = type.GetEnumNames();
        for (int i = 0; i < enumNames.Length; i++) {
            Console.WriteLine($"Name: {enumNames[i]}, Value: {enumValues.GetValue(i)}");
        }
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Enum Values:
Car = 0
Bus = 1
Bike = 2
Airplane = 3

Using GetEnumNames() for comparison:
Name: Car, Value: Car
Name: Bus, Value: Bus
Name: Bike, Value: Bike
Name: Airplane, Value: Airplane

Exception Handling with Non-Enum Types

When GetEnumValues() is called on a type that is not an enumeration, it throws an ArgumentException −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        try {
            Type type = typeof(int);
            Array enumValues = type.GetEnumValues();
            Console.WriteLine("This line won't execute");
        }
        catch (ArgumentException e) {
            Console.WriteLine("Exception caught: Not an enum type!");
            Console.WriteLine($"Exception Type: {e.GetType().Name}");
            Console.WriteLine($"Message: {e.Message}");
        }
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Exception caught: Not an enum type!
Exception Type: ArgumentException
Message: Type provided must be an Enum.

Using GetEnumValues() with Custom Enum Values

This example shows how GetEnumValues() works with enums that have custom numeric values −

using System;

public class Demo {
    enum Priority { Low = 1, Medium = 5, High = 10, Critical = 20 }
    
    public static void Main() {
        Type type = typeof(Priority);
        Array enumValues = type.GetEnumValues();
        
        Console.WriteLine("Priority enum values (sorted by binary value):");
        foreach (Priority priority in enumValues) {
            Console.WriteLine($"{priority} = {(int)priority}");
        }
        
        Console.WriteLine($"\nTotal enum values: {enumValues.Length}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Underlying type: {type.GetEnumUnderlyingType()}");
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Priority enum values (sorted by binary value):
Low = 1
Medium = 5
High = 10
Critical = 20

Total enum values: 4
Underlying type: System.Int32

Common Use Cases

• Populating dropdown lists with all enum values in user interfaces.

• Validation to check if a given value exists in an enumeration.

• Iteration through all possible enum values for processing or display.

• Reflection-based operations when working with enums dynamically at runtime.

Conclusion

The Type.GetEnumValues() method provides a convenient way to retrieve all values from an enumeration type at runtime. It returns an array sorted by the binary values of the enum constants and throws an ArgumentException if called on non-enum types.