Team !YOU - Discussions

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Team !You Programming Standards Discussion

Declare only one variable in each line.

This makes it easier to scan the code and find the type of a variable that you see somewhere else in the code.

Do:

 int a;
 int b = 0;
 int c = a;

Don't:

 int a, b = 0, c = a;

Do not use tabs when indenting.

The tab space is interpreted different across different software and operating systems. Use normal spaces to add indentation instead.

(Discussion: Indentation)

Something simple, but that should be standard for all pieces of the code.

Discussion

Name	Comment
fmDeOliveira	I usually put two spaces for a new indent, and keep a blank line between new big blocks of code and whatever comes before it (usually an if statement, a for loop, or the signature of a function).
MattAdams	Please only indent to 4 spaces. If we all use the same indenting, when it comes to putting our code together it will looks the same. NOTE: Most text editors have the option to change tabs to spaces, so you are still able to press the tab key, however it will convert it to spaces when the file is saved.
Mziaei1	I actually agree with 2 spaces more than 4 spaces. There was an example here before!! main() { for (i = 0; i <10; i++) { printf("Hi!"); } }
Timothy	What I do in Visual Studio is change the indentation settings to input 2 spaces instead of tabs, and I prefer it this way just in case there is a situation where multiple nested code is required and it's not all running off the page to view it properly.
Mddaniels	I myself have always used the tab just for speed and ease of programming, plus I like having my code spaced out so that I can locate blocks of code better. But if the general opinion is to use two spaces then I will modify the visual studio software to use two spaces.
Nsimmalavong	As most of you have said, I also use 2 spaces as indentation. Along with fmDeOliveira, I've put a blank line to separate blocks of code

Use Include Guides for Header Files

For every header file that we write, we must make sure that it will never be added more than once to different pieces of code. Therefore, all your header file code should be in between the include guides as shown below:

 #ifndef _344_EXAMPLE_H_
 #define _344_EXAMPLE_H_
 (code)
 #endif

The convention for this project is to define our header files in upper case, starting with 344, and enclosed in a single underscore(_)

Put the pointer identifier(*) right after the target variable type.

Pointers are hard enough to deal with. It only makes it more complicated if they are declared differently throughout the code.

Do:

 int* p1;
 char* p2;

Don't:

 int *p1;
 char *p2;

(Discussion: Use of iterating variables on for loops)

There are two major ways of dealing with the iteration variable on for loops. We should come to a consensus on how to deal with it on our project.

Option 1: Declare the variables outside the loop; initialize them inside the loop; keep their exit values for future use.

 int i;                                // counter
 for (i = 0; i<5; i++) printf(".");    // Prints .....
 printf("%d",i);                       // Prints 5

Option 2: Declare and initialize variables inside the loop; lose the variable at the end of the loop scope;

 for (int i = 0; i<5; i++) printf("."); // Once the loop is done, variable i cannot be accessed anymore.

Discussion

Name	Comment
fmDeOliveira	I definitely prefer option 2. It is much easier to keep recycling the loop variables without having to worry if they already exist or not. In case we need the value of the loop variable after the loop is done, we should just copy it to another variable before the end of the loop.
ammisko	I like option 1 better (I changed it a bit). I think it looks cleaner and is much easier to read for someone who doesn't know what the code does (especially with comments). Also what if we need to use a loop variable from outside the for loop? Or if we need to use the first part of the for-loop for other code? Option 1 could accommodate that better I think.
MattAdams	I like both ways. I use option1 when I need to use the counter for something else. And I use option2 when I need to right a quick for loop. As for a standard, I think option1 should be used, that way all of the variables are declared at the top of every function, and that way we don't have to copy the counter to another variable.
Mddaniels	I agree with option one, there are plenty of times when you need the counters saved for use later in the function.
Nsimmalavong	Agreed with fmDeOliveira, I prefer option 2 the same reasoning. Having amibiguous variables floating around can get confusing and we may just end up needing more than what the 26 letter alphabet provides (which results in some unique variables like a13). If the variable is needed after the loop, it should be copied into another variable before the end of loop

(Discussion: Variable names)

How should we name the variables that we create on our project?

Discussion

Name	Comment
fmDeOliveira	I suggest we avoid abbreviations, since what might be obvious for some could be confusing for others. Full words or short expressions could be used where the first letter is always lower case, and the first letter of the following words are upper case. Examples: cost, totalPrice, numberOfPeople.
MattAdams	I also agree w/ Felipe. Using Camle notation is a nice and easy way to name variables. However, I would have said numOfPeople, instead of 'numberOfPeople'. As for #define goes. Use UPPER case, and separate words by the underscore(_). ie. #define ISBN_LENGTH, #define AREA_MAX, #define MAX, #define LENGTH
Mddaniels	Defines should always be caps, and camel notation is very good, just as long as the variable names make sense I'll be happy. I got sick and tired of last semester's group giving variable names like "ptr".

(Discussion: Use of comments)

When should we use double slash (//) and when should we use slash-asterisk (/* */)?

Discussion

Name	Comment
fmDeOliveira	I prefer using // for single-line comments and /* */ for blocks of commented code. This would avoid problems commenting out blocks of code that already have single-line comments (the end of the single-line comment would not be interpreted as the end of the block comment).
MattAdams	I also like using // for end of the line comments to slitly explain whats going on, and use /* */ for commented out code, as well as explaining a certain block of code that is confusing to understand.
Mddaniels	What you need to remember is that we are coding in C the // for single line comments does not work in C. All coments need to be in the /* */ format. Also try and use the comments to reflect the Art of Programming. Code should be written that any programmer can look at the code and understand what is going on.

(Discussion: Nesting)

How do we deal with else statements?

Option 1: else right after the end of the if block

 if (a > 0) {
   printf(".");
 } else {
   printf(",");
 }

Option 2: else on a line below the end of the if block

 if (a > 0) {
   printf(".");
 }
 else {
   printf(",");
 }

Mddaniels example: This is how I was taught in IPC144 by Murray Saul

 if (a > 0)
 {
   printf(".");
 }
 else
 {
   printf(",");
 }

Discussion

Name	Comment
fmDeOliveira	I prefer option 2.
MattAdams	Option 2 all the way.
Mziaei1	Agree with option 2.
Mddaniels	I agree with option 2. Although I am used to coding my braces on seperate lines, see my small example above.