Obj-C enum redefinition error

Question

typedef enum {
    artists = 0,
    artists_songs = 1,
    artist_albums = 2,
    albums = 3,
    album_songs = 4,
    tags = 5,
    tag = 6,
    tag_artists = 7,
    tag_albums = 8,
    tag_songs = 9,
    songs = 10,
    song = 11,
    playlists = 12,
    playlist = 13,
    playlist_songs = 14,
    search_songs = 15
} Methods;

typedef enum {
    artists = 0,
    albums = 1,
    songs = 2,
    tags = 3,
    playlists = 4    
} ReturnTypes;

I keep getting an error on the artists = 0 line for ReturnTypes, saying that artists has been re-declared. I'm not sure what the syntax error on this is. Any ideas?

Answer 1

The syntax error is that artists is being redeclared! You've declared it once in the first enum, now you're trying to declare it again in the second line. These enums are not separate types; they are just lists of constants. You can't have two constants called artists.

This is why enums in Cocoa have obnoxiously long boring names, such as UITableViewCellStyleDefault. It is so that they won't clash with one another. You should do the same, e.g. MyMethodsArtists vs. MyReturnTypesArtists.