Introduction

This document gives the coding conventions for the ctools software package.

The coding conventions shall be followed by all developers who intend to commit code to ctools.

Respecting uniform and coherent coding conventions is crucial for software development. They improve code readability, ease code development and maintenance, ensure code portability, and provide standards for the user interface.

The coding conventions for ctools were inspired by a large survey of existing C++ coding rules and the Style Guide for Python Code (PEP-0008), combined with the experience of the leading code developers. Obviously, there is no single best way to code in Python and C++, and the adopted conventions may not meet your style of coding. The ctools coding rules should nevertheless be respected, and if violated, you should have good reasons for that.