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C Coding Standards

@alokm014
 What Are Coding Rules and Guidelines?

Coding rules and guidelines ensure that software is:

● Safe: It can be used without causing harm.
● Secure: It can’t be hacked.
● Reliable: It functions as it should, every time.
● Testable: It can be tested at the code level.
● Maintainable: It can be maintained, even as
your codebase grows.
● Portable: It works the same in every
environment.

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 Why Apply Coding Standard?

There are four key benefits of using coding

standards:
● Reduce Code Bugs
● Improve Code Readability
● Ease Code Review process
● Easy to Maintain
● Cost Efficient

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 General Principles

● Explicit is better than implicit.

● Be consistent.
● It is easier to prevent a bug than to find it and
fix it.
● Write as if you are writing for someone else to
use and maintain code.
● Use C99.
● Avoid proprietary compiler language keyword
extensions.
● Avoid complicated statements.
● Use 4 spaces per indent level.

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 What : Line Width

How?
All lines must be limited to 80 characters.

Why?
1080p is still one of the most popular resolutions
for monitors and it just so happens that with most
code editors you can comfortably fit 2 code
windows at 80 characters side by side, and even
have room for a sidebar if you like that sort of
thing.

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 What : Indentation

How?
Indent level is 4 spaces.

Why?
Greatly improves readability.

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 What : Braces

How?
Braces must surround each code block, even
single line blocks and empty blocks.

Why?
This prevents bugs when near by code is changed
or commented out.

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 What : &&, ||

How?
Unless it is a single identifier each operand of
logical AND and logical OR shall be surrounded by
parentheses.

Why?
Do not depend on C operator precedence rules,
those who maintain the code in the future might
miss this.

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 What : static

How?
‘static’ should be used to declare all variables and
function that are unused outside of the modules in
which they are declared

Why?
This reduces bugs.

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 What : volatile

How?
● It should be used to declare global variables
accessible by interrupt service.
● It should be used to declare pointer to a
memory-mapped I/O peripheral register set.
● It should be used to declare a global variable
accessible by multiple threads.
● ‘volatile’ should be used to declare delay loop
counters.

Why?
This reduces bugs

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 What : const

How?
● ‘const’ should be used to declare variables that
should not change after initialization.
● It should be used as an alternative to #define
for numeric constants.

Why?
This reduces bugs

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 What : Comment markers

How?
WARNING: Risk in changing block of code.
TODO: Area of code still under construction.
NOTE: Descriptive comment about why.

Why?
Improves code maintainability

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 Safe

i f ((len > 0 ) && ( i t r < MAX))

{
...do something
}

Risky
i f (len > 0 && i t r < MAX)
{
...do something
}

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 Safe

char * x;
char y;

Risky
char * x; char y;

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 Safe

i f ( i t r > 9)
{
state = END;
}

Risky

i f ( i t r > 9 ) state = END;

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 Safe

i f ( NULL == count)
{
return true;
}

Risky

i f ( count == NULL )
{
return true;
}

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 Do

uint8_t num;
num = 9 + 7;

Do Not

uint8_t num;
num = 9+7;

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 Do

#ifdef USE_CRC32
# define MUL_SIZE 152
#else
# define MUL_SIZE 254
#endif

Do Not

#ifdef USE_CRC32
# define MUL_SIZE 152
#else
# define MUL_SIZE 254
#endif

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 Do

inline int max( int num1 , int num2 )

Do Not

#define MAX(A, B) ((A) > (B) ? (A) : (B))

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 Do

uint8_t find_shape(uint8_t val)

{
switch(val)
{
case RECT:
...do something
break;

case TRIA:
...do something
break;

default:
...do something
break;
}
}

Do Not

uint8_t find_shape(uint8_t val)

{
switch(val)
{
case RECT:
...do something
break;
case TRIA:
...do something
break;
default:
...do something
break;
}
}

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What : if, while, for, switch, and return

How?
Shall be followed by one space when there is
additional program text on the same line

Why?
Improves code readability

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What : =, +=, *=, /=, %=, &=, |=, ^=, ~=, and !=

How?
Assignment operators shall always be preceded
and followed by one space

Why?
Improves code readability

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 What : Function parameters

How?
Each comma separating function parameters shall
always be followed by one space

Why?
Improves code readability

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 What : for loop

How?
Each semicolon separating the elements of a for
statement shall always be followed by one space.

Why?
Improves code readability

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 What : Statements

How?
● No line should contain more than one
statement.
● Each semicolon shall follow the statement it
terminates without a preceding space.

Why?
Reduces bugs, Improves code readability

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 What : Naming

How?
Module names shall consist entirely of lowercase
letters, numbers, and underscores. No spaces.

Why?
Reduces bugs

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 What : Variable Naming

Variable type Starting characters

Global variable gVar

Pointer variable pVar
Boolean variable bVar
Data Array aData[ ]

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What : Popularly accepted abbreviations

Term Abbreviation

Minimum min

Manager mgr

Maximum max

Mailbox mbox

Interrupt Service Routine isr

Initialize init

Input/output io

Handle h

Error err

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What : Popularly accepted abbreviations

Term Abbreviation

global g

current curr

configuration cfg

buffer buf

average avg

millisecond msec

message msg

nanosecond nsec

number num

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What : Popularly accepted abbreviations

Term Abbreviation

transmit tx

receive rx

temperature temp

temporary tmp

synchronize sync

string str

register reg

previous prev

priority prio

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@robo.pathshala @alokm014