TypeScript array to string literal type

Question

I currently have both an array of strings and a string literal union type containing the same strings:

const furniture = [\'chair\', \'table\', \'lamp\'];
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Answer 1

This answer is out of date, see answer above.

The best available workaround:

const furnitureObj = { chair: 1, table: 1, lamp: 1 };
type Furniture = keyof typeof furnitureObj;
const furniture = Object.keys(furnitureObj) as Furniture[];

Ideally we could do this:

const furniture = ['chair', 'table', 'lamp'];
type Furniture = typeof furniture[number];

Unfortunately, today furniture is inferred as string[], which means Furniture is now also a string.

We can enforce the typing as a literal with a manual annotation, but it brings back the duplication:

const furniture = ["chair", "table", "lamp"] as ["chair", "table", "lamp"];
type Furniture = typeof furniture[number];

TypeScript issue #10195 tracks the ability to hint to TypeScript that the list should be inferred as a static tuple and not string[], so maybe in the future this will be possible.

Answer 2

Update for TypeScript 3.0 :

With the use of generic rest parameters, there is a way to correctly infer string[] as a literal tuple type and then get the union type of the literals.

It goes like this:

const tuple = <T extends string[]>(...args: T) => args;
const furniture = tuple('chair', 'table', 'lamp');
type Furniture = typeof furniture[number];

More about generic rest parameters

Update for TypeScript 3.4:

TypeScript version 3.4 has introduced so-called const contexts, which is a way to declare a tuple type as immutable and get the narrow literal type directly (without the need to call a function like shown above).

With this new syntax, we get this nice concise solution:

const furniture = ['chair', 'table', 'lamp'] as const;
type Furniture = typeof furniture[number];

More about the new const contexts is found in this PR as well as in the release notes.

Answer 3

The only adjustement I would suggest is to make the const guaranteed compatible with the type, like this:

type Furniture = 'chair' | 'table' | 'lamp';

const furniture: Furniture[] = ['chair', 'table', 'lamp'];

This will give you a warning should you make a spelling error in the array, or add an unknown item:

// Warning: Type 'unknown' is not assignable to furniture
const furniture: Furniture[] = ['chair', 'table', 'lamp', 'unknown'];

The only case this wouldn't help you with is where the array didn't contain one of the values.