HACKING.md

Code Style Guidelines

To keep the code consistent and ensure high quality, it would be nice to use a workflow that includes automatic formatting and style checks wherever possible.

C Code Style

For C code, we follow the GStreamer code style guidelines. Here are the key points:

• Indentation: Use 2 spaces for indentation. Do not use tabs.
• Braces:
  • Place the opening brace on the same line as the control statement.
  • The closing brace should be on its own line, aligned with the start of the control statement.

Example:

if (condition) {
  do_something ();
} else {
  do_something_else ();
}

C++ Code Style

For C++ code, including Metal and CUDA, we follow a style inspired by Qt guidelines. Here are the key points:

• Indentation: Use 4 spaces per indentation level. Do not use tabs.
• Braces:
  • Place the opening brace on the same line as the control statement or function definition.
  • The closing brace should be on its own line, aligned with the start of the control statement or function definition.
• Naming Conventions:
  • Classes: CamelCase starting with an uppercase letter.
  • Functions: camelCase starting with a lowercase letter.
  • Variables: camelCase starting with a lowercase letter.
  • Constants: ALL_CAPS with underscores separating words.
• Line Length: Maximum of 100 characters per line.
• Comments: Use C++ style (//) for single-line comments and C style (/* */) for multi-line comments.
• Spaces:
  • After keywords (e.g., if, for, while).
  • Around operators (e.g., =, +, -, *, /).
• Pointer and Reference Alignment: Attach the * or & to the variable name (e.g., int *ptr).
• File Naming: Use lowercase with underscores separating words (e.g., my_class.cpp).

Example:

if (condition) {
    doSomething();
} else {
    doSomethingElse();
}

void MyClass::myFunction()
{
    function body
}

By following these guidelines, we ensure that our code is consistent and easy to read across the entire project.