Spacing and Indentation

Basic Rules

• Use TAB based indentation with TAB size of 4. Make sure your IDE or text editor is configured accordingly.

Control Statements

• Do not insert whitespace after keywords:

  // Right
  while(true)
  for(int i = 0; i < count; i++)
  
  // Wrong
  while (true)
  for (int i=0;i<count;i++)
  

  // Right
  if(a == b)
  switch(a)
  {
  case kCase1 :
    break;
  }
  
  // Wrong
  if (a==b)
  switch (a)
  {
    case kCase1 :
    break;
  }
  

• Linebreak before opening brackets of a conditional expression:

  // Right
  if(expression)
  {
  }
  
  // Wrong
  if(expression) {
  }
  

Functions

• Insert whitespace before opening parenthesis of function arguments:

  // Right
  void saySomething (const char* what);
  saySomething ("Hi!");
  
  // Wrong
  void saySomething(const char*what);
  saySomething( "Hi!" );
  

• Linebreak before opening brackets of functions:

  // Right
  void myFunction ()
  {
  }
  
  // Wrong
  void myFunction () {
  }
  

Arrays

• Do not add whitespace before square brackets:

  // Right
  char string[256];
  string[0] = 'a';
  string[i + 1] = 'x';
  
  // Wrong
  char string [256];
  string [0]='a';
  string[i+1] = 'x';
  

Classes

• Linebreak before opening brackets of class declarations:

  // Right
  class MyClass
  {
  };
  
  // Wrong
  class MyClass {
  };
  

Namespaces

• Forward declarations: do not linebreak namespace opening bracket, do not indent inside the namespace, put closing } on same line as last forward declaration:

  // Right
  namespace MyNamespace {
  class MyClass;
  interface IMyInterface; }
  
  // Wrong
  namespace MyNamespace
  {
    class MyClass;
    interface IMyInterface;
  }
  

• Indent namespaces that are used like classes:

  // Right
  namespace MyNamespace
  {
    static const int kConstant;
  };
  
  // Wrong
  namespace MyNamespace {
    static const int kConstant;
  };
  

Macros

• Iteration macros for container classes require spacing and indentation:

  // Right
  VectorForEach (data, Type, value)
    print (value);
  EndFor
  
  // Wrong
  VectorForEach(data,Type,value)
  print (value);
  EndFor
  

Types

• For pointer and reference types the asterisk and ampersand are part of the type:

  // Right
  Type* var
  Type& var
  
  // Wrong
  Type *var
  Type & var
  

Templates

• Do not insert whitespace before template type opening angle bracket:

  // Right
  MyClass<T> t;
  
  // Wrong
  MyClass <T> t;
  

Comments

• In comments, insert a space character before the text:

  // Right
  // A comment
  /* Another comment */
  
  // Wrong
  //Comment
  /*Another comment*/
  

Preprocessor Directives

• Align preprocessor directives with the code

  // Right
  void myFunction ()
  {
      if(condition)
      {
          #if PREPROCESSOR_DEFINE
          callFunction ();
          #else
          callSomethingElse ();
          #endif
      }
  }
  
  // Wrong
  void myFunction ()
  {
      if(condition)
      {
  #if PREPROCESSOR_DEFINE
          callFunction ();
  #else
          callSomethingElse ();
  #endif
      }
  }