c# - Get an enumerated field from a string -

bit of strange 1 this. please forgive semi-pseudo code below. have list of enumerated values. let's instance, so:

public enum types     {        foo = 1,        bar = 2,        baz = 3     } 

which become, respectfully, in code:

types.foo types.bar types.baz 

now have drop down list contains following list items:

var li1 = new listitem() { key = "foo" value = "actual representation of foo" } var li2 = new listitem() { key = "bar" value = "actual representation of bar" } var li3 = new listitem() { key = "baz" value = "actual representation of baz" } 

for sake of completeness:

dropdownlistid.items.add(li1); dropdownlistid.items.add(li2); dropdownlistid.items.add(li3); 

hope still me. want on autopostback take string "foo" , convert types.foo - without using switch (as enumerated values generated database , may change).

i hope makes sense? idea start?

sure:

types t; if(enum.tryparse(yourstring, out t)) // yourstring "foo", example {     // use t } else {     // yourstring not contain valid types value } 

there's overload takes boolean allows specify case insensitiveness: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd991317.aspx

enum.tryparse new in .net 4. if you're stuck on previous version, you'll have use non-typesafe enum.parse method (which throws exception in case of conversion failure, instead of returning false), so:

try {     types t = (types)enum.parse(typeof(types), yourstring);     // use t } catch(argumentexception) {     // yourstring not contain valid types value } 

enum.parse has overload case insensitiveness.