Coding style

Coding Style

Filenames

• Filename extension should be *.cpp, *.c or *.h.
• Filename should be all lowercase and can include underscores (_), but never spaces.

Header File

• All header files should have #define guards to prevent multiple inclusion. The format of the symbol name should be <FILENAME>_H_.
• Use standard order for readability and to avoid hidden dependencies: C library, C++ library, other libraries' .h, the project's .h.
• Remove all unnecessary includes from the header and move what possible to the source file.

Scoping

• Prefer nonmember functions within a namespace or static member functions to global functions.
• Place a function's variables in the narrowest scope possible, and initialize variables in the declaration.

Classes

• Classes names should be in singular and camel case, ex. FooClass, EventNext.
• Avoid doing complex initialization in constructors (in particular, initialization that can fail or that requires virtual method calls).
• Use a struct only for passive objects that carry data; everything else is a class.
• Avoid the use of friend classes.
• Avoid the use of Multiple Inheritance.
• Make member variables private and prefixed with "m_", ex. m_my_variable_name.
• Provide access to member variables through accessor methods as needed, getMyVariableName and setMyVariableName.

Interfaces

• Interfaces names should be prefixed with 'I', ex. IDao.

Comments

• Use either the // or /* */ syntax. Try to describe things consistently and briefly.

Formatting

• All files should be UTF-8 encoded.

• Avoid non-ASCII characters.

• Use spaces instead of tabs, and indent 4 spaces at a time.

• There's no line length limit, but try keep it smaller than 100 characters long.

• Pointers declarations should follow: Type* foo.

• Function calls should be on one line if it fits, otherwise, wrap arguments at the parenthesis:

    smallFunction(arg1);
    longFunction(argument1, argument2 + argument3, x,
        y, argument4);
  

• Conditionals should follow this pattern:

    if(condition1 && (x + y > z)) {
        do_something();
    } else if(condition2) {
        do_something_else();
    } else {
        do_whatever();
    }
  

Misc

• Be very cautious with macros. Prefer enums and const variables to macros.
• Do not use C++ exceptions.
• Use inner classes and inner enums, do not pollute global namespace.
• Don't use global variables and singletons. Use only global constants.
• All identifiers, comments and string literals should be written in English and should be syntactically and grammatically correct.

Sources:

• Google C++ Style Guide
• CppEvents Wiki