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STYLE(6)                         Games Manual                         STYLE(6)



NAME
       style - Plan 9 coding conventions for C

DESCRIPTION
       Plan  9  C  code  has its own conventions.  You would do well to follow
       them.  Here are a few:

       ⢠don't use comments; some old Plan 9 code does, but we're  converting
          it  as  we touch it.  We do sometimes use to comment-out a few lines
          of code.

       ⢠avoid gotos.

       ⢠no tabs expanded to spaces.

       ⢠surround a binary operator (particular a low  precedence  one)  with
          spaces; don't try to write the most compact code possible but rather
          the most readable.

       ⢠parenthesize expressions involving arithmetic  and  bit-wise  opera‐
          tors; otherwise don't parenthesize heavily (e.g., as in Pascal).

       ⢠no white space before opening braces.

       ⢠no white space after the keywords etc.

       ⢠no braces around single-line blocks (e.g., and bodies).

       ⢠integer-valued  functions  return -1 on error, 0 or positive on suc‐
          cess.

       ⢠functions that return errors should set errstr(2).

       ⢠variable and function names are all lowercase, with no underscores.

       ⢠enum or #defined constants should be Uppercase (or UPPERCASE).

       ⢠struct tags are Uppercase, with matching typedefs.

       ⢠automatic variables (local variables inside a  function)  are  never
          initialized at declaration.

       ⢠follow the standard idioms: use not etc.

       ⢠don't  write (nor etc.)  nor always explicitly compare the result of
          string or memory comparison with zero using a relational operator.

       Ultimately, the goal is to write code that fits in with the other  code
       around  it  and the system as a whole.  If the file you are editing al‐
       ready deviates from these guidelines, do what it does.  After you  edit
       a  file,  a  reader  should  not be able to tell just from coding style
       which parts you worked on.

   COMMENTS
       If your code is readable, you shouldn't need many comments.  A line  or
       two comment above a function explaining what it does is always welcome.

       Comment any code you find yourself wondering about for more than 2 sec‐
       onds, even if it's to say that you don't understand  what's  going  on.
       Explain why.

       Don't  use commenting as an excuse for writing confusing code.  Rewrite
       the code to make it clear.

   EFFICIENCY
       Do the simple thing.  Don't optimize unless you've  measured  the  code
       and it is too slow.  Fix the data structures and the algorithms instead
       of going for little 5% tunings.

SEE ALSO
       ``Notes on Programming in C'', Rob Pike,
       http://www.literateprogramming.com/pikestyle.pdf

BUGS
       Some programs use very different styles, for example, rc.

       Some programs and programmers diverge  from  the  above  rules  due  to
       habits  formed  long before these rules.  Notably, some programs have a
       single space after a keyword and before an opening brace, and some ini‐
       tialize automatic variables at declaration.



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