Hi, guys!
Sorry, I am late to this great discussion ( I have been reading but also
working on a code example that I have yet to test):
https://www.onlinegdb.com/
https://github.com/HjaldrKhilji/C-and-C-plus-plus-notes/blob/main/extended%20enum%20example#L1-L115

Basically, I worked the whole day on this, so the goal was to like see if
such a technique could be used to implement the extended enums that you
guys are taking about.

On Sat, 25 Apr 2026, 1:22 pm Sebastian Wittmeier via Std-Proposals, <
std-proposals_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> I was only concentrating on the combination, as the metaclasses were
> discussed.
>
>
>
> For convertibility of pointers along the inheritance chain, the Base
> pointer itself (probably not the object instance) has to keep the actual
> type.
>
>
>
> Or one leaves out pointer convertibility. Enums are a simple value type.
> We can't convert between int* and float* either. But we can assign values
> between them. Or create a std::variant. Such features can be useful for
> enums.
>
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> *Von:* Jens Maurer <jens.maurer_at_[hidden]>
> *Gesendet:* Sa 25.04.2026 10:03
> *Betreff:* Re: [std-proposals] Add inheritance for Enum Class enumerations
> *An:* std-proposals_at_[hidden];
> *CC:* Sebastian Wittmeier <wittmeier_at_[hidden]>;
>
>
> On 4/25/26 01:11, Sebastian Wittmeier via Std-Proposals wrote:
> > They could have different underlying representations:
>
> Yes.
>
> > With strong typing the compiler could add an offset for one of the
> ancestor enum classes.
>
> No, that won't work.
>
>
> If this hypothetical feature is just for re-using enum values
> and allowing conversion from a "base" value to a "derived" enum type,
> then maybe there's some merit hidden here. However, I can't see how
> to make a "Derived*" convert to a "Base*", similar to class derivation.
>
>
> Alternative syntax suggestion:
>
> enum class Derived {
> using enum Base; // import the enumerators here; ugh, semicolon
> NEXT_ENUM = whatever,
> };
>
> Jens
>
>
> >
> > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> > *Von:* Arthur O‘Dwyer via Std-Proposals <
> std-proposals_at_[hidden]>
> > *Gesendet:* Fr 24.04.2026 23:10
> > *Betreff:* Re: [std-proposals] Add inheritance for Enum Class
> enumerations
> > *An:* std-proposals_at_[hidden];
> > *CC:* Arthur O‘Dwyer <arthur.j.odwyer_at_[hidden]>;
> > On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM Gašper Ažman via Std-Proposals <
> std-proposals_at_[hidden] <mailto:std-proposals_at_[hidden]>>
> wrote:
> >
> > Note that `using enum` exists and probably does what you need.
> >
> >
> > I don't think "using enum" does what Andrey wants — because I think
> Andrey is trying to describe this other common problem instead. This
> /r/ProgrammingLanguages thread <
> https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammingLanguages/comments/rk1y4u/extending_enums/>
> calls it "extending enums."
> > Here's some lightly-anonymized code from a real (DNS-related)
> codebase:
> >
> > enum HttpServerStat {
> > TLS_HANDSHAKES,
> > TLS_HANDSHAKE_ERRORS,
> > TLS_HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUTS,
> > [...]
> > RESPONSE_DROPS,
> > MAX_HTTP_SERVER_STAT_ID
> > };
> >
> > enum HttpStat {
> > // Extends HttpServerStat
> > QUERY_COUNT_HTTP = MAX_HTTP_SERVER_STAT_ID,
> > QUERY_BYTES_HTTP,
> > RESPONSE_COUNT_HTTP,
> > RESPONSE_BYTES_HTTP,
> > [...]
> > MAX_HTTP_STAT_ID
> > };
> >
> > enum ODoHStat {
> > // Extends HttpStat
> > ODOH_QUERY_COUNT = MAX_HTTP_STAT_ID,
> > ODOH_QUERY_BYTES,
> > [...]
> > ODOH_4XX_RESPONSE,
> > MAX_ODOH_STAT_ID
> > };
> >
> > (Sidebar: We had to make some very minor changes to the users of
> this code for C++20, which tightened restrictions on cross-enum arithmetic
> and comparison.)
> > The idea is that ODoHStat "extends" HttpStat in the same way that
> std::partial_ordering "extends" std::strong_ordering. Every value in the
> domain of HttpStat is also in the domain of ODoHStat (although the reverse
> is not true).
> > Notice that this is the opposite of what class inheritance means!
> When a /class/ ODoHStat /derives/ from HttpStat then we say that every
> object of type ODoHStat is an object of type HttpStat (not the reverse).
> >
> > What we really want to be able to say here is something like
> > enum class ODoHStat : using HttpStat {
> > ODOH_QUERY_COUNT = MAX_HTTP_STAT_ID,
> > ODOH_QUERY_BYTES,
> > [...]
> > ODOH_4XX_RESPONSE,
> > MAX_ODOH_STAT_ID
> > };
> > Again, notice the inappropriateness of "inheritance" syntax here.
> > enum ODoHStat : HttpStat { // NO!
> > Because that syntax already has a meaning for enum declarations:
> it's "HttpStat is the underlying type of ODoHStat; we guarantee that all
> values of type ODoHStat will fit into an HttpStat." Which is /*not at all*/
> what we mean here; in fact we mean the opposite: here we guarantee that all
> values of type /HttpStat/ will fit into an /ODoHStat/.
> >
> > This fantasy feature would permit us to use `enum class`, and expose
> all the enumerators of the "parent" enum as members of the "child", thus:
> > ODoHStat e = ODoHStat::QUERY_COUNT_HTTP;
> > Today, we can't do that. We can either avoid scoped enums
> altogether, or else we have to write
> > ODoHStat e = static_cast<ODoHStat>(HttpStat::QUERY_COUNT_HTTP);
> >
> > If we got such a facility:
> >
> > (1) We would not want to permit the "child" enum to just start
> listing new enumerators without an initializer for the first one:
> > enum class ODoHStat : using HttpStat { ODOH_QUERY_COUNT,
> ODOH_QUERY_BYTES, [...] // NO!
> > because what would they start numbering at — zero?
> one-more-than-the-parent-enum's-highest-enumerator?
> std::bit_ceil-of-one-more-than-the-parent-enum's-highest-enumerator? None
> of these are safe answers. The only safe pattern is as we do in the code
> above: start where the parent enum tells you to start. Even then, this is
> super fragile: if we add a new enumerator to HttpStat, that will increment
> the values of ODoHStat's enumerators too. Arguably the author of ODoHStat
> knew what they were signing up for when they used this facility?
> >
> > (2) The facility does not seem to permit "multiple inheritance," or
> if it does, the semantics might be surprising.
> > enum class Fruit { Apple, Grape, Orange };
> > enum class Color { Red, Orange, Yellow };
> > enum class Thing : using Fruit, Color {};
> > // both Thing::Apple and Thing::Red have value zero, right?
> > // does Thing::Orange exist? what is its value?
> >
> > Anyway, I'm sure "extending enums" has been proposed before, but I
> haven't yet found where. N1513 Improving Enumeration Types <
> http://www2.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG21/docs/papers/2003/n1513.pdf>
> (2003) sketches several ideas re enums, but not this one.
> >
> > my $.02,
> > –Arthur
> >
> > --
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> >
> >
> >
>
>
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