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These coding standards primarily apply to PHP code.

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:
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.
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:
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:
$_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'