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Code of conduct

This section details the coding style and formatting conventions used in the COMFOR project. These guidelines ensure consistency, readability, and long-term maintainability of the codebase.

Key Conventions#

COMFOR follows an adapted version of the LLVM coding style.

Aspect Standard
Indentation 4 spaces (no tabs)
Max line length 80 characters
Brace style K&R / 1TBS
Pointer alignment Left (int* ptr;)
Namespace indentation None
switch / case case aligned with switch
File header Fixed format (see below)
Enum declaration enum class
Type aliases using (avoid typedef)
Function/method names camelCase
Class names PascalCase
Private members snake_case_
File extensions .h and .cpp (no .hpp)
Doxygen comments /// @ syntax only
Required tools clang-format ≥ 15

For full details, refer to the .clang-format file in the project root.

File Header Template#

Every .h or .cpp file must start with the following header:

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// COMFOR - Simulation Framework for Composite Forming and Processing
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//
// @file        file_name.ext
// @brief       Description of the file content.
// @author      Your Name <your@email.com>
// @date        YYYY-MM-DD
// @copyright   (C) 20XX-20YY Your Name/University/Company
//
// For licensing terms, see the LICENSE file in the root directory.
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Code Separators#

Long separator (80 characters)#

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section separator#

// --- Section Title ---

VSCode Snippets#

Predefined snippets are available in .vscode/comfor.code-snippets to quickly insert headers and separators.

How to use:

  1. Press Ctrl+Space to trigger snippets.
  2. Type the snippet name (e.g., comfor_hpp for a header file).
  3. Update placeholders (author, copyright, @brief).

Available snippets:

  • comfor_hpp → Header file template.
  • comfor_cpp → Source file template.
  • comfor_sep_long → Long separator.
  • comfor_sep_short → Section separator.
  • comfor_cmake_header → CMakeLists.txt header.

CLion Live Templates#

CLion automatically inserts COMFOR-style headers when creating new files (.cpp, .h, CMakeLists.txt). Templates are defined in .idea/fileTemplates.

Post-insertion steps:

  • Update author/contact information.
  • Adjust copyright years.
  • Complete Doxygen tags (e.g., @brief).

Include What You Use (IWYU)#

IWYU is integrated into COMFOR to optimize #include directives by:

  • Removing unused includes.
  • Adding missing includes.
  • Replacing internal Eigen includes with ComforMath.h.
  • Reducing build times and dependencies.

Installation#

IWYU is not officially supported on Windows. Manual setup requires a full LLVM/Clang toolchain and building IWYU from source.

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt install include-what-you-use

Fedora

sudo dnf install include-what-you-use

Arch

sudo pacman -S include-what-you-use

Homebrew

brew install include-what-you-use

Enable IWYU in CMake#

Add the following to your CMakeLists.txt: 

option(USE_IWYU "Enable include-what-you-use analysis" ON)
if(USE_IWYU)
    find_program(IWYU_PATH NAMES include-what-you-use iwyu REQUIRED)
    set(CMAKE_CXX_INCLUDE_WHAT_YOU_USE
        ${IWYU_PATH}
        -Xiwyu --comment_style=long
        -Xiwyu --mapping_file=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/.iwyu-imp)
endif()

Manual Usage#

Run IWYU manually with: 

python3 /usr/bin/iwyu_tool.py -p build \
  -- -Xiwyu --mapping_file=../.iwyu-imp > out.txt
Apply fixes with: 
python3 /usr/bin/fix_includes.py \
  --update_comments --reorder --nosafe_headers < out.txt

Final Notes#

  1. Format your code with .clang-format before committing.
  2. Use official templates for headers and source files.
  3. Keep includes minimal with IWYU.
  4. Stay consistent with the project’s coding standards.