Question

With this code:

public partial class Form1 : Form
{
    private static readonly int TABCONTROL_BASICINFO = 0;
    private static readonly int TABCONTROL_CONFIDENTIALINFO = 1;
    private static readonly int TABCONTROL_ROLESANDSECURITY = 2;
    private static readonly int TABCONTROL_INACTIVEINFO = 3;
. . .
int ActiveTabPage = tabControlWorker.SelectedIndex;
switch (ActiveTabPage) {
    case TABCONTROL_BASICINFO:
        if (currentNode == "NodeBuckingham") {
        } else if (currentNode == "NodeNamath") {
        } else if (currentNode == "NodeParsons") {
        } else {
        }
    break;

…I have to replace “TABCONTROL_BASICINFO” with “0”, or I get, “A constant value is
expected”

Heavens to Murgatroyd! Can’t it look up and see that TABCONTROL_BASICINFO is 0?

Answer 1

If you want to make it a constant expression as far as the compiler is concerned, declare it as a const:

// Note that static readonly is implied here
private const int TABCONTROL_BASICINFO = 0;

Or follow .NET naming conventions…

private const int TabControlBasicInfo = 0;

Or use an enum, given that you’ve basically got a fixed set of values:

private enum TabControlType
{
    // Could ditch the explicit values here if you want
    BasicInfo = 0,
    ConfidentialInfo = 1,
    ...
}

By the way, you can also switch on strings in C#, so this:

 if (currentNode == "NodeBuckingham") {
 } else if (currentNode == "NodeNamath") {
 } else if (currentNode == "NodeParsons") {
 } else {
 }

Can become:

 switch (currentNode) {
     case "NodeBuckingham":
         ...
         break;
     case "NodeNamath":
         ...
         break;
     case "NodeParsons":
         ...
         break;
     default:
         ...
         break;
 }