# enumerated types in openEHR
**URL:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/enumerated-types-in-openehr/16681
**Category:** Implementers (archive)
**Created:** [25 February 2010 00:48 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/enumerated-types-in-openehr/16681 "2010-02-25T00:48:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@thomas.beale](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/thomas.beale)
#### Post date: [25 February 2010 00:48 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/enumerated-types-in-openehr/16681/1 "2010-02-25T00:48:24Z")
**While reviewing the AOM spec, I realised that the enumerated type VALIDITY\_KIND contains the constants ‘optional’, ‘mandatory’, ‘disallowed’. The new class I have added ARTEFACT\_TYPE contains constants ‘archetype’, ‘template’ etc. I realised that in typical implementations, certainly the ADL parser I maintain, such constant names are likely to be problematic, and probably should be adjusted in some way. In the kind of code I normally write, this would mean for teh VALIDITY\_KIND ones - something like vk\_optional, vk\_mandatory etc; and for the other type, something like at\_archetype, at\_template, at\_template\_component etc.**
**What do other implementers think?**
**- thomas beale**
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [25 February 2010 09:11 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/enumerated-types-in-openehr/16681/2 "2010-02-25T09:11:00Z")
Hi Thomas,
In the Java implementation, these are implemented as type-safe Java
enumerations. Usually it's good to avoid using types like string or
integer for these enumerated types.
Cheers,
Rong