PHP Coding Guideline

1.  O V E R V I E W

Scope

This document provides the coding standards and guidelines for php developers and teams working on or with the Buxa Framework. The subjects covered are:

– General Principles

– File Formatting

– Naming Conventions

– Coding Style

– Inline Documentation

– Sample Class

 

Goals

Good coding standards are important in any development project, particularly when multiple developers are working on the same project. Having coding standards helps to ensure that the code is of high quality, has fewer bugs, and is easily maintained.

2.  G E N E R A L    P R I N C I P L E S

– Every function or method complies only one purpose, but this at its best.

– Everything is object oriented.

– Everything is written in english.

– Everything is documented for the phpDocumentor.

– Everything is composed in the shortest form possible.

– Everything is as timeless as possible.

3.  F I L E    F O R M A T T I N G

General

For files that contain only PHP code, the closing tag ("?>") is to be omitted. It is not required by PHP, and omitting it prevents trailing whitespace from being accidentally injected into the output.

 

Indentation

Use an indent of four spaces with no tab characters. Editors should be configured to treat tabs as spaces in order to prevent injection of tab characters into the source code.

 

Maximum Line Length

The target line length is 80 characters; i.e., developers should aim keep code as close to the 80-column boundary as is practical. However, longer lines are acceptable. The maximum length of any line of PHP code is 120 characters.

 

Line Termination

Line termination is the standard way for Unix text files. Lines must end only with a linefeed (LF). Linefeeds are represented as ordinal 10, or hexadecimal 0x0A. Do not use carriage returns (CR) like Macintosh computers (0x0D). Do not use the carriage return/linefeed combination (CRLF) as Windows computers (0x0D, 0x0A). Lines should not contain trailing spaces. In order to facilitate this convention, most editors can be configured to strip trailing spaces, such as upon a save operation.

4.  N A M I N G    C O N V E N T I O N S

Abstractions Used in API (Class Interfaces)

When creating an API for use by application developers (as opposed to ZF internal developers), if application developers must identify abstractions using a compound name, separate the names using underscores, not camelCase. For example, the name used for the MySQL PDO driver is "pdo_mysql", not "pdoMysql". When the developer uses a string, normalize it to lowercase. Where reasonable, add constants to support this (e.g. PDO_MYSQL).

 

Classes

A Framework should employ a class naming convention whereby the names of the classes directly map to the directories in which they are stored. The root level directory of a Framework is named by the name of the Framework, for instance the "Buxa/" directory, under which all classes are stored hierarchically.

Class names may only contain alphanumeric characters. Numbers are permitted in class names but are discouraged. Underscores are only permitted in place of the path separator. For example, the filename "Buxa/Db/Table.php" must map to the class name "Buxa_Db_Table".

If a class name is comprised of more than one word, the first letter of each new word must be capitalized. Successive capitalized letters are not allowed; e.g., a class "Buxa_PDF" is not allowed, while "Buxa_Pdf" is acceptable

Classes that belong to the Framework must always start with the name of the Framework. E.g. "Buxa_" and must be stored under the "Buxa/" directory hierarchy accordingly. These are examples of acceptable names for classes:

Buxa_Db

Buxa_Db_Table

Buxa_Controller

IMPORTANT: Code that operates with the framework but is not part of the framework, such as code written by a framework end-user must never start with the framework's name; e.g. "Buxa_".

 

Interfaces

Interface classes must follow the same conventions as other classes (see above), but must end with "_Interface", such as in these examples:

Buxa_Log_Adapter_Interface

Buxa_Controller_Dispatcher_Interface

 

Filenames

For all other files, only alphanumeric characters, underscores, and the dash character ("-") are permitted. Spaces are prohibited. Any file that contains any PHP code must end with the extension ".php". These examples show the acceptable filenames for containing the class names from the examples in the section above:

Buxa/Db.php

Buxa/Db/Table.php

Buxa/Controller.php

 

Functions and Methods

Function names may only contain alphanumeric characters. Underscores are not permitted. Numbers are permitted in function names but are discouraged. Function names must always start with a lowercase letter. When a function name consists of more than one word, the first letter of each new word must be capitalized. This is commonly called the "studlyCaps" or "camelCaps" method. Verbosity is encouraged. Function names should be as illustrative as is practical to enhance understanding. These are examples of acceptable names for functions:

filterInput()

getElementById()

addAttachement()

For object-oriented programming, accessors for object members should always be prefixed with either "get" or "set". When using design patterns, such as the Singleton or Factory patterns, the name of the method should contain the pattern name where practical to make the pattern more readily recognizable. Though function names may not contain the underscore character, class methods that are declared as protected or private must begin with a single underscore, as in the following example:

class Buxa_Foo
{
    protected function _fooBar()
    {
        // ...
    }
}

Functions in the global scope ("floating functions") have to be wrapped in an abstract class and declared static.

 

Variables

Variable names may only contain alphanumeric characters. Underscores are not permitted. Numbers are permitted in variable names but are discouraged. For class member variables that are declared with the private or protected construct, the first character of the variable name must be a single underscore. This is the only acceptable usage of an underscore in a variable name. Member variables declared as "public" may never start with an underscore. For example:

class Buxa_Foo
{
    protected $_bar;
}

Like function names, variable names must always start with a lowercase letter and follow the "camelCaps" capitalization convention. Verbosity is encouraged. Variable names should always be as verbose as practical. Terse variable names such as "$i" and "$n" are discouraged for anything other than the smallest loop contexts. If a loop contains more than 20 lines of code, variables for such indices or counters need to have more descriptive names. For instance: "$fooBarCounter".

 

Constants

Constants may contain both alphanumeric characters and the underscore. Numbers are permitted in constant names but are discouraged. Constant names must always have all letters capitalized. To enhance readiblity, words in constant names must be separated by underscore characters. For example, "EMBED_SUPPRESS_EMBED_EXCEPTION" is permitted but "EMBED_SUPPRESSEMBEDEXCEPTION" is not. Constants must be defined as class members by using the "const" construct. Defining constants in the global scope with "define" is only permitted in exeptional cases.

5.  C O D I N G    S T Y L E

PHP Code Demarcation

PHP code must always be delimited by the full-form, standard PHP tags:

<?php

?>

For files that contain only PHP code, the closing tag ("?>") is to be omitted (see chapter 3). Short tags like "<?" are never allowed. Outputs like "<?=$var?>" are not allowed too.

 

Strings

Basiscly, strings must be demarcated by the apostrophe (single quotes). This provides that PHP-Code in a string won't be executed and HTML Outputs with a lot of double quotes is easyly to write. Variable substitution in a string is only permitted by splitting the string in pieces and set the variable between two points. There always must be a space before and after the concatenational points.

// Sample String
$sampleString = 'This is a sample string.';

// Variable Substitution
$welcome = 'Hello ' . $name . ', welcome back!';

// Short SQL Query
$sql = "SELECT name FROM people WHERE id = '" . $id . "'";

// Long SQL Query
$sql = "SELECT id, name FROM people "
     . "WHERE name = 'Fred' "
     . "OR name = 'Susan' "
     . "ORDER BY name ASC "
     . "LIMIT 20";

NOTE: All SQL Statements must be writte in uppercase.

 

Numerically Indexed Arrays

Negative numbers are not permitted as array indices. An indexed array may be started with any non-negative number, however this is discouraged and it is recommended that all arrays have a base index of 0. When declaring indexed arrays with the array construct, a trailing space must be added after each comma delimiter to improve readability:

$sampleArray = array(1, 2, 3, 'Buxa', 'Buxa');

It is also permitted to declare multiline indexed arrays using the array construct. In this case, each successive line must be padded with spaces such that beginning of each line aligns as shown below:

$sampleArray = array(1, 2, 3, 'Buxa', 'Buxa',
                     $a, $b, $c,
                     56.44, $d, 500);

 

Associative Arrays

When declaring associative arrays with the array construct, it is encouraged to break the statement into multiple lines. In this case, each successive line must be padded with whitespace such that both the keys and the values are aligned:

$sampleArray = array('firstKey'  => 'firstValue',
                     'secondKey' => 'secondValue',
                     'thirdKey'  => 'thirdValue');

This following notation is also allowed:

$sampleArray['firstKey']  = 'firstValue';
$sampleArray['secondKey'] = 'secondValue';
$sampleArray['thirdKey']  = 'thirdValue';

IMPORTANT: Array-Key and -Value must always be delimited by single quotes!

 

Class Declarations

Classes must be named by following the naming conventions. The brace is always written on the line underneath the class name ("one true brace" form). Every class must have a documentation block that conforms to the phpDocumentor standard. Any code within a class must be indented the standard indent of four spaces. Only one class is permitted per PHP file. Placing additional code in a class file is permitted but discouraged. In these files, two blank lines must separate the class from any additional PHP code in the file. This is an example of an acceptable class declaration:

/**
 * Class Docblock Here
 */
class Buxa_Class
{
    // Entire content of class must be indented four spaces
}

 

Class Member Variables

Member variables must be named by following the variable naming conventions. Any variables declared in a class must be listed at the top of the class, prior to declaring any functions. The "var" construct is not permitted. Member variables always declare their visibility by using one of the "private", "protected", or "public" constructs. Accessing member variables directly by making them public is permitted but discouraged in favor of accessor methods having the "set" and "get" prefixes.

/**
 * Class Docblock Here
 */
class Buxa_Class
{
    /**
     * Variable Docblock Here
     */
    private $_privateVar = null;
    
    /**
     * Variable Docblock Here
     */
    protected $_protectedVar = null;
    
    /**
     * Variable Docblock Here
     */
    public $publicVar = null;
}

 

Function and Method Declaration

Functions and class methods must be named by following the naming conventions. Methods must always declare their visibility by using one of the private, protected, or public constructs. As for classes, the opening brace for a function or method is always written on the line underneath the function or method name ("one true brace" form). There is no space between the function or method name and the opening parenthesis for the arguments. This is an example of acceptable class method declarations:

/**
 * Class Docblock Here
 */
class Buxa_Foo
{
    /**
     * Method Docblock Here
     */
    public function sampleMethod($a)
    {
        // Entire content of function must be indented four spaces
    }
    
    /**
     * Method Docblock Here
     */
    protected function _anotherMethod()
    {
        // ...
    }
    
    /**
     * Method Docblock Here
     */
    private function _anotherNewMethod(Array $b)
    {
        // ...
    }
}

NOTE: Passing function or method arguments by reference is only permitted by defining the reference in the function or method declaration, as in the following example:

function sampleMethod(&$a)
{
    // ...
}

Methods and functions that use objects or arrays as arguments must be declared as the following example:

class Buxa_Foo
    function objectMethod(Buxa_Bar $sampleObject)
    {
        // ...
    }
    function arrayMethod(Array $sampleArray)
    {
        // ...
    }
}

Call-time pass by-reference is prohibited.

The return value must not be enclosed in parentheses. This can hinder readability and can also break code if a function or method is later changed to return by reference.

function foo()
{
    // Wrong
    return($this->bar);

    // Right
    return $this->bar;
}

 

Function and Method Usage

Function arguments are separated by a single trailing space after the comma delimiter. This is an example of an acceptable function call for a function that takes three arguments:

threeArguments(1, 2, 3);

Call-time pass by-reference is prohibited. Arguments to be passed by reference must be defined in the function declaration. For functions whose arguments permit arrays, the function call may include the "array" construct and can be split into multiple lines to improve readability. In these cases, the standards for writing arrays still apply:

threeArguments(array(1, 2, 3), 2, 3);

threeArguments(array(1, 2, 3, 'Buxa', 'Projects',
                     $a, $b, $c,
                     56.44, $d, 500), 2, 3);

 

if / else / else if

Control statements based on the "if", "else", and "else if" constructs must have a single space before the opening parenthesis of the conditional, and a single space between the closing parenthesis and opening brace. Within the conditional statements between the parentheses, operators must be separated by spaces for readability. Inner parentheses are encouraged to improve logical grouping of larger conditionals. The opening brace is written on the same line as the conditional statement. The closing brace is always written on its own line. Any content within the braces must be indented four spaces.

if ($a != 2) {
    $a = 2;
}

For "if" statements that include "elseif" or "else", the formatting must be as in these examples:

if ($a != 2) {
    $a = 2;
} else {
   $a = 7;
}

if ($a != 2) {
    $a = 2;
} else if ($a == 3) {
   $a = 4;
} else {
   $a = 7;
}

NOTE: The "elseif" construct is not permitted!

 

Ternary conditional operator

In case of a very short "if" "else" cunstruct the ternary conditional operator has to be used instead of the "if" "else" construct:

$sampleVar = isset($_GET['sampleVar']) ? $_GET['sampleVar'] : '';

 

switch

Control statements written with the "switch" construct must have a single space before the opening parenthesis of the conditional statement, and also a single space between the closing parenthesis and the opening brace. All content within the "switch" statement must be indented four spaces. Content under each "case" statement must be indented an additional four spaces.

switch ($sampleNumber) {
    case 1:
        // ...
        break;

    case 2:
        // ...
        break;

    default:
        // ...
        break;
}

The construct "default" may never be omitted from a "switch" statement.

NOTE: It is sometimes useful to write a "case" statement which falls through to the next case by not including a "break" or "return". To distinguish these cases from bugs, such "case" statements must contain the following comment:

// break intentionally omitted

 

while / for / foreach

The "while", "for" und "foreach" loops are formatted like the "if", "else" und "else if" statements.

for ($i=0; $i<10; $i++) {
    echo 'Hello ' . $i . "\n";
}

foreach ($sampleArray as $key => $value) {
    echo $key . ' is ' . $value . "\n";
}

while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row['id'] . "\n";
}

6.  I N L I N E    D O C U M E N T A T I O N

Documentation Format

All documentation blocks ("docblocks") must be compatible with the phpDocumentor format. Describing the phpDocumentor format is beyond the scope of this document. For more information, visit http://phpdoc.org. All source code file written for a Framework or that operates with the framework must contain a "file-level" docblock at the top of each file and a "class-level" docblock immediately above each class. Below are examples of such docblocks. The sharp ("#") character should not be used to start comments.

 

Files

Every file that contains PHP code must have a header block at the top of the file that contains these phpDocumentor tags at a minimum:

/**
 * Short description for file
 *
 * Long description for file (if any)...
 *
 * LICENSE: Some license information
 *
 * @copyright  2006 Buxaprojects
 * @license    http://www.buxaprojects.com/license/1_0.txt   Buxa Licence 1.0
 * @version    $Id$
 * @link       http://dev.buxaprojects.com/package/PackageName
 * @since      File available since Release 1.0
 */

 

Classes

Every class must have a docblock that contains these phpDocumentor tags at a minimum:

/**
 * Short description for class
 *
 * Long description for class (if any)...
 *
 * @copyright  2006 Buxaprojects
 * @license    http://www.buxaprojects.com/license/1_0.txt   Buxa Licence 1.0
 * @version    Release: @package_version@
 * @link       http://dev.buxaprojects.com/package/PackageName
 * @since      Class available since Release 1.0
 */

 

Functions

Every function, including object methods, must have a docblock that contains at a minimum: Description, Arguments, Return Values. It is not necessary to use the "@access" tag because the access level is already known from the "public", "private", or "protected" construct used to declare the function. This also applies for the "@abstract" tag.

/**
 * Short description for the function
 *
 * Long description for the function (if any)...
 *
 * @param  array  $array  Description of array
 * @param  string $string Description of string
 * @return boolean
 */

If a function or method may throw an exception, the "@throws" tag must be used:

@throws Exception_Class_Name Description

 

Variables

Every class member variable must have a docblock that contains a description and a typetag:

/**
 * Description for the variable
 * @var array
 */

7.  S A M P L E    C L A S S

<?php
/**
 * Buxa_Lifeform_Human
 *
 * Creation and manipulation of human beeings.
 *
 * LICENSE: Free
 *
 * @copyright  2006 Buxaprojects
 * @license    Free
 * @version    1.0
 * @package    Buxa_Lifeform
 * @subpackage Human
 * @link       http://dev.buxaprojects.com/Buxa/Lifeform/Human
 * @since      File available since Release 1.0
 */
 
 
// Buxa_Lifeform
require_once 'Buxa/Lifeform.php';
 
 
/**
 * Creation and manipulation of human beeings.
 *
 * This fascinating class provides you to create and manipulate human beeings.
 * This class also inherits properties and methods for age, size or weight from
 * the parent class Buxa_Lifeform. Most additional properties are declared as
 * protected, because there could be some subclasses. Note that this is just
 * a sample class and is not created for real usage.
 *
 * @copyright  2006 Buxaprojects
 * @license    Free
 * @version    Release: 1.0
 * @link       http://dev.buxaprojects.com/Buxa/Lifeform/Human
 * @since      Class available since Release 1.0
 */
class Buxa_Lifeform_Human extends Buxa_Lifeform
{
    /**
     * Valid colors for the eyes
     * @var array
     */
     static private $_validEyeColors = array('blue', 'brown', 'gray', 'green');
    
    /**
     * Valid colors for the hair
     * @var array
     */
     static private $_validHairColors = array('black', 'blond', 'brown', 'gray',
                                              'red', 'white');
    
    /**
     * Valid colors for the skin
     * @var array
     */
     static private $_validSkinColors = array('black', 'brown', 'red', 'white',
                                             'yellow');
    
    
    /**
     * Color of the eyes
     * @var string
     */
     protected $_eyeColor = null;
    
    /**
     * Color of the hair
     * @var string
     */
     protected $_hairColor = null;
     
    /**
     * Color of the skin
     * @var string
     */
     protected $_skinColor = null;
     
     
    /**
     * Constructor
     *
     * @return void
     */
     public function __construct()
     {}
     
     
    /**
     * Sets the color of the eyes.
     *
     * @param  string $eyeColor Color of the eyes
     * @return boolean
     */
     public function setEyeColor($eyeColor)
     {
         if (in_array(strtolower($eyeColor), self::$_validEyeColors)) {
            $this->_eyeColor = strtolower($eyeColor);
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
     }
     
     
    /**
     * Sets the color of the hair.
     *
     * @param  string $hairColor Color of the hair
     * @return boolean
     */
     public function setHairColor($hairColor)
     {
         if (in_array(strtolower($hairColor), self::$_validHairColors)) {
            $this->_hairColor = strtolower($hairColor);
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
     }
     
     
    /**
     * Sets the color of the skin.
     *
     * @param  string $skinColor Color of the skin
     * @return boolean
     */
     public function setSkinColor($skinColor)
     {
         if (in_array(strtolower($skinColor), self::$_validSkinColors)) {
            $this->_skinColor = strtolower($skinColor);
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
     }
     
     
    /**
     * Returns the color of the eyes.
     *
     * @return string
     */
     public function getEyeColor()
     {
        return $this->_eyeColor;
     }
     
     
    /**
     * Returns the color of the hair.
     *
     * @return string
     */
     public function getHairColor()
     {
        return $this->_hairColor;
     }
     
     
    /**
     * Returns the color of the skin.
     *
     * @return string
     */
     public function getSkinColor()
     {
        return $this->_skinColor;
     }
}