2000-08-04 05:02:37 +00:00
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2000-06-14 17:42:15 +00:00
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<!DOCTYPE html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
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<html>
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<head>
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<title>ICU Coding Guidelines</title>
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<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
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</head>
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<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
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<h1>International Components for Unicode</h1>
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<h2>ICU Coding Guidelines</h2>
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<hr>
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<p>This page describes guidelines for writing code for the International
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Components for Unicode and how to add it to the project.</p>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#coding">General Guidelines</a></li>
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<li><a href="#addfiles">Adding files to ICU</a></li>
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<li><a href="#tools">Build Tools</a></li>
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</ul>
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<a name="coding"></a>
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<h2 align="center">General Guidelines</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>Constants (#define, enum items, const): uppercase. <code>UBREAKITERATOR_DONE</code>,
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<code>UBIDI_DEFAULT_LTR</code>, <code>ULESS</code>.</li>
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<li>Variables and functions: mixed-case, starting with lowercase. <code>getLength()</code>.</li>
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<li>Types (class, struct, enum, union): mixed-case, starting with uppercase.
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<code>class DateFormatSymbols</code>.</li>
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<li>We use getProperty() and setProperty() functions.</li>
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<li>getLength(), getSomethingAt(index/offset).</li>
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<li>Where we return a number of items, it is <code>countItems()</code>
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- <i>not</i> getItemCount() (even if we do not need to actually <i>count</i>
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in the implementation of that member function).</li>
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<li>Ranges of indexes: we specify a range of indexes by having <i>start</i>
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and <i>limit</i> parameters, with names or suffixes like that. Such
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a range contains indexes from start to limit-1, i.e., it is an interval
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that is left-closed and right-open. Mathematically, [start..limit[.</li>
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<li>Functions that take a buffer (pointer) and a length argument with
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a default value so that the function determines the length of the input
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itself (for text, calling u_strlen()), that default value should be
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-1. Any other negative or undefined value constitutes an error.</li>
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<li>Primitive types: they are defined by utypes.h or a header file that
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it includes. The most common ones are uint8_t, uint16_t, uint32_t, int8_t,
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int16_t, int32_t, UTextOffset (signed), and UErrorCode.</li>
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<li>File names (.h, .c, .cpp, data files, etc.): 8.3, all lowercase.</li>
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<li>Language extensions and standards: do not use any features (language
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extensions or library functions) that are proprietary and do not work
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on all C or C++ compilers.<br>
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For example, in Microsoft Visual C++, you should go to Project Settings(alt-f7)->All
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Configurations->C/C++->Customize, and set Disable Language Extensions.</li>
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<li>Tabs and indentation: no tab characters (\x09), save files with spaces
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instead.<br>
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Indentation is of size 4.</li>
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2000-07-27 17:08:20 +00:00
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<li>Documentation: We use Javadoc-style in-file documentation with <a href="http://www.doxygen.org">doxygen</a>.
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We have a printed version of the manual in our "library", and our files
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use this.</li>
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<li>You should not place multiple statements into one line. You should
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not have if() or loop heads followed by their bodies on the same line.</li>
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<li>Placements of curly braces {}: each of us subscribes to different
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philosophies. Please try to do it reasonably and consistently. It is
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a good idea to use the style of a file when you modify it, instead of
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mixing in your favorite style.<br>
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The one thing that we ask for is to not have if() and loop bodies without
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curly braces.</li>
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<li>Function declarations should have one line with the return type and
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all the import, extern, and export declarations, and the function name
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and signature at the beginning of the next line.
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<pre>
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U_CAPI int32_t U_EXPORT2
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u_formatMessage(...);
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</pre>
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</li>
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2000-08-04 05:02:37 +00:00
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<li>Always use <code>static</code> for variables, functions, and constants
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that are not exported explicitely by a header file. Some platforms are
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confused if non-static symbols are not explictely declared extern, and
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will not be able to build ICU and link against it. </li>
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<li>Error codes: The ICU API functions for both C and C++ are using a
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pointer or a reference to UErrorCode whereever we expect things to possibly
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go wrong.
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<p>In C, this is a pointer, and it must be checked for <code>NULL</code>.
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In C++, this is a reference. In both cases, it must be checked for
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an error code already being in there:</p>
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<pre>
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U_CAPI const UBiDiLevel * U_EXPORT2
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ubidi_getLevels(UBiDi *pBiDi, UErrorCode *pErrorCode) {
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UTextOffset start, length;
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if(pErrorCode==NULL || U_FAILURE(*pErrorCode)) {
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return NULL;
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} else if(pBiDi==NULL || (length=pBiDi->length)<=0) {
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*pErrorCode=U_ILLEGAL_ARGUMENT_ERROR;
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return NULL;
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}
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...
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return result;
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}
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</pre>
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This prevents the API function from doing anything on data that is not
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valid in a chain of function calls and relieves the caller from checking
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the error code after each call.</li>
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<li>Decide whether your module is part of the "common" or the "i18n" API
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collection. Use the appropriate macros, like <code>U_COMMON_IMPLEMENTATION</code>,
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<code>U_I18N_IMPLEMENTATION</code>, <code>U_COMMON_API</code>, <code>U_I18N_API</code>.
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See <code>utypes.h</code>.</li>
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<li>If we have the same module in C and in C++, then there will be two
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header files, one for each language, even if one uses the other. For
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example, ubidi.h for C and bidi.h for C++.</li>
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<li>
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<p>Platform dependencies are dealt with in the header files that <code>utypes.h</code>
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includes. They are <code>platform.h</code> and its more specific cousins
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like <code>pwin32.h</code> for Windows, which define basic types,
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and <code>putil.h</code>, which defines platform utilities.</p>
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<p></p>
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<strong>Important: </strong>Outside of these files, and a small number
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of implementation files that depend on platform differences (like <code>umutex.c</code>),
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<i>no</i> ICU source code may have <i>any</i> <code>#ifdef <i>OperatingSystemName</i></code>
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instructions.
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<p></p>
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</li>
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<li> For mutual-exclusion (mutex) blocks, there should be no function
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calls within a mutex block. The idea behind this is to prevent deadlocks
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from occuring later. There should be as little code inside a mutex block
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as possible to minimize the performance degradation from blocked threads.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<h3>C Guidelines</h3>
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<ul>
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<li>Since we don't have classes to subdivide the namespace, we use prefixes
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to avoid name collisions. Some of those prefixes contain a 3- (or sometimes
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4-) letter module identifier. Very general names like <code>u_charDirection()</code>
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don't have a module identifier in their prefix.
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<ul>
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<li>For POSIX replacements, we prepend the (all lowercase) POSIX function
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name with "u_": <code>u_strlen()</code>.</li>
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<li>For other API functions, we prepend a 'u', the module identifier
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(if appropriate), and an underscore '_', followed by the <i>mixed-case</i>
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function name: <code>u_charDirection()</code>, <code>ubidi_setPara()</code>.</li>
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<li>For types (struct, enum, union), we prepend a "U", often "U<module
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identifier>" directly to the typename, without an underscore. <code>UComparisonResult</code>.</li>
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<li>For <code>#define</code>d constants and macros , we prepend a
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"U_", often "U<module identifier>_" with an underscore to the
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uppercase macro name. <code>U_ZERO_ERROR</code>, <code>U_SUCCESS()</code>.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>Function declarations need to be of the form <code>U_CAPI return-type
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U_EXPORT2</code> to satisfy all compilers' needs.</li>
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<li>Functions that roughly compare to constructors and destructors are
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called umod_open() and umod_close().
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<pre>
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U_CAPI UBiDi * U_EXPORT2
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ubidi_open();
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U_CAPI UBiDi * U_EXPORT2
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ubidi_openSized(UTextOffset maxLength, UTextOffset maxRunCount);
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U_CAPI void U_EXPORT2
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ubidi_close(UBiDi *pBiDi);
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</pre>
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</li>
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<li>In cases like BreakIterator and NumberFormat, instead of having several
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different 'open' APIs for each kind of instances, use an enum selector.</li>
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<li>File names begin with a "u".</li>
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<li>For memory allocation in C implementation files for ICU, the functions/macros
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in <code>cmemory.h</code> must be used. </li>
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2000-07-27 17:08:20 +00:00
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<li>Do not use C++ style comments in C files and in headers that will be included in C files.
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Some of the supported platforms are allergic to C++ style comments in C files.</li>
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2000-06-14 17:42:15 +00:00
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</ul>
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<h3>C++ Guidelines</h3>
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<ul>
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<li>Classes and their members do not need a "U" or any other prefix.</li>
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2000-08-04 05:02:37 +00:00
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<li>Class APIs need to be declared like <code>class U_I18N_API SimpleDateFormat</code>
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or like <code>class U_COMMON_API UCharCharacterIterator</code>.</li>
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<li>Class member functions should be only declared, not inline-implemented,
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in the class declaration. Inline implementations may follow after the
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class declaration in the same file.</li>
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<li>We are using <code>XP_PLUSPLUS</code> to make sure the compiler does
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C++, not <code>__cplusplus</code>.</li>
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<li>We do not use exceptions, and we do not use templates (at least on
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the API).</li>
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<li>File names do not begin with a "u".</li>
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<li>
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<h4>Adoption of objects:</h4>
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Some constructors and factory functions take pointers to objects that
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they <i>adopt</i>. This means that the newly created object will contain
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a pointer to the adoptee and takes over ownership and lifecycle control.
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If an error occurs while creating the new object - and thus in the code
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that adopts an object - then the semantics used within ICU must be <i>adopt-on-call</i>
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(as opposed to, e.g., adopt-on-success):
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<ul>
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<li>General: A constructor or factory function that adopts an object
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does so in all cases, even if an error occurs and a <code>UErrorCode</code>
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is set. This means that either the adoptee is deleted immediately
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or its pointer is stored in the new object. The former case is most
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common when the constructor or factory function is called and the
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<code>UErrorCode</code> already indicates a failure. In the latter
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case, the new object must take care of deleting the adoptee once
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it is deleted itself regardless of whether the constructor was successful.</li>
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<li>Constructors: The code that creates the object with the <code>new</code>
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operator must check the resulting pointer returned by <code>new</code>
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and delete any adoptees if it is <code>0</code> because the constructor
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was not called. (Typically, a <code>UErrorCode</code> must be set
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to <code>U_MEMORY_ALLOCATION_ERROR</code>.)</li>
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<li>Factory functions (<code>createInstance()</code>): The factory
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function must set a <code>U_MEMORY_ALLOCATION_ERROR</code> and delete
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any adoptees if it cannot allocate the new object. If the construction
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of the object fails otherwise, then the factory function must delete
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it - and it in turn must delete its adoptees. As a result, a factory
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function always returns either a valid object and a successful <code>UErrorCode</code>,
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or a <code>0</code> pointer and a failure <code>UErrorCode</code>.<br>
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Example:
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<pre>
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Calendar*
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Calendar::createInstance(TimeZone* zone, UErrorCode& errorCode) {
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if(U_FAILURE(errorCode)) {
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delete zone;
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return 0;
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}
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// since the Locale isn't specified, use the default locale
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Calendar* c = new GregorianCalendar(zone, Locale::getDefault(), errorCode);
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if(c == 0) {
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errorCode = U_MEMORY_ALLOCATION_ERROR;
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delete zone;
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} else if(U_FAILURE(errorCode)) {
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delete c;
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c = 0;
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}
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return c;
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}
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</pre>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>For memory allocation in C++ implementation files for ICU, the standard
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<code>new</code> and <code>delete</code> operators (or the C functions/macros
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in <code>cmemory.h</code>) must be used. </li>
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2000-08-04 05:02:37 +00:00
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<li>Iterations through <code>for()</code> loops should not use declarations
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in the first part of the loop. The scoping of such declarations
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has gone through two revisions about this, and some compilers do not
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comply to the latest scoping. Declarations of loop variables should be
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outside these loops. </li>
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2000-06-14 17:42:15 +00:00
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</ul>
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<a name="addfiles"></a>
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<h2 align="center">Adding files to ICU</h2>
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<h3>Adding .c, .cpp, and .h files</h3>
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<p>In order to add compilable files to ICU, you not only need to add them
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to the source code control system in the appropriate folder, but also
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add them to the build environment.</p>
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<p>The first step is to choose one of the ICU libraries:</p>
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<ol>
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<li>The <em>common</em> library provides mostly low-level utilities and
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basic APIs that often do not make use of Locales. Examples are APIs
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that deal with character properties, the Locale APIs themselves, and
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ResourceBundle APIs.</li>
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<li>The <em>i18n</em> library provides Locale-dependent and -using APIs,
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like for collation and formatting, that are most useful for internationalized
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user input and output.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>Put the source code files into the folder <code>icu/source/<i>library-name</i></code>.</p>
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<p>Then add them to the build system:
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<ul>
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<li>
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<p>For most platforms, add the expected .o files to <code>icu/source/<i>library-name</i>/Makefile.in</code>,
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to the <code>OBJECTS</code> variable.</p>
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<p>Add the <i>public</i> header files to the <code>HEADERS</code> variable.</p>
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</li>
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<li>For Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, add all the source code files to <code>icu/source/<i>library-name</i>/<i>library-name</i>.dsp</code>.
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If you don't have Visual C++, then try to add the filenames to the project
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file manually; it is a text file, and this part should be fairly obvious.</li>
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</ul>
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<p></p>
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<p>You also need to add test code to <code>icu/source/test/cintltest</code>
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for C APIs and to <code>icu/source/test/intltest</code> for C++ APIs.</p>
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<p>All the API functions must be called by the test code (100% API coverage),
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and at least 85% of the implementation code should be exercised by the
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tests (>=85% code coverage).</p>
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<ol>
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<li>For C, create test code using the <code>log_err()</code>, <code>log_info()</code>,
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and <code>log_verbose()</code> APIs from <code>cintltst.h</code> (which
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uses <code>ctest.h</code>), and check it into the appropriate folder.</li>
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<li>In order to get your C test code called, you have to add its toplevel
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function and a descriptive test module path to the test system by calling
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<code>addTest()</code>. The function that makes the call to <code>addTest()</code>
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ultimately has to be called by <code>addAllTests()</code> in <code>calltest.c</code>.
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Groups of tests typically have a common <code>addGroup()</code> function
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that calls <code>addTest()</code> for the test functions in its group,
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according to the common part of the test module path.</li>
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<li>Add that test code to the build system, too. Modify <code>Makefile.in</code>
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and the appropriate <code>.dsp</code> file like for the library code.</li>
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</ol>
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<a name="tools"></a>
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<h2 align="center">Build Tools</h2>
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<p>We are using the following tools to build ICU:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>GNU make version 3.76.1 and up.</li>
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<li>GNU cc version 2.95.2 and up. (egcs merged back into gcc.)</li>
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<li>autoconf version 2.13 and up.</li>
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<li>autoconf needs m4 version 1.4 and up.</li>
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<li>Platform-specific compilers as listed with the supported platforms.<br>
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2000-06-22 16:18:40 +00:00
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(For a complete list of supported platforms, see the <a href="http://oss.software.ibm.com/icu/tech_faq.html">ICU
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2000-06-14 17:42:15 +00:00
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Technical FAQ</a>.)</li>
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<li>On Windows: Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 with the latest Service Packs.</li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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</html>
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