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From: dks@shumv1.uucp (D. K. Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Enumerated types... what's the point?
Keywords: enums
Message-ID: <1990Mar22.053148.10351@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 22 Mar 90 05:31:48 GMT
Sender: news@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (USENET News System)
Reply-To: dks@shumv1.ncsu.edu (D. K. Smith)
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Organization: NCSU Computing Center
Lines: 34


I thought... How nice!  These enumaerated types allow me "type check"
myself when I am using them for distinguishing between different
variable types that possess similar data structures.

For example:

typedef enum {
	subjPoly=0,
	clipPoly
} PolyKind;
	 
	  
typedef enum {
	insidePoly=0,
	outsidePoly
} DisplayKind;


However, to my surprise, I discovered that I could interchange these
critters among themselves as well as with Booleans!  Is this what is
supposed to happen?  I have not RTFM'd the C scriptures but my 
immediate reaction is "what's the point!...I could just as easily
used #define and accomplished the same thing.  

I guess I am supposed to conclude that an int is an int is an int... no
matter what kind of label you put on it?!?


dk smith
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dks@shumv1.ncsu.edu                |                ude.uscn.1vmuhs@skd
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