update style-guide.txt

This commit is contained in:
Denis Vlasenko 2007-04-15 08:39:39 +00:00
parent 58394b1e29
commit 91de7c0328

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@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ in the directory, just your own.
Declaration Order
-----------------
Here is the order in which code should be laid out in a file:
Here is the preferred order in which code should be laid out in a file:
- commented program name and one-line description
- commented author name and email address(es)
@ -126,14 +126,15 @@ between it and the opening control block statement. Examples:
do {
Exceptions:
If you have long logic statements that need to be wrapped, then uncuddling
the bracket to improve readability is allowed. Generally, this style makes
it easier for reader to notice that 2nd and following lines are still
inside 'if':
- if you have long logic statements that need to be wrapped, then uncuddling
the bracket to improve readability is allowed:
if (some_really_long_checks && some_other_really_long_checks \
&& some_more_really_long_checks)
{
if (some_really_long_checks && some_other_really_long_checks
&& some_more_really_long_checks
&& even_more_of_long_checks
) {
do_foo_now;
Spacing around Parentheses
@ -208,6 +209,23 @@ block. Example:
}
Labels
~~~~~~
Labels should start at the beginning of the line, not indented to the block
level (because they do not "belong" to block scope, only to whole function).
if (foo) {
stmt;
label:
stmt2;
stmt;
}
(Putting label at position 1 prevents diff -p from confusing label for function
name, but it's not a policy of busybox project to enforce such a minor detail).
Variable and Function Names
---------------------------
@ -234,7 +252,7 @@ because it looks like whitespace; using lower-case is easy on the eyes.
Exceptions:
- Enums, macros, and constant variables are occasionally written in all
upper-case with words optionally seperatedy by underscores (i.e. FIFOTYPE,
upper-case with words optionally seperatedy by underscores (i.e. FIFO_TYPE,
ISBLKDEV()).
- Nobody is going to get mad at you for using 'pvar' as the name of a
@ -299,22 +317,21 @@ Use 'const <type> var' for declaring constants.
Don't do this:
#define var 80
#define CONST 80
Do this instead, when the variable is in a header file and will be used in
several source files:
const int var = 80;
enum { CONST = 80 };
Or do this when the variable is used only in a single source file:
static const int var = 80;
Declaring variables as '[static] const' gives variables an actual type and
makes the compiler do type checking for you; the preprocessor does _no_ type
checking whatsoever, making it much more error prone. Declaring variables with
'[static] const' also makes debugging programs much easier since the value of
the variable can be easily queried and displayed.
Although enum may look ugly to some people, it is better for code size.
With "const int" compiler may fail to optimize it out and will reserve
a real storage in rodata for it! (Hopefully, newer gcc will get better
at it...). With "define", you have slight risk of polluting namespace
(#define doesn't allow you to redefine the name in the inner scopes),
and complex "define" are evaluated each time they uesd, not once
at declarations like enums. Also, the preprocessor does _no_ type checking
whatsoever, making it much more error prone.
The Folly of Macros
@ -432,15 +449,16 @@ Unfortunately, the way C handles strings makes them prone to overruns when
certain library functions are (mis)used. The following table offers a summary
of some of the more notorious troublemakers:
function overflows preferred
----------------------------------------
strcpy dest string strncpy
strcat dest string strncat
gets string it gets fgets
getwd buf string getcwd
[v]sprintf str buffer [v]snprintf
realpath path buffer use with pathconf
[vf]scanf its arguments just avoid it
function overflows preferred
-------------------------------------------------
strcpy dest string safe_strncpy
strncpy may fail to 0-terminate dst safe_strncpy
strcat dest string strncat
gets string it gets fgets
getwd buf string getcwd
[v]sprintf str buffer [v]snprintf
realpath path buffer use with pathconf
[vf]scanf its arguments just avoid it
The above is by no means a complete list. Be careful out there.
@ -450,7 +468,7 @@ The above is by no means a complete list. Be careful out there.
Avoid Big Static Buffers
------------------------
First, some background to put this discussion in context: Static buffers look
First, some background to put this discussion in context: static buffers look
like this in code:
/* in a .c file outside any functions */
@ -500,6 +518,9 @@ between xmalloc() and stack creation, so you can code the line in question as
and the right thing will happen, based on your configuration.
Another relatively new trick of similar nature is explained
in keep_data_small.txt.
Miscellaneous Coding Guidelines
@ -527,7 +548,7 @@ The only time we deviate from emulating the GNU behavior is when:
would be required, lots more memory would be used, etc.)
- The difference is minor or cosmetic
A note on the 'cosmetic' case: Output differences might be considered
A note on the 'cosmetic' case: output differences might be considered
cosmetic, but if the output is significant enough to break other scripts that
use the output, it should really be fixed.
@ -577,7 +598,7 @@ like this:
if (foo)
stmt1;
new_line();
stmt2
stmt2;
stmt3;
And the resulting behavior of your program would totally bewilder you. (Don't
@ -625,7 +646,7 @@ comment too much as well as too little.
A picture is really worth a thousand words here, the following example
illustrates how to emphasize logical blocks:
while (line = get_line_from_file(fp)) {
while (line = xmalloc_fgets(fp)) {
/* eat the newline, if any */
chomp(line);
@ -649,31 +670,38 @@ illustrates how to emphasize logical blocks:
Processing Options with getopt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If your applet needs to process command-line switches, please use getopt() to
If your applet needs to process command-line switches, please use getopt32() to
do so. Numerous examples can be seen in many of the existing applets, but
basically it boils down to two things: at the top of the .c file, have this
line in the midst of your #includes:
line in the midst of your #includes, if you need to parse long options:
#include <getopt.h>
Then have long options defined:
static const struct option <applet>_long_options[] = {
{ "list", 0, NULL, 't' },
{ "extract", 0, NULL, 'x' },
{ NULL }
};
And a code block similar to the following near the top of your applet_main()
routine:
while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "abc")) > 0) {
switch (opt) {
case 'a':
do_a_opt = 1;
break;
case 'b':
do_b_opt = 1;
break;
case 'c':
do_c_opt = 1;
break;
default:
show_usage(); /* in utility.c */
}
}
char *str_b;
opt_complementary = "cryptic_string";
applet_long_options = <applet>_long_options; /* if you have them */
opt = getopt32(argc, argv, "ab:c", &str_b);
if (opt & 1) {
handle_option_a();
}
if (opt & 2) {
handle_option_b(str_b);
}
if (opt & 4) {
handle_option_c();
}
If your applet takes no options (such as 'init'), there should be a line
somewhere in the file reads:
@ -683,7 +711,4 @@ somewhere in the file reads:
That way, when people go grepping to see which applets need to be converted to
use getopt, they won't get false positives.
Additional Note: Do not use the getopt_long library function and do not try to
hand-roll your own long option parsing. Busybox applets should only support
short options. Explanations and examples of the short options should be
documented in usage.h.
For more info and examples, examine getopt32.c, tar.c, wget.c etc.