9 - Naming Conventions

Naming conventions make programs more understandable by making them easier to read. They can also give information about the function of the identifier--for example, whether it's a constant, package, or class--which can be helpful in understanding the code.

The conventions given in this section are high level. Further conventions are given at (to be determined).

Identifier Type	Rules for Naming	Examples
Classes	Class names should be nouns, in mixed case with the first letter of each internal word capitalized. Try to keep your class names simple and descriptive. Use whole words--avoid acronyms and abbreviations (unless the abbreviation is much more widely used than the long form, such as URL or HTML).	class Raster; class ImageSprite;
Interfaces	Interface names should be capitalized like class names.	interface RasterDelegate; interface Storing;
Methods	Methods should be verbs, in mixed case with the first letter lowercase, with the first letter of each internal word capitalized.	run(); runFast(); getBackground();
Variables	Except for variables, all instance, class, and class constans are in mixed case with a lowercase first letter. Internal words start with capital letters. Variable names should be short yet meaningful. The choice of a variable name should be mnemonic-- that is, designed to indicate to the casual observer the intent of its use. One-character variable names should be avoided except for temporary "throwaway" variables. Common names for temporary variables are i, j, k, m, and n for integers; c, d, and e for characters.	int i; char *cp; float myWidth;
Constants	The names of variables declared class constants and of ANSI constants should be all uppercase with words separated by underscores ("_"). (ANSI constants should be avoided, for ease of debugging.)	int MIN_WIDTH = 4; int MAX_WIDTH = 999; int GET_THE_CPU = 1;