C Coding Standards

Naming Conventions

Use meaningful variable names !
For example, if your program needs a variable to represent the radius of a circle, call it 'radius', NOT 'r' and NOT 'rad'.

The use of single letter variables is forbidden, except as simple 'for' loop indices.
The use of obvious, common, meaningful abbreviations is permitted. For example, 'number' can be abbreviated as 'num' as in 'numStudents'.

• Begin variable names with lowercase letters
• Begin function names with uppercase letters
• Use all uppercase for symbolic constants (#define)
• Use all uppercase for typedefs
• Do not use global variables
• Be consistent!
• Separate "words" within identifiers with underscores or mixed upper and lowercase. Examples:
  2-"word" variable name: grandTotal or grand_total
  2-"word" function name: ProcessError or Process_Error

Use of Whitespace

The prudent use of whitespace (blank lines as well as space) goes a long way to making your program readable.

• Use blank lines to separate major parts of a source file or function.
• Separate declarations from executable statements with a blank line.
• DO NOT use tabs
• Use 3 or 4 spaces for each level of indentation
• Preprocessor directives, function prototypes, and headers of function definitions begin in column 1.
• All statements in the body of a function are indented 3 or 4 spaces. Statements inside of a loop or part of an "if" structure are indented further.
• Use spaces around all operators. For example, write x = y + 5;, NOT x=y+5;

Use of Braces

Always use braces to mark the beginning and end of a loop or "if" structure, even when not required.

• See the indentation standard for appropriate placement of braces.

Comments

Comments are the programmers main source of documentation. Comments for files, functions and code are described below.

File Header Comments

1. The file name
2. Your name
3. The date the file was created
4. Your section number

Function Header Comments

1. function name
2. a description of what the function does
3. a description of the function's inputs
4. a description of the function's outputs