MODX PHP Coding Standards

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General

Beginning brackets do NOT linebreak. They start one space after the end parenthesis, as according to traditional Unix policy.
Do not do any real logic in object constructors. Create class methods to do so. null, true and false should always be lowercase.
Avoid embedded assignments (ex: $d = ($a = $b + $c) is bad).
Never use extract().
Avoid using global variables if at all possible.
Document EVERYTHING.

Parenthesis

Do not put parenthesis next to keywords. Put a space between.
Do put parenthesis next to function names.
Do not use parenthesis in return statements when it's not necessary. Example:``` php if ($test) { } while ($test == $other) { } array_push($one,$two); return $test;
Do not use parenthesis when using include, require, include_once, and require_once.

Classes

All ''core'' classnames, unless stated otherwise for special conditions, will be prefixed with the "mod" prefix: ie, modChunk, modTemplate, etc.
All method names will be camelCase and will start with a lowercase letter.
All private methods and variables must be prefixed with the underscore _ character.``` php class modFactor { public $publicVar; private $_privateVar; private function _privateFunc() { } public function publicFunc() { } }

Variables

Note these are not function arguments.

Use all lowercase letters.
Separate words with the underscore.

Function Arguments and Class Variables

The first letter is lowercase, rest are camelCase. Example:``` php class modFactor { public function testFunc($testVar, array &$anotherTest = array()) { $this->_privateVar = $testVar; $local_variable =& $anotherTest; } }

Arrays

Array index names use the underscore _, not the dash as their separator. This prevents errors with magic_quotes.
Array index names are always lowercase. Spaces are represented by an underscore.
Array index names are always encapsulated with single quotes. Example:``` php $_lang['chunk_create_text'] = 'Test';

Constants

Constants must be in all UPPERCASE letters.
Use only if absolutely necessary.

File Structure

Always name PHP class files in name.class.php format.

Prefixing

Lexicon strings for Components need to be prefixed:

$_lang['mycomponent.welcome_message'] = 'Welcome!';

Always prefix class names; eg: 'finBank', 'finTransaction', etc.
Always prefix Chunk names; eg: 'finStatement', 'finDeposit'