[PATCH 9/9] CodingStyle: flip the rule about curlies
From: Alexey Dobriyan
Date: Fri May 09 2025 - 16:36:24 EST
Require set of curlies {} in all if/else branches and all loops
not matter how simple.
The rationale is that maintaining curlies increases churn and make
patches bigger when those if/else branches grow and shrink so it is
easier to always add them.
There are more important things in life than herding curlies.
Signed-off-by: Alexey Dobriyan <adobriyan@xxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/process/coding-style.rst | 57 +++++++++++++++-----------
1 file changed, 32 insertions(+), 25 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst b/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
index 494ab3201112..dc18ff40ebf2 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
@@ -280,43 +280,50 @@ supply of new-lines on your screen is not a renewable resource (think
25-line terminal screens here), you have more empty lines to put
comments on.
-Do not unnecessarily use braces where a single statement will do.
+All ``if``, ``for``, ``do``-``while``, ``switch`` and ``while`` statements
+use braces even when C grammar allows to omit them:
.. code-block:: c
- if (condition)
- action();
-
-and
-
-.. code-block:: c
-
- if (condition)
- do_this();
- else
- do_that();
-
-This does not apply if only one branch of a conditional statement is a single
-statement; in the latter case use braces in both branches:
+ if (cond) {
+ t();
+ }
-.. code-block:: c
+ if (cond) {
+ t();
+ } else {
+ f();
+ }
- if (condition) {
- do_this();
- do_that();
+ if (cond1) {
+ t1();
+ } else if (cond2) {
+ t2();
} else {
- otherwise();
+ f();
}
-Also, use braces when a loop contains more than a single simple statement:
+ for (int i = 0; i < N; i += 1) {
+ f(i);
+ }
-.. code-block:: c
+ do {
+ g();
+ } while (0);
- while (condition) {
- if (test)
- do_something();
+ switch (x) {
+ case X1:
+ f();
}
+ while (1) {
+ f();
+ }
+
+In the future, code will be added and deleted but braces stay untouched.
+Maitaining them when if branches, loop bodies grow and shrink is useless
+busywork not even worthy of discussion.
+
Spaces
******
--
2.49.0