Java Enum Methods – return opposite direction enum

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For those lured here by title: yes, you can define your own methods in your enum. If you are wondering how to invoke such non-static method, you do it same way as with any other non-static method – you invoke it on instance of type which defines or inherits that method. In case of enums such instances are simply ENUM_CONSTANTs.

So all you need is EnumType.ENUM_CONSTANT.methodName(arguments).

Now lets go back to problem from question. One of solutions could be 

public enum Direction {

    NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST;

    private Direction opposite;

    static {
        NORTH.opposite = SOUTH;
        SOUTH.opposite = NORTH;
        EAST.opposite = WEST;
        WEST.opposite = EAST;
    }

    public Direction getOppositeDirection() {
        return opposite;
    }

}

Now Direction.NORTH.getOppositeDirection() will return Direction.SOUTH.

Here is little more “hacky” way to illustrate @jedwards comment but it doesn’t feel as flexible as first approach since adding more fields or changing their order will break our code.

public enum Direction {
    NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, WEST;

    // cached values to avoid recreating such array each time method is called
    private static final Direction[] VALUES = values();

    public Direction getOppositeDirection() {
        return VALUES[(ordinal() + 2) % 4]; 
    }
}

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