General Style Guide

Documentation/Comments

• name at top.
• section at top.
• If partners, BOTH peoples' names and sections must be on top.
• Plus, these notes
1. Expected Input: -- describes what the expected input for the program is
2. Expected Output: -- describes what the exptected output for the program is
3. Assumptions: -- any assumptions (often about the expected input) the program makes
The best way to understand what is expected is to look at the demo code on the 5419 server and read the comments on those programs.
• Chunks of code have comments explaining what is about to happen.
• Constructs (switches, ifs, loops) have comments explaining what is about to happen.
• Each function has a description of it's behavior preceding the header
• javadoc formatting will be encouraged

White Space

• chunks of code are separated by blank lines
• operators are surrounded by blanks
• each block (an area inside of {}) should be indented

Variables and Constants

• All variables are declared in the appropriate scope
• no global variables (variables declared outside of a function scope)
• global constants are okay
• constants should be used (exceptions are 0,1, and other unchanging numbers, like 60 for minutes in an hour)
• descriptive names

Methods

• descriptive method names
• descriptive parameter names
• parameters are appropriate to the method (i.e. parameters that are passed in should be used)

Indenting and block structure

• { } should be correct (see chart below)
• the statements in all methods (INCLUDING MAIN!) are indented
• statements in control structures are indented
• long tests are unreadable (they should be split over enough lines to be made readable)

{ } guidelines

• { should either on it's own line lined up with the item whose block it starting, or at the end of the line
• } should be on it's own line -- exceptions are the do/while and else if

        if (test) {
            blah;
            blah;
        }
        

        if (test)
        {
            blah;
            blah;
        }       
        

        if (test) { blah; 
            blah; }
        

        if (test) {
            blah;
        } else if (test2) {
            blah;
        }       
        

        if (test) 
        {
            blah;
        } else if (test2) 
        {
            blah;
        }       
        

        if (test)
            { blah; }
        else if (test2)
            { blah; }
        

                        
        for (  ;  ;  ) {
            blah;
        }       
        

        
        for (  ;  ;  ) 
        {
            blah;
        }

        for (  ;  ;  ) 
        {  blah;
        
        }
        

        while (   ) {
            blah;
        }       
        

        while (   ) 
        {
            blah;
        }               
        

        while (   ) 
        { 
            blah; }
        

        do {
            blah;
        } while (   );  
        

        do 
        {
            blah;
        }
        while (   );    
        

   do {  blah;     
   } while (   );