How Can I Efficiently Convert C Enums to Strings?

Converting C Enums to Strings: Exploring Solutions

Mapping enums to strings is a common requirement in C development. The article provided earlier focuses on this issue and discusses potential solutions. The author initially suggests a simple method using a switch statement but expresses concerns about their C-like nature.

An alternative approach is to utilize a std::map to associate enum values with string representations. To enhance syntax, the author introduces the map_init class, which enables the elegant addition of entries to the map:

std::map<MyEnum, const char*> MyMap;
map_init(MyMap)
    (eValue1, "A")
    (eValue2, "B")
    (eValue3, "C")
;

The map_init class facilitates the chaining of operator(), similar to operator<< on std::ostreams. The class uses a templated map_init_helper to provide a friendly interface for adding entries to any map or map-like structure.

Here's the implementation of the map_init class and helper:

template struct map_init_helper
{
    T& data;
    map_init_helper(T& d) : data(d) {}
    map_init_helper& operator() (typename T::key_type const& key, typename T::mapped_type const& value)
    {
        data[key] = value;
        return *this;
    }
};

template map_init_helper map_init(T& item)
{
    return map_init_helper(item);
}

The article also mentions boost::assign as an existing library that provides similar functionality. By using a map or map-init class, developers can easily convert enum values to corresponding strings for improved readability and usability.
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