Enum.GetNames Method
Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.
Retrieves an array of the names of the constants in a specified enumeration.
Namespace:  System
Assembly:  mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Syntax
'Declaration
<ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _
Public Shared Function GetNames ( _
    enumType As Type _
) As String()
[ComVisibleAttribute(true)]
public static string[] GetNames(
    Type enumType
)
Parameters
- enumType
 Type: System.Type
 An enumeration type.
Return Value
Type: array<System.String[]
A string array of the names of the constants in enumType.
Exceptions
| Exception | Condition | 
|---|---|
| ArgumentNullException | enumType is nulla null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic). | 
| ArgumentException | enumType is not an Enum. | 
Remarks
The elements of the return value array are sorted by the binary values of the enumerated constants (that is, by their unsigned magnitude). If there are enumerated constants with the same value, the order of their corresponding names is unspecified.
Examples
The following example illustrates the use of the GetNames method.
Public Class Example
   Enum Colors
      Red
      Green
      Blue
      Yellow
   End Enum 'Colors
   Enum Styles
      Plaid
      Striped
      Tartan
      Corduroy
   End Enum 'Styles
   Public Shared Sub Demo(ByVal outputBlock As System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock)
      outputBlock.Text &= "The values of the Colors Enum are:" & vbCrLf
      Dim s As String
      For Each s In [Enum].GetNames(GetType(Colors))
         outputBlock.Text &= s & vbCrLf
      Next s
      outputBlock.Text &= vbCrLf
      outputBlock.Text &= "The values of the Styles Enum are:" & vbCrLf
      For Each s In [Enum].GetNames(GetType(Styles))
         outputBlock.Text &= s & vbCrLf
      Next s
   End Sub 'Main
End Class 'GetNamesTest
using System;
public class Example
{
   enum Colors { Red, Green, Blue, Yellow };
   enum Styles { Plaid, Striped, Tartan, Corduroy };
   public static void Demo(System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock outputBlock)
   {
      outputBlock.Text += "The values of the Colors Enum are:" + "\n";
      foreach (string s in Enum.GetNames(typeof(Colors)))
         outputBlock.Text += s + "\n";
      outputBlock.Text += "\n";
      outputBlock.Text += "The values of the Styles Enum are:" + "\n";
      foreach (string s in Enum.GetNames(typeof(Styles)))
         outputBlock.Text += s + "\n";
   }
}
Version Information
Silverlight
Supported in: 5
Platforms
For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.