coding conventions

Coding conventions

Naming convention

Files

Each file must be named after the case sensitive name of the class it contains.

Each file can contain at most one outer class, interface of enumeration.

Classes

Each class name must start with an upper case character. The rest of the name is written in camelCase.

example: ThisIsAClassName

Methods

Each method must start with a lower case character. The rest of the name is written in camelCase.

example: thisIsAMethodName()

Attributes

Each attribute must start with an underscore (_). The rest of the name is written in camelCase, starting with a lower case character.

example: _thisIsAnAttributeName

Local variables & parameters

The name must be written in camelCase starting with a lower case character.

example: thisIsAVariableName

Enumerations

The class containing the enumeration must respect the class naming convention. The item in the class must be all upper case separated by underscores (_).

example: TypePrefix.THIS_IS_A_VALUE

Acronymes

Acronymes in names must respect the naming convention defined here, even if it is not the way it is normally written.

example: HttpCollection (instead of HTTPCollection)

Code formatting

Layout and indentation

Indentation must use tabs.

This is the design prefered:

class MyClass {
	int _myAttribute;
  
	public void myFunction(int parameter) {
		switch(parameter) {
			case 0: {
				_myAttribute = 10;
            	}
				break;
            case 1: {
				_myAttribute = 15;
            	}
				break;
			default: {
				_myAttribute = 0;
            	}
				break;
		}
	}
}

Javadoc comments

The @param must be filled when a parameter is given to a method. The @return must be filled when a method returns a value. Each class, enumeration and method must have at least a brief explanation of their purpose.

Example:

/**
* This class contains a collection of ordered integers
*/
public class OrderedSet {
	/**
	* Check if a given value exists in the set
	* @param value The value to search for in the set
	* @return True if the value have been found, false otherwise
	*/
	public boolean exists(int value) {
		// ...
	}
}

Spaces

Never use spaces between a method's or language construction's name and the parenthesis

Example : if(value && otherValue)

Always use spaces between an operator and its operands (except for unary operators)

Example : int value = anotherValue && !check