TypeScript Enums are TERRIBLE. Here's Why.

TypeScript enums have worn their welcome. In the early days before string unions became so powerful, there was no other option. Today, though, they are more trouble than they're worth. This talk explores some of the problems with enums as well as some solutions to those problems. No solution is perfect, but perhaps no perfect solution uses TypeScript's enums, either. :P

00:00 how enums work in general
00:45 the value of enums by default
01:00 the first failure of enums
01:30 attempting to fix this problem with required indices
02:00 what do enums look like at runtime?
02:50 another downside: function arguments
03:43 working around the problem with function arguments
04:31 there are footguns (even with workarounds)
04:47 a better approach than enums: POJOs
06:14 audience question: why not just create a string union?
06:59 audience question: runtime values for a bad function argument?
07:56 audience comment: it's still just JavaScript
08:26 audience question: are there any keys on the enum?
09:22 audience comment: TypeScript runtime artifacts === bad
10:06 audience question: how do you deal with variations?
11:25 the satisfies operator could help
12:29 how to solve a new problem introduced by using objects

Aaron Harper (https://github.com/goodoldneon) is a software engineer who enjoys gardening, biking, and spending too much time and money on an overkill homelab.

Recorded on November 1st 2022 at Cahoots (https://cahoots.com) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.|

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