What is the default value for enum variable?

Question

An enum variable, anyone know if it is always defaulting to the first element?

Accepted Answer

It is whatever member of the enumeration represents the value `0`. Specifically, from the documentation:

The default value of an `enum E` is the value produced by the expression `(E)0`.

As an example, take the following enum:

```
enum E
{
    Foo, Bar, Baz, Quux
}
```

Without overriding the default values, printing `default(E)` returns `Foo` since it's the first-occurring element.

However, it is not always the case that `0` of an enum is represented by the first member. For example, if you do this:

```
enum F
{
    // Give each element a custom value
    Foo = 1, Bar = 2, Baz = 3, Quux = 0
}
```

Printing `default(F)` will give you `Quux`, not `Foo`.

If none of the elements in an enum `G` correspond to `0`:

```
enum G
{
    Foo = 1, Bar = 2, Baz = 3, Quux = 4
}
```

`default(G)` returns literally `0`, although its type remains as `G` (as quoted by the docs above, a cast to the given enum type).

Solution