# Python Enums

> Learn how to use enums in Python by importing Enum from the enum module to bind readable names to constant values, then read them back with .value.

Author: [Flavio Copes](https://flaviocopes.com/about/) | Published: 2021-02-18 | Topics: [Python](https://flaviocopes.com/tags/python/) | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/python-enums/

Enums are readable names that are bound to a constant value.

To use enums, import `Enum` from the `enum` standard library module:

```python
from enum import Enum
```

Then you can initialize a new enum in this way:

```python
class State(Enum):
    INACTIVE = 0
    ACTIVE = 1
```

Once you do so, you can reference `State.INACTIVE` and `State.ACTIVE`, and they serve as constants.

Now if you try to print `State.ACTIVE` for example:

```python
print(State.ACTIVE)
```

it will not return `1`, but `State.ACTIVE`.

The same value can be reached by the number assigned in the enum: `print(State(1))` will return `State.ACTIVE`. Same for using the square brackets notation `State['ACTIVE']`.

You can however get the value using `State.ACTIVE.value`.

You can list all the possible values of an enum:

```python
list(State) # [<State.INACTIVE: 0>, <State.ACTIVE: 1>]
```

You can count them:

```python
len(State) # 2
```