diff --git a/include/flatbuffers/idl.h b/include/flatbuffers/idl.h
index 9ad6edcdd..57f83410e 100644
--- a/include/flatbuffers/idl.h
+++ b/include/flatbuffers/idl.h
@@ -168,6 +168,17 @@ inline const char* TypeName(const BaseType t) {
   return nullptr;
 }
 
+inline const char* StringOf(const BaseType t) {
+  switch (t) {
+  #define FLATBUFFERS_TD(ENUM, IDLTYPE, CTYPE, ...) \
+    case BASE_TYPE_##ENUM: return #CTYPE;
+      FLATBUFFERS_GEN_TYPES(FLATBUFFERS_TD)
+  #undef FLATBUFFERS_TD
+    default: FLATBUFFERS_ASSERT(0);
+  }
+  return "";
+}
+
 // clang-format on
 
 struct StructDef;
diff --git a/src/idl_gen_cpp.cpp b/src/idl_gen_cpp.cpp
index 1033a8954..67f228a25 100644
--- a/src/idl_gen_cpp.cpp
+++ b/src/idl_gen_cpp.cpp
@@ -725,16 +725,7 @@ class CppGenerator : public BaseGenerator {
       if (type.enum_def) return WrapInNameSpace(*type.enum_def);
       if (type.base_type == BASE_TYPE_BOOL) return "bool";
     }
-    switch (type.base_type) {
-    // clang-format off
-    #define FLATBUFFERS_TD(ENUM, IDLTYPE, CTYPE, ...) \
-      case BASE_TYPE_##ENUM: return #CTYPE;
-          FLATBUFFERS_GEN_TYPES(FLATBUFFERS_TD)
-    #undef FLATBUFFERS_TD
-    //clang-format on
-      default: FLATBUFFERS_ASSERT(0);
-    }
-    return "";
+    return StringOf(type.base_type);
   }
 
   // Return a C++ pointer type, specialized to the actual struct/table types,