Static VS Non-Static Enum in Java
This article introduces enum in Java and the difference between static and non-static enums.
Introduction to Enum in Java
In Java, an enum is a data type that a programmer can use to create multiple constant variables. Generally, the programmer uses the final keyword to declare the constant variable in Java, but programmers can declare all the final variables at a time and assign their initial value using an enum.
Syntax to use Enum:
public enum EnumA { En1, En2 }
public class demo {
public static void main(String[] args) {
EnumA test = EnumA.En1;
}
}
In the above syntax, users can see that EnumA contains the En1 and En2 constant variables and how we have accessed them inside the static method of the demo class.
Static VS Non-Static Enum in Java
Now, we will differentiate the Enum declared with the static and without the static keyword. Users can look at the code below to learn to declare the Enum with and without the static keyword.
Syntax of Enum With and Without Static Keyword:
public class demo {
public static enum EnumA { En1, En2 }
public enum EnumB { En3, En4 }
public static void main(String[] args) {
EnumA test1 = EnumA.En1;
EnumB test2 = EnumB.En3;
}
}
In the above syntax, users can see that EnumA is defined with the static keyword and EnumB without the static keyword. However, we are accessing both Enum’s constants in the same way, concluding that in Java, all Enum is static even if users use the static keyword while defining it.
In Java, we can only access the static members and execute static methods of a class without an object reference inside the public static method.
Furthermore, developers can observe that we are accessing the variables of EnumA and EnumB inside the public static method without referencing an object of its class which means Enum declared without a static keyword is also static by default.
So, the article concludes that even if programmers do not use the static keyword while defining the Enum, it is static by default.
