lyx_mirror/development/Code_rules/Rules
Lars Gullik Bjønnes 27de1486ca Initial revision
git-svn-id: svn://svn.lyx.org/lyx/lyx-devel/trunk@140 a592a061-630c-0410-9148-cb99ea01b6c8
1999-09-27 18:44:28 +00:00

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Rules for the code in LyX
-------------------------
The aim of this file is to serve as a guide for the developers, to aid us to
get clean and uniform code. Still uncomplete.
In general, if you want to contribute to the main source, we expect at least
that you:
- write good C++ code: Readable, well commented and taking advantage of the
OO model.
- adapt the code to the structures already existing in LyX, or in case that
you have better ideas, discuss them on the developer's list before writing
the code.
These guidelines should save us a lot of work while cleaning up the code and
help us to have quality code. LyX has been haunted by problems coming from
unfinished projects by people who have left the team. Those problems will
hopefully disappear if the code is easy to hand over to somebody else.
* Naming rules for classes
- Use descriptive but simple and short names. For stuff specific to LyX
use LyX as prefix. Some modules, like mathed or spellchecker, could have
other prefixes.
- Class names are usually capitalized, and function names lowercased.
Enums are in CAPS.
- Long variables are named like thisLongVariableName.
* Formatting
- Please adapt the formatting of your code to the setting in LyX in that
particular file. Lars and Asger are slowly, but surely moving the source
towards Linux kernel style formatting, aka K&R style. We suggest that you
also do this, but this is NOT something that has been decided generally.
* Use existing structures
- Use LString whereever possible. LyX will someday move to Unicode, and
that will be easy if everybody uses LString now.
- Check out the filename and path tools in filetools.h
- Use the Error class to report errors and messages
[add description of other existing structures]
* Declarations
- Use this order for the access sections of your class: public,
protected, private. The public section is interesting for every
user of the class. The private section is only of interest for the
implementors of the class (you).
- Avoid to declare global objects in the declaration file of the class.
If the same variable is used for all object, use a static member.
- Avoid global or static variables. An exception to this rule is
very private stuff like the math stack.
- Use the const keyword like this: char const * instead of const char *
because this is more logical.
* Documentation
- The documentation is generated from the header files.
- You document for the other developers, not for yourself.
- You should document what the funtion do, not the implementation.
- in the .C files you document the implementation.
- Short description (///), large description (/** ... */)
(someone explain this please)
- You make the documentation by doing "make srcdoc" in the root,
and then you'll find HTML in the srcdoc/ directory. Read with
Netscape for best results.
* NAMING RULES FOR USER-COMMANDS
Here's the set of rules to apply when a new command name is introduced:
1) Use the object.event order. That is, use `word-forward' instead of
`forward-word'.
2) Don't introduce an alias for an already named object. Same for events.
3) Forward movement or focus is called `forward' (not `right').
4) Backward movement or focus is called `backward' (not `left').
5) Upward movement of focus is called `up'.
6) Downward movement is called `down'.
7) The begin of an object is called `begin' (not `start').
8) The end of an object is called `end'.
* Using external GUI constructors (XForms fdesign)
- Fdesign generated files should not be changed at all. The only changes
needed are gettext, compability with 0.81 or when you have made your own
xforms objects and have just a dummy in the .fd file in place of your
own. In case you have to change the generated files for any of the
reasons above, you should provide a patch against the clean generated
file. Your callbacks must be in a separate file.