HACKING.md

# Guidelines for Development/Contributing {#HACKING}

Please use `clang-format` to keep the code tidy.
The `.clang-format` config file is in the root of the repository.
We're basically using the LLVM style, except with 4-space indentation, inner namespace indentation, and auto C++ detection (since turning on C++11 in `clang-format` sometimes makes things not work in less-compelling compilers).

The `git clang-format` functionality, which runs `clang-format` only on staged changes in a Git repo, is a good way to keep your changes clean while being careful to not change other files because of some difference in clang version, etc.

If you're using Windows, please install a recent [llvm/clang binary][llvmwin], and choose to add the directory to the path. (Makes it easier.)
If you've got a non-Express version of Visual Studio, you might also want the clang-format plugin.
In either case, there are a pair of scripts in `/devtools/`: 

- `format-project.sh` runs `clang-format` in place using unix `find` to hopefully grab every file.
   Windows users need Git for Windows installed and handling `.sh` files to run this.
   (A default install will do that, IIRC)

- `format-file.cmd` runs `clang-format` in place on whatever file or files you drop on it - useful if you want some other code to also look in the same style. 

[llvmwin]:http://llvm.org/builds/

## Naming Conventions

### General
- Macros, constants, and enum values are all caps.

- The "body" of a type name is in CamelCase.

- Functions are camelCase except for the first character.

- No Hungarian notation - the closest we come is `m_whatever` for
    private class members.

- Be consistent and match surrounding code.

### C Code (APIs only)
- Functions should be prefixed by `osvr` - this means a function is 
    named like `osvrMyFunction` 

- Types (typedefs, structs) should be prefixed by `OSVR_` - this means a 
    type is named like `OSVR_MyType` 

- Macros, constants, and enum values should also be prefixed by `OSVR_`

### C++ Code
- Use lowercase namespaces such as `osvr`, nested appropriately as required.

- Do not add prefixes (`C`, `I`, `osvr`, `OSVR`, etc) to the beginning 
    of types or functions - those are either Hungarian notation or made 
    redundant by C++'s support for namespaces.