ActionApps - Coding Standards

We encourage ActionApps developers to follow the coding standards described bellow. It help us to have the code as readable as possible for everyone.

Most of the following rules comes from php PEAR standard https://pear.php.net/manual/en/standards.php
Most important rules on the top:

• use UNIX end of lines (use \n and never windows \r\n)

  If we mix both modes, the Subversion (svn) diffs are not useful

• Indent 4 spaces, with no tabs

  Do not use Tabs or use 'insert Tabs as spaces' option of your text editor. Most of the editors (like Jedit or HomeSite) allows it. Then the code will look good in any editor.

• Use PHP functions up to version 4.3.0
  
  
• <?php open tag

  Do not use any other shorted version like <?, .. There are some problems on some Apache configurations with <?...

• comments should follow PSR-5: PHPDoc standard

  See https://github.com/php-fig/fig-standards/blob/master/proposed/phpdoc.md
  - use /* */ and // for comments, not #

• control structures should look like

  
  if ((condition1) || (condition2)) {
      commands;
  } else {
      commands;
  }

  - open brace at the end of line
  - if, while, ... separated by space (it is not function call)

• function($var1, $var2=true)

  No space between function name and open brace allow us easier find the function in the code.

• class names uses AA_ prefix, words separated by underscore and first letters are in upper case

  Just like - AA_Optimize_Db_Relation_Dups - no AA_Optimize_DB_Relation_Dups nor AA_OptimizeDbRelationDups

• Functions uses CamelCase naming convention

  Just like NormalizeArrayIndex(), ParseClassProperties()

• Class methods uses CamelCase with small first letter naming convention

  Just like $widget->getClassProperties(), $property->isRequired()

• Private class methods and variables are prefixed with underscore

  Just like $this->_finalizaAjaxHtml, $this->_selected

• Variables uses small caps with underscore between words

  Just like $input_id, $use_name

• 80 characters wide
  

  Try to write the code 80 characters wide, if possible.

• quote strings in indexes
  

  Always quote strings like 'name' in $arr['name'] or $db->f('name') although current PHP do not need it.

• use $_GET, $_POST, and $_SERVER
  

  Use mentioned superglobal arrays to access variables from forms ...

• use return true; instead of return(true);
  

  Return is the statement, not a function.

• When you committing changes into Subversion (SVN), always update CHANGES file and send a note to apc-aa-coders@sourceforge.net
  
  
• Document new feature on the wiki (https://actionapps.org/) and in the code
  
  
• If it is possible, create an example of new feature on Sourceforge installation of ActionApps
  
  
• If you changing database structure (adding table, ...), you should update sql_update.php script
  
  
• New feature must be always generalized in order other users can use it
  

  No private hacks for site XY

• Before you are going to code some new feature, let us know about, please (apc-aa-coders@sourceforge.net)
  

I know the current code do not strictly follows mentioned rules, but from this time it will ....... hopefully

Honza Malik, 1/29/2003