C++ Standard Library Style Guidelines DRAFT 2001-01-15 ------------------------------------- This library is written to appropriate C++ coding standards. As such, it is intended to precede the recommendations of the GNU Coding Standard, which can be referenced here: http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards_toc.html ChangeLog entries for member functions should use the classname::member function name syntax as follows: 1999-04-15 Dennis Ritchie <dr@att.com> * src/basic_file.cc (__basic_file::open): Fix thinko in _G_HAVE_IO_FILE_OPEN bits. Notable areas of divergence from what may be previous local practice (particularly for GNU C) include: 01. Pointers and references char* p = "flop"; char& c = *p; -NOT- char *p = "flop"; // wrong char &c = *p; // wrong Reason: In C++, definitions are mixed with executable code. Here, p is being initialized, not *p. This is near-universal practice among C++ programmers; it is normal for C hackers to switch spontaneously as they gain experience. 02. Operator names and parentheses operator==(type) -NOT- operator == (type) // wrong Reason: The == is part of the function name. Separating it makes the declaration look like an expression. 03. Function names and parentheses void mangle() -NOT- void mangle () // wrong Reason: no space before parentheses (except after a control-flow keyword) is near-universal practice for C++. It identifies the parentheses as the function-call operator or declarator, as opposed to an expression or other overloaded use of parentheses. 04. Template function indentation template<typename T> void template_function(args) { } -NOT- template<class T> void template_function(args) {}; Reason: In class definitions, without indentation whitespace is needed both above and below the declaration to distinguish it visually from other members. (Also, re: "typename" rather than "class".) T often could be int, which is not a class. ("class", here, is an anachronism.) 05. Template class indentation template<typename _CharT, typename _Traits> class basic_ios : public ios_base { public: // Types: }; -NOT- template<class _CharT, class _Traits> class basic_ios : public ios_base { public: // Types: }; -NOT- template<class _CharT, class _Traits> class basic_ios : public ios_base { public: // Types: }; 06. Enumerators enum { space = _ISspace, print = _ISprint, cntrl = _IScntrl, }; -NOT- enum { space = _ISspace, print = _ISprint, cntrl = _IScntrl }; 07. Member initialization lists All one line, separate from class name. gribble::gribble() : _M_private_data(0), _M_more_stuff(0), _M_helper(0); { } -NOT- gribble::gribble() : _M_private_data(0), _M_more_stuff(0), _M_helper(0); { } 08. Try/Catch blocks try { // } catch (...) { // } -NOT- try { // } catch(...) { // } 09. Member functions declarations and defintions Keywords such as extern, static, export, explicit, inline, etc go on the line above the function name. Thus virtual int foo() -NOT- virtual int foo() Reason: GNU coding conventions dictate return types for functions are on a separate line than the function name and parameter list for definitions. For C++, where we have member functions that can be either inline definitions or declarations, keeping to this standard allows all member function names for a given class to be aligned to the same margin, increasing readibility. 10. Invocation of member functions with "this->" For non-uglified names, use this->name to call the function. this->sync() -NOT- sync() Reason: Koenig lookup. 11. Namespaces namespace std { blah blah blah; } // namespace std -NOT- namespace std { blah blah blah; } // namespace std 12. Spacing under protected and private in class declarations: space above, none below ie public: int foo; -NOT- public: int foo; 13. Spacing WRT return statements. no extra spacing before returns ie } return __ret; -NOT- } return __ret; 14. Location of global variables. All global variables of class type, whether in the "user visable" space (e.g., cin) or the implementation namespace, must be defined as a character array with the appropriate alignment and then later re-initialized to the correct value. This is due to startup issues on certain platforms, such as AIX. For more explanation and examples, see src/globals.cc. All such variables should be contained in that file, for simplicity. The library currently has a mixture of GNU-C and modern C++ coding styles. The GNU C usages will be combed out gradually. Name patterns: For nonstandard names appearing in Standard headers, we are constrained to use names that begin with underscores. This is called "uglification". The convention is: Local and argument names: __[a-z].* Examples: __count __ix __s1 Type names and template formal-argument names: _[A-Z][^_].* Examples: _Helper _CharT _N Member data and function names: _M_.* Examples: _M_num_elements _M_initialize () Static data members, constants, and enumerations: _S_.* Examples: _S_max_elements _S_default_value Don't use names in the same scope that differ only in the prefix, e.g. _S_top and _M_top. See BADNAMES for a list of forbidden names. (The most tempting of these seem to be and "_T" and "__sz".) Names must never have "__" internally; it would confuse name unmanglers on some targets. Also, never use "__[0-9]", same reason. -------------------------- [BY EXAMPLE] #ifndef _HEADER_ #define _HEADER_ 1 namespace std { class gribble { public: // ctor, op=, dtor gribble() throw(); gribble(const gribble&); explicit gribble(int __howmany); gribble& operator=(const gribble&); virtual ~gribble() throw (); // argument inline void public_member(const char* __arg) const; // in-class function definitions should be restricted to one-liners. int one_line() { return 0 } int two_lines(const char* arg) { return strchr(arg, 'a'); } inline int three_lines(); // inline, but defined below. // note indentation template<typename _Formal_argument> void public_template() const throw(); template<typename _Iterator> void other_template(); private: class _Helper; int _M_private_data; int _M_more_stuff; _Helper* _M_helper; int _M_private_function(); enum _Enum { _S_one, _S_two }; static void _S_initialize_library(); }; // More-or-less-standard language features described by lack, not presence: # ifndef _G_NO_LONGLONG extern long long _G_global_with_a_good_long_name; // avoid globals! # endif // Avoid in-class inline definitions, define separately; // likewise for member class definitions: inline int gribble::public_member() const { int __local = 0; return __local; } class gribble::_Helper { int _M_stuff; friend class gribble; }; } // Names beginning with "__": only for arguments and // local variables; never use "__" in a type name, or // within any name; never use "__[0-9]". #endif /* _HEADER_ */ namespace std { template<typename T> // notice: "typename", not "class", no space long_return_value_type<with_many, args> function_name(char* pointer, // "char *pointer" is wrong. char* argument, const Reference& ref) { // int a_local; /* wrong; see below. */ if (test) { nested code } int a_local = 0; // declare variable at first use. // char a, b, *p; /* wrong */ char a = 'a'; char b = a + 1; char* c = "abc"; // each variable goes on its own line, always. // except maybe here... for (unsigned i = 0, mask = 1; mask; ++i, mask <<= 1) { // ... } } gribble::gribble() : _M_private_data(0), _M_more_stuff(0), _M_helper(0); { } inline int gribble::three_lines() { // doesn't fit in one line. } } // namespace std