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.NET Development
.NET Framework 3.5
System Namespace
Enum Class
Enum Methods
 GetUnderlyingType Method
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This page is specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:
.NET Framework Class Library
Enum..::.GetUnderlyingType Method

Returns the underlying type of the specified enumeration.

Namespace:  System
Assembly:  mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Visual Basic (Declaration)
<ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _
Public Shared Function GetUnderlyingType ( _
    enumType As Type _
) As Type
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim enumType As Type
Dim returnValue As Type

returnValue = Enum.GetUnderlyingType(enumType)
C#
[ComVisibleAttribute(true)]
public static Type GetUnderlyingType(
    Type enumType
)
Visual C++
[ComVisibleAttribute(true)]
public:
static Type^ GetUnderlyingType(
    Type^ enumType
)
JScript
public static function GetUnderlyingType(
    enumType : Type
) : Type

Parameters

enumType
Type: System..::.Type
An enumeration type.

Return Value

Type: System..::.Type
The underlying Type of enumType.
ExceptionCondition
ArgumentNullException

enumType is nullNothingnullptra null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic).

ArgumentException

enumType is not an Enum.

The following code sample illustrates the use of GetUnderlyingType :

Visual Basic
Shared Function GetAsUnderlyingType(enval As [Enum]) As Object
   Dim entype As Type = enval.GetType()

   Dim undertype As Type = [Enum].GetUnderlyingType(entype)

   Return Convert.ChangeType(enval, undertype)
End Function
C#
        static object GetAsUnderlyingType(Enum enval)
        {
            Type entype = enval.GetType();

            Type undertype = Enum.GetUnderlyingType(entype);

            return Convert.ChangeType( enval, undertype );
        }
Visual C++
Object^ GetAsUnderlyingType( Enum ^ enval )
{
   Console::WriteLine(  "GetAsUnderlying" );
   Type^ entype = enval->GetType();
   Type^ undertype = Enum::GetUnderlyingType( entype );
   return Convert::ChangeType( (Object^)(enval), undertype );
}
JScript
        static function GetAsUnderlyingType(enval : Enum) : Object
        {
            var entype : Type = enval.GetType();

            var undertype : Type = Enum.GetUnderlyingType(entype);

            return Convert.ChangeType( enval, undertype );
        }

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Xbox 360, Zune

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Compact Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 2.0, 1.0

XNA Framework

Supported in: 3.0, 2.0, 1.0
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