Enums

Enums define a fixed set of valid values for a field — like roles, statuses, or categories. They're enforced at the database level, not just in your code.

#Why enums?

Without enums, a "role" field is just a string. Anyone can insert "ADMN" (typo) or "superadmin" (wrong value) and it silently succeeds. With enums, the database rejects invalid values — your data stays clean regardless of where the write comes from.

#Defining enums

Use defineEnum() to create an enum. Each enum has a name, a list of valid values, and an optional comment for documentation.

TSenums.ts

13 lines


1import { defineEnum } from 'zanith';
2 
3export const Role = defineEnum({
4  name: 'Role',
5  values: ['ADMIN', 'USER', 'MODERATOR'],
6  comment: 'User access levels',
7});
8 
9export const OrderStatus = defineEnum({
10  name: 'OrderStatus',
11  values: ['PENDING', 'PROCESSING', 'SHIPPED', 'DELIVERED', 'CANCELLED'],
12  comment: 'Order lifecycle states',
13});

#Using enums in fields

Reference your enum in a field definition with m.enum(). You can set a default value from the enum's values.

17 lines


1const User = defineModel((m) => ({
2  name: 'User', table: 'users',
3  fields: {
4    ...m.id(),
5    email: m.string().unique(),
6    role: m.enum(Role).default('USER'),   // defaults to 'USER'
7  },
8}));
9 
10const Order = defineModel((m) => ({
11  name: 'Order', table: 'orders',
12  fields: {
13    ...m.id(),
14    status: m.enum(OrderStatus).default('PENDING'),
15    total: m.float(),
16  },
17}));

#Passing enums to createZanith

Enums must be passed separately when creating the client. This registers them in the schema graph so they're available for validation and introspection.

5 lines


1const db = await createZanith({
2  models: { User, Order },
3  enums: [Role, OrderStatus],   // ← pass all enums here
4  adapter: new PgAdapter({ ... }),
5});

#In the .zn DSL

Enums in the .zn DSL syntax look like this:

TSenums.zn

6 lines


1/// User access levels
2enum Role {
3  ADMIN
4  USER
5  MODERATOR
6}