using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Reflection;

using System.Linq;

​

public class Program

{

    public static void Main()

    {

        SlideShowZoomEffect enumValue;

        EnumHelper.TryParse<SlideShowZoomEffect>("ZoonOut", out enumValue);

        // This will output "ZoomOut"!

        Console.WriteLine("{0}", enumValue.ToString("f"));

    }

​

    public enum SlideShowZoomEffect

    {

        NoEffect,

        ZoomIn,

        [Synonym("ZoonOut")]

        ZoomOut

    }

​

    public class SynonymAttribute : Attribute

    {

        private readonly string _name;

        public SynonymAttribute(string name)

        {

            _name = name;

        }

​

        public string Name

        {

            get

            {

                return _name;

            }

        }

    }

​

    public static class EnumHelper

    {

        public static bool TryParse<TEnum>(string nameOrSynonym, out TEnum enumValue)where TEnum : struct

        {

            enumValue = default (TEnum);

            bool success = false;

            string[] names = Enum.GetNames(typeof (TEnum));

            TEnum result;

            if (!Enum.TryParse<TEnum>(nameOrSynonym, true, out result))

            {

                nameOrSynonym = nameOrSynonym.ToLowerInvariant();

                FieldInfo enumValueField = typeof (TEnum).GetFields(BindingFlags.Static | BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.GetField)

                                                        .SingleOrDefault

                                                        (

                                                            field => field.GetCustomAttribute<SynonymAttribute>() != null 

                                                                    && field.GetCustomAttribute<SynonymAttribute>().Name.ToLowerInvariant() == nameOrSynonym

                                                        );

                if (enumValueField != null)

                {

                    enumValue = (TEnum)enumValueField.GetValue(null);

                    success = true;

                }

            }

            else

            {

                enumValue = result;

                success = true;

            }

​

            return success;

        }

    }

}