Programming Reference:Cpp Coding Style
Appearance
Line Formatting
- No tab characters (please configure your editor to insert spaces instead).
- Indentation in steps of 2 or 3 space characters.
- Opening braces have their own line, aligned with the previous line; corresponding closing braces are placed on their own lines, at the same character position as the opening brace.
- For function definitions, return types appear on their own line, such that the function name is first in its line.
Naming
- ALL_UPPERCASE_NAMES are reserved for preprocessor macros.
- CamelCase (uppercase letters inside words) is used to indicate word boundaries.
- Class names and namespaces begin with uppercase letters: MyNameSpace, TheClass.
- Local variables and function arguments begin with lowercase letters: theCounter, inSomeInput.
- Accessor functions use Set/Get followed by the property's name, or directly the name of the property: SetValue(), GetValue(), Value(). Setter functions should return a non-const reference to the data object itself rather than void, this allows for chaining:
float result = MyComputation().Order( 5 ).Depth( 10 ).EvaluateAt( 4 );
Name prefixes
Prefixes should carry information about the scope and usage of a variable but not its type.
- m for class data members,
- s for static class members and static variables,
- g for globals,
- c for constants,
- p for pointers,
- fp for function pointers,
- in for function input arguments,
- out for function output arguments,
- io for function arguments used for input and output.
Variable Declaration
- Always use the narrowest possible scope for a name to avoid side effects.
- Always initialize variables (at declaration resp. constructor).
Memory Allocation
- Allocate from the stack rather than the heap unless there is a good reason to use the new operator. This avoids memory leaks.
- Use STL containers rather than allocating arrays with new[]. This eliminates a number of possible errors (initialization, allocation, deallocation).
Pointers and References
- Use references rather than pointers wherever possible.
Control Flow
- Avoid goto, break outside switch-case blocks, and multiple return statements.
Example Function
void
MyClass::MyFunction( const int inTheInput, int& outTheResult )
{
outTheResult = mSomeDataMember;
for( int theCounter = 0; < inTheInput; ++i )
{
int k = 4;
while( --k > 0 )
outTheResult -= k;
}
}