Should I use #define, enum or const?

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Combine the strategies to reduce the disadvantages of a single approach. I work in embedded systems so the following solution is based on the fact that integer and bitwise operators are fast, low memory & low in flash usage.

Place the enum in a namespace to prevent the constants from polluting the global namespace.

namespace RecordType {

An enum declares and defines a compile time checked typed. Always use compile time type checking to make sure arguments and variables are given the correct type. There is no need for the typedef in C++.

enum TRecordType { xNew = 1, xDeleted = 2, xModified = 4, xExisting = 8,

Create another member for an invalid state. This can be useful as error code; for example, when you want to return the state but the I/O operation fails. It is also useful for debugging; use it in initialisation lists and destructors to know if the variable’s value should be used.

xInvalid = 16 };

Consider that you have two purposes for this type. To track the current state of a record and to create a mask to select records in certain states. Create an inline function to test if the value of the type is valid for your purpose; as a state marker vs a state mask. This will catch bugs as the typedef is just an int and a value such as 0xDEADBEEF may be in your variable through uninitialised or mispointed variables.

inline bool IsValidState( TRecordType v) {
    switch(v) { case xNew: case xDeleted: case xModified: case xExisting: return true; }
    return false;
}

 inline bool IsValidMask( TRecordType v) {
    return v >= xNew  && v < xInvalid ;
}

Add a using directive if you want to use the type often.

using RecordType ::TRecordType ;

The value checking functions are useful in asserts to trap bad values as soon as they are used. The quicker you catch a bug when running, the less damage it can do.

Here are some examples to put it all together.

void showRecords(TRecordType mask) {
    assert(RecordType::IsValidMask(mask));
    // do stuff;
}

void wombleRecord(TRecord rec, TRecordType state) {
    assert(RecordType::IsValidState(state));
    if (RecordType ::xNew) {
    // ...
} in runtime

TRecordType updateRecord(TRecord rec, TRecordType newstate) {
    assert(RecordType::IsValidState(newstate));
    //...
    if (! access_was_successful) return RecordType ::xInvalid;
    return newstate;
}

The only way to ensure correct value safety is to use a dedicated class with operator overloads and that is left as an exercise for another reader.

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