# Iterating over an Enum
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterating-over-an-enum/16502
**Category:** General Usage
**Tags:** enum
**Created:** [October 18, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterating-over-an-enum/16502 "2018-10-18T17:39:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@grahamstark](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/grahamstark)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterating-over-an-enum/16502/1 "2018-10-18T17:39:04Z")
Hi,
quick question that I can’t see an answer to in the docs: how can I iterate over the members of an Enum?
So, I have:
```julia
@enum DistanceFunctionType chi_square d_and_s_type_a d_and_s_type_b
```
and I want to write something like:
```julia
for method in DistanceFunctionType
[do stuff..]
end
```
but that’s not allowed. Is there an idiomatic way to do this?
I’m new to Julia so apologies if this has in fact an obvious answer; I think I’ve searched all the usual places.
thanks,
Graham
---
### Author:  [@kristoffer.carlsson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kristoffer.carlsson)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterating-over-an-enum/16502/2 "2018-10-18T18:24:22Z")
```julia
help?> @enum
@enum EnumName[::BaseType] value1[=x] value2[=y]
...
To list all the instances of an enum use instances, e.g.
julia> instances(Fruit)
(apple::Fruit = 1, orange::Fruit = 2, kiwi::Fruit = 3)
```
```julia
julia> for m in instances(DistanceFunctionType)
@show m
end
m = chi_square::DistanceFunctionType = 0
m = d_and_s_type_a::DistanceFunctionType = 1
m = d_and_s_type_b::DistanceFunctionType = 2
```
---
### Author:  [@grahamstark](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/grahamstark)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2018, 9:39am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterating-over-an-enum/16502/3 "2018-10-19T09:39:33Z")
Ah! Got it, thanks.