STYLE
COSC1540 adopts a simple programming style that aims at enhancing clarity and
maintainability, and eliminating certain logical errors. Any program you write,
for Labs or Tests, must adhere to this standard style.
- All names must be indicative of what they represent.
- Program names (in the
program statement) must start with
a capital letter; e.g. program Convert
- Letters in variable, subroutine and function names must be small-case.
For multi-word names however, you must
capitalize the first letter of the 2nd (and subsequent) word.
Examples:
real*8 pressure, integer*2 nodeCount,
subroutine sort(list, size).
- Letters in constant names must be all capital. For multi-word names, use the
underscore character to separate names. Example:
real*4 PI,
real*4 FRICTION_COEF.
- Indent by at least 3 spaces all statements between
if and
end if except for else if and else,
which must be aligned with the preceding if. When an if
statement is nested within another, its body will be indented further by an
additional 3 or more spaces.
- Indent by at least 3 spaces all statements in the body of a loop.
When a loop
is nested within another, its body will be indented further by an
additional 3 or more spaces.
- Refrain from using magic numbers in your code (numbers whose role and/or
origin is not readily obvious). Use constants instead. The only exception to
this rule would be the numbers zero, +/-1, and +/-2.
- Full-line comments must appear before each function, subroutine, or program
to explain what it does (not how it does it).
- Full-line or in-line comments must appear as needed within the code to partition
it into logical segments or explain subtle steps. Any code that cannot be readily
understood by a programmer familiar with the problem, must be documented.