C++ string to enum

Use std::map<std::string, Enum> and use boost::map_list_of to easily initialize it.

Example,

enum X
{
   A,
   B,
   C
};

std::map<std::string, X> xmap = boost::map_list_of("A", A)("B", B)("C",C);

A std::map<std::string, MyEnum> (or unordered_map) could do it easily. Populating the map would be just as tedious as the switch statement though.

Edit: Since C++11, populating is trivial:

static std::unordered_map<std::string,E> const table = { {"a",E::a}, {"b",E::b} };
auto it = table.find(str);
if (it != table.end()) {
  return it->second;
} else { error() }