#464 – Getting an Enumeration’s Underlying Type at Runtime

You can use the Enum.GetUnderlyingType static method to find out what the underlying type is that is being used to store an enumerated type’s enumerated values.

        public enum Moods : byte
        {
            NOMOOD = 0,
            Ambivalent = 1,
            Crabby = 10,
            Grouchy = Crabby - 1,
            Happy = 42,
            SuperHappy = 2 * Happy
        }

        static void Main()
        {
            Type moodStorageType = Enum.GetUnderlyingType(typeof(Moods));
            var min = moodStorageType.GetField("MinValue").GetValue(null);
            var max = moodStorageType.GetField("MaxValue").GetValue(null);

            Console.WriteLine("Underlying type for Moods is: {0}", moodStorageType.FullName);
            Console.WriteLine("Values can range from {0} to {1}", min, max);
        }