xref: /freebsd/share/man/man9/style.9 (revision 4b9d6057)
1.\"-
2.\" Copyright (c) 1995-2022 The FreeBSD Project
3.\"
4.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
5.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
6.\" are met:
7.\" 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
8.\"    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
9.\" 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
10.\"    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
11.\"    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
12.\"
13.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
14.\" ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
15.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
16.\" ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL [your name] OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
17.\" FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
18.\" DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
19.\" OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
20.\" HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
21.\" LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
22.\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
23.\" SUCH DAMAGE.
24.\"
25.Dd July 28, 2022
26.Dt STYLE 9
27.Os
28.Sh NAME
29.Nm style
30.Nd "kernel source file style guide"
31.Sh DESCRIPTION
32This file specifies the preferred style for kernel source files in the
33.Fx
34source tree.
35It is also a guide for the preferred userland code style.
36The preferred line width is 80 characters, but some exceptions are
37made when a slightly longer line is clearer or easier to read.
38Anything that is frequently grepped for, such as diagnostic, error, or panic
39messages, should not be broken up over multiple lines despite this rule.
40Many of the style rules are implicit in the examples.
41Be careful to check the examples before assuming that
42.Nm
43is silent on an issue.
44.Bd -literal
45/*
46 * Style guide for FreeBSD.  Based on the CSRG's KNF (Kernel Normal Form).
47 */
48
49/*
50 * VERY important single-line comments look like this.
51 */
52
53/* Most single-line comments look like this. */
54
55/*
56 * Multi-line comments look like this.  Make them real sentences.  Fill
57 * them so they look like real paragraphs.
58 */
59.Ed
60.Pp
61The copyright header should be a multi-line comment, with the first
62line of the comment having a dash after the star like so:
63.Bd -literal
64/*-
65 * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
66 *
67 * Copyright (c) 1984-2025 John Q. Public
68 *
69 * Long, boring license goes here, but trimmed for brevity
70 */
71.Ed
72.Pp
73An automatic script collects license information from the tree for
74all comments that start in the first column with
75.Dq Li "/*-" .
76If you desire to flag
77.Xr indent 1
78to not reformat a comment that starts in the first column which is not a
79license or copyright notice, change the dash to a star for those
80comments.
81Comments starting in columns other than the first are never
82considered license statements.
83Use the appropriate SPDX-License-Identifier line before the copyright.
84If the copyright assertion contains the phrase
85.Dq Li "All Rights Reserved"
86that should be on the same line as the word
87.Dq Li "Copyright" .
88You should not insert a new copyright line between an old
89copyright line and this phrase.
90Instead, you should insert a new copyright phrase after
91a pre-existing
92.Dq Li "All Rights Reserved"
93line.
94When making changes, it is acceptable to fold an
95.Dq Li "All Rights Reserved"
96line with each of the
97.Dq Li "Copyright"
98lines.
99For files that have the
100.Dq Li "All Rights Reserved"
101line on the same line(s) as the word
102.Dq Li "Copyright" ,
103new copyright assertions should be added last.
104New
105.Dq Li "Copyright"
106lines should only be added when making substantial changes to the file,
107not for trivial changes.
108.Pp
109After any copyright and license comment, there is a blank line.
110Include
111.Li $\&FreeBSD$
112or
113.Li __FBSDID("$\&FreeBSD$");
114only if you are certain the new code will be merged to stable/12.
115The tag will be removed from legacy code in the future.
116Non-C/C++ source files follow the example above, while C/C++ source files
117follow the one below.
118Version control system ID tags should only exist once in a file
119(unlike in this one).
120All VCS (version control system) revision identification in files obtained
121from elsewhere should be maintained, including, where applicable, multiple IDs
122showing a file's history.
123In general, do not edit foreign IDs or their infrastructure.
124Unless otherwise wrapped (such as
125.Dq Li "#if defined(LIBC_SCCS)" ) ,
126enclose both in
127.Dq Li "#if 0 ... #endif"
128to hide any uncompilable bits
129and to keep the IDs out of object files.
130Only add
131.Dq Li "From: "
132in front of foreign VCS IDs if the file is renamed.
133Add
134.Dq Li "From: "
135and FreeBSD git hash with full path name if the file was derived
136from another FreeBSD file and include relevant copyright info
137from the original file.
138.Bd -literal
139.Ed
140.Pp
141Leave one blank line before the header files.
142.Pp
143Kernel include files
144.Pa ( sys/*.h )
145come first.
146If
147.In sys/cdefs.h
148is needed for
149.Fn __FBSDID ,
150include it first.
151If either
152.In sys/types.h
153or
154.In sys/param.h
155is needed, include it before other include files.
156.Po
157.In sys/param.h
158includes
159.In sys/types.h ;
160do not include both.
161.Pc
162Next, include
163.In sys/systm.h ,
164if needed.
165The remaining kernel headers should be sorted alphabetically.
166.Bd -literal
167#include <sys/types.h>	/* Non-local includes in angle brackets. */
168#include <sys/systm.h>
169#include <sys/endian.h>
170#include <sys/lock.h>
171#include <sys/queue.h>
172.Ed
173.Pp
174For a network program, put the network include files next.
175.Bd -literal
176#include <net/if.h>
177#include <net/if_dl.h>
178#include <net/route.h>
179#include <netinet/in.h>
180#include <protocols/rwhod.h>
181.Ed
182.Pp
183Do not include files from
184.Pa /usr/include
185in the kernel.
186.Pp
187Leave a blank line before the next group, the
188.Pa /usr/include
189files,
190which should be sorted alphabetically by name.
191.Bd -literal
192#include <stdio.h>
193.Ed
194.Pp
195Global pathnames are defined in
196.In paths.h .
197Pathnames local
198to the program go in
199.Qq Pa pathnames.h
200in the local directory.
201.Bd -literal
202#include <paths.h>
203.Ed
204.Pp
205Leave another blank line before the local include files.
206.Bd -literal
207#include "pathnames.h"		/* Local includes in double quotes. */
208.Ed
209.Pp
210Do not
211.Ic #define
212or declare names in the implementation namespace except
213for implementing application interfaces.
214.Pp
215The names of
216.Dq unsafe
217macros (ones that have side effects), and the names of macros for
218manifest constants, are all in uppercase.
219The expansions of expression-like macros are either a single token
220or have outer parentheses.
221Put a single space or tab character between the
222.Ic #define
223and the macro name, but be consistent within a file.
224If a macro is an inline expansion of a function, the function name is
225all in lowercase and the macro has the same name all in uppercase.
226.\" XXX the above conflicts with ANSI style where the names are the
227.\" same and you #undef the macro (if any) to get the function.
228.\" It is not followed for MALLOC(), and not very common if inline
229.\" functions are used.
230Right-justify the
231backslashes; it makes it easier to read.
232If the macro encapsulates a compound statement, enclose it in a
233.Ic do
234loop,
235so that it can safely be used in
236.Ic if
237statements.
238Any final statement-terminating semicolon should be
239supplied by the macro invocation rather than the macro, to make parsing easier
240for pretty-printers and editors.
241.Bd -literal
242#define	MACRO(x, y) do {						\e
243	variable = (x) + (y);						\e
244	(y) += 2;							\e
245} while (0)
246.Ed
247.Pp
248When code is conditionally compiled using
249.Ic #ifdef
250or
251.Ic #if ,
252a comment may be added following the matching
253.Ic #endif
254or
255.Ic #else
256to permit the reader to easily discern where conditionally compiled code
257regions end.
258This comment should be used only for (subjectively) long regions, regions
259greater than 20 lines, or where a series of nested
260.Ic #ifdef 's
261may be confusing to the reader.
262The comment should be separated from the
263.Ic #endif
264or
265.Ic #else
266by a single space.
267For short conditionally compiled regions, a closing comment should not be
268used.
269.Pp
270The comment for
271.Ic #endif
272should match the expression used in the corresponding
273.Ic #if
274or
275.Ic #ifdef .
276The comment for
277.Ic #else
278and
279.Ic #elif
280should match the inverse of the expression(s) used in the preceding
281.Ic #if
282and/or
283.Ic #elif
284statements.
285In the comments, the subexpression
286.Dq Li defined(FOO)
287is abbreviated as
288.Dq Li FOO .
289For the purposes of comments,
290.Dq Ic #ifndef Li FOO
291is treated as
292.Dq Ic #if Li !defined(FOO) .
293.Bd -literal
294#ifdef KTRACE
295#include <sys/ktrace.h>
296#endif
297
298#ifdef COMPAT_43
299/* A large region here, or other conditional code. */
300#else /* !COMPAT_43 */
301/* Or here. */
302#endif /* COMPAT_43 */
303
304#ifndef COMPAT_43
305/* Yet another large region here, or other conditional code. */
306#else /* COMPAT_43 */
307/* Or here. */
308#endif /* !COMPAT_43 */
309.Ed
310.Pp
311The project prefers the use of
312.St -isoC-99
313unsigned integer identifiers of the form
314.Vt uintXX_t
315rather than the older
316.Bx Ns -style
317integer identifiers of the form
318.Vt u_intXX_t .
319New code should use the former, and old code should be converted to
320the new form if other major work is being done in that area and
321there is no overriding reason to prefer the older
322.Bx Ns -style .
323Like white-space commits, care should be taken in making
324.Vt uintXX_t
325only commits.
326.Pp
327Similarly, the project prefers the use of
328ISO C99
329.Vt bool
330rather than the older
331.Vt int
332or
333.Vt boolean_t .
334New code should use
335.Vt bool ,
336and old code may be converted if it is
337reasonable to do so.
338Literal values are named
339.Dv true
340and
341.Dv false .
342These are preferred to the old spellings
343.Dv TRUE
344and
345.Dv FALSE .
346Userspace code should include
347.In stdbool.h ,
348while kernel code should include
349.In sys/types.h .
350.Pp
351Likewise, the project prefers
352ISO C99
353designated initializers when it makes sense to do so.
354.Pp
355Enumeration values are all uppercase.
356.Bd -literal
357enum enumtype { ONE, TWO } et;
358.Ed
359.Pp
360The use of internal_underscores in identifiers is preferred over
361camelCase or TitleCase.
362.Pp
363In declarations, do not put any whitespace between asterisks and
364adjacent tokens, except for tokens that are identifiers related to
365types.
366(These identifiers are the names of basic types, type
367qualifiers, and
368.Ic typedef Ns -names
369other than the one being declared.)
370Separate these identifiers from asterisks using a single space.
371.Pp
372When declaring variables in structures, declare them sorted by use, then
373by size (largest to smallest), and then in alphabetical order.
374The first category normally does not apply, but there are exceptions.
375Each one gets its own line.
376Try to make the structure
377readable by aligning the member names using either one or two tabs
378depending upon your judgment.
379You should use one tab only if it suffices to align at least 90% of
380the member names.
381Names following extremely long types
382should be separated by a single space.
383.Pp
384Major structures should be declared at the top of the file in which they
385are used, or in separate header files if they are used in multiple
386source files.
387Use of the structures should be by separate declarations
388and should be
389.Ic extern
390if they are declared in a header file.
391.Bd -literal
392struct foo {
393	struct foo	*next;		/* List of active foo. */
394	struct mumble	amumble;	/* Comment for mumble. */
395	int		bar;		/* Try to align the comments. */
396	struct verylongtypename *baz;	/* Does not fit in 2 tabs. */
397};
398struct foo *foohead;			/* Head of global foo list. */
399.Ed
400.Pp
401Use
402.Xr queue 3
403macros rather than rolling your own lists, whenever possible.
404Thus,
405the previous example would be better written:
406.Bd -literal
407#include <sys/queue.h>
408
409struct foo {
410	LIST_ENTRY(foo)	link;		/* Use queue macros for foo lists. */
411	struct mumble	amumble;	/* Comment for mumble. */
412	int		bar;		/* Try to align the comments. */
413	struct verylongtypename *baz;	/* Does not fit in 2 tabs. */
414};
415LIST_HEAD(, foo) foohead;		/* Head of global foo list. */
416.Ed
417.Pp
418Avoid using typedefs for structure types.
419Typedefs are problematic because they do not properly hide their
420underlying type; for example you need to know if the typedef is
421the structure itself or a pointer to the structure.
422In addition they must be declared exactly once, whereas an
423incomplete structure type can be mentioned as many times as
424necessary.
425Typedefs are difficult to use in stand-alone header files:
426the header that defines the typedef must be included
427before the header that uses it, or by the header that uses
428it (which causes namespace pollution), or there must be a
429back-door mechanism for obtaining the typedef.
430.Pp
431When convention requires a
432.Ic typedef ,
433make its name match the struct tag.
434Avoid typedefs ending in
435.Dq Li _t ,
436except as specified in Standard C or by POSIX.
437.Bd -literal
438/* Make the structure name match the typedef. */
439typedef	struct bar {
440	int	level;
441} BAR;
442typedef	int		foo;		/* This is foo. */
443typedef	const long	baz;		/* This is baz. */
444.Ed
445.Pp
446All functions are prototyped somewhere.
447.Pp
448Function prototypes for private functions (i.e., functions not used
449elsewhere) go at the top of the first source module.
450Functions
451local to one source module should be declared
452.Ic static .
453.Pp
454Functions used from other parts of the kernel are prototyped in the
455relevant include file.
456Function prototypes should be listed in a logical order, preferably
457alphabetical unless there is a compelling reason to use a different
458ordering.
459.Pp
460Functions that are used locally in more than one module go into a
461separate header file, e.g.,
462.Qq Pa extern.h .
463.Pp
464In general code can be considered
465.Dq "new code"
466when it makes up about 50% or more of the file(s) involved.
467This is enough
468to break precedents in the existing code and use the current
469.Nm
470guidelines.
471.Pp
472The kernel has a name associated with parameter types, e.g., in the kernel
473use:
474.Bd -literal
475void	function(int fd);
476.Ed
477.Pp
478In header files visible to userland applications, prototypes that are
479visible must use either
480.Dq protected
481names (ones beginning with an underscore)
482or no names with the types.
483It is preferable to use protected names.
484E.g., use:
485.Bd -literal
486void	function(int);
487.Ed
488.Pp
489or:
490.Bd -literal
491void	function(int _fd);
492.Ed
493.Pp
494Prototypes may have an extra space after a tab to enable function names
495to line up:
496.Bd -literal
497static char	*function(int _arg, const char *_arg2, struct foo *_arg3,
498		    struct bar *_arg4);
499static void	 usage(void);
500
501/*
502 * All major routines should have a comment briefly describing what
503 * they do.  The comment before the "main" routine should describe
504 * what the program does.
505 */
506int
507main(int argc, char *argv[])
508{
509	char *ep;
510	long num;
511	int ch;
512.Ed
513.Pp
514For consistency,
515.Xr getopt 3
516should be used to parse options.
517Options
518should be sorted in the
519.Xr getopt 3
520call and the
521.Ic switch
522statement, unless
523parts of the
524.Ic switch
525cascade.
526Elements in a
527.Ic switch
528statement that cascade should have a
529.Li FALLTHROUGH
530comment.
531Numerical arguments should be checked for accuracy.
532Code which is unreachable for non-obvious reasons may be marked /*
533.Li NOTREACHED
534*/.
535.Bd -literal
536	while ((ch = getopt(argc, argv, "abNn:")) != -1)
537		switch (ch) {		/* Indent the switch. */
538		case 'a':		/* Do not indent the case. */
539			aflag = 1;	/* Indent case body one tab. */
540			/* FALLTHROUGH */
541		case 'b':
542			bflag = 1;
543			break;
544		case 'N':
545			Nflag = 1;
546			break;
547		case 'n':
548			num = strtol(optarg, &ep, 10);
549			if (num <= 0 || *ep != '\e0') {
550				warnx("illegal number, -n argument -- %s",
551				    optarg);
552				usage();
553			}
554			break;
555		case '?':
556		default:
557			usage();
558		}
559	argc -= optind;
560	argv += optind;
561.Ed
562.Pp
563Space after keywords
564.Pq Ic if , while , for , return , switch .
565Two styles of braces
566.Ql ( \&{
567and
568.Ql \&} )
569are allowed for single line statements.
570Either they are used for all single statements, or
571they are used only where needed for clarity.
572Usage within a function should be consistent.
573Forever loops are done with
574.Ic for Ns 's ,
575not
576.Ic while Ns 's .
577.Bd -literal
578	for (p = buf; *p != '\e0'; ++p)
579		;	/* nothing */
580	for (;;)
581		stmt;
582	for (;;) {
583		z = a + really + long + statement + that + needs +
584		    two + lines + gets + indented + four + spaces +
585		    on + the + second + and + subsequent + lines;
586	}
587	for (;;) {
588		if (cond)
589			stmt;
590	}
591	if (val != NULL)
592		val = realloc(val, newsize);
593.Ed
594.Pp
595Parts of a
596.Ic for
597loop may be left empty.
598.Bd -literal
599	for (; cnt < 15; cnt++) {
600		stmt1;
601		stmt2;
602	}
603.Ed
604.Pp
605A
606.Ic for
607loop may declare and initialize its counting variable.
608.Bd -literal
609	for (int i = 0; i < 15; i++) {
610		stmt1;
611	}
612.Ed
613.Pp
614Indentation is an 8 character tab.
615Second level indents are four spaces.
616If you have to wrap a long statement, put the operator at the end of the
617line.
618.Bd -literal
619	while (cnt < 20 && this_variable_name_is_too_long &&
620	    ep != NULL)
621		z = a + really + long + statement + that + needs +
622		    two + lines + gets + indented + four + spaces +
623		    on + the + second + and + subsequent + lines;
624.Ed
625.Pp
626Do not add whitespace at the end of a line, and only use tabs
627followed by spaces
628to form the indentation.
629Do not use more spaces than a tab will produce
630and do not use spaces in front of tabs.
631.Pp
632Closing and opening braces go on the same line as the
633.Ic else .
634Braces that are not necessary may be left out.
635.Bd -literal
636	if (test)
637		stmt;
638	else if (bar) {
639		stmt;
640		stmt;
641	} else
642		stmt;
643.Ed
644.Pp
645No spaces after function names.
646Commas have a space after them.
647No spaces
648after
649.Ql \&(
650or
651.Ql \&[
652or preceding
653.Ql \&]
654or
655.Ql \&)
656characters.
657.Bd -literal
658	error = function(a1, a2);
659	if (error != 0)
660		exit(error);
661.Ed
662.Pp
663Unary operators do not require spaces, binary operators do.
664Do not use parentheses unless they are required for precedence or unless the
665statement is confusing without them.
666Remember that other people may
667confuse easier than you.
668Do YOU understand the following?
669.Bd -literal
670	a = b->c[0] + ~d == (e || f) || g && h ? i : j >> 1;
671	k = !(l & FLAGS);
672.Ed
673.Pp
674Exits should be 0 on success, or 1 on failure.
675.Bd -literal
676	exit(0);	/*
677			 * Avoid obvious comments such as
678			 * "Exit 0 on success."
679			 */
680}
681.Ed
682.Pp
683The function type should be on a line by itself
684preceding the function.
685The opening brace of the function body should be
686on a line by itself.
687.Bd -literal
688static char *
689function(int a1, int a2, float fl, int a4, struct bar *bar)
690{
691.Ed
692.Pp
693When declaring variables in functions declare them sorted by size,
694then in alphabetical order; multiple ones per line are okay.
695If a line overflows reuse the type keyword.
696Variables may be initialized where declared especially when they
697are constant for the rest of the scope.
698Declarations may be in any block, but must be placed before statements.
699Calls to complicated functions should be avoided when initializing variables.
700.Bd -literal
701	struct foo one, *two;
702	struct baz *three = bar_get_baz(bar);
703	double four;
704	int *five, six;
705	char *seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve;
706
707	four = my_complicated_function(a1, f1, a4);
708.Ed
709.Pp
710Do not declare functions inside other functions; ANSI C says that
711such declarations have file scope regardless of the nesting of the
712declaration.
713Hiding file declarations in what appears to be a local
714scope is undesirable and will elicit complaints from a good compiler.
715.Pp
716Casts and
717.Ic sizeof Ns 's
718are not followed by a space.
719.Ic sizeof Ns 's
720are written with parenthesis always.
721The redundant parenthesis rules do not apply to
722.Fn sizeof var
723instances.
724.Pp
725.Dv NULL
726is the preferred null pointer constant.
727Use
728.Dv NULL
729instead of
730.Vt ( "type *" ) Ns 0
731or
732.Vt ( "type *" ) Ns Dv NULL
733in contexts where the compiler knows the
734type, e.g., in assignments.
735Use
736.Vt ( "type *" ) Ns Dv NULL
737in other contexts,
738in particular for all function args.
739(Casting is essential for
740variadic args and is necessary for other args if the function prototype
741might not be in scope.)
742Test pointers against
743.Dv NULL ,
744e.g., use:
745.Bd -literal
746(p = f()) == NULL
747.Ed
748.Pp
749not:
750.Bd -literal
751!(p = f())
752.Ed
753.Pp
754Do not use
755.Ic \&!
756for tests unless it is a boolean, e.g., use:
757.Bd -literal
758if (*p == '\e0')
759.Ed
760.Pp
761not:
762.Bd -literal
763if (!*p)
764.Ed
765.Pp
766Routines returning
767.Vt "void *"
768should not have their return values cast
769to any pointer type.
770.Pp
771Values in
772.Ic return
773statements should be enclosed in parentheses.
774.Pp
775Use
776.Xr err 3
777or
778.Xr warn 3 ,
779do not roll your own.
780.Bd -literal
781	if ((four = malloc(sizeof(struct foo))) == NULL)
782		err(1, (char *)NULL);
783	if ((six = (int *)overflow()) == NULL)
784		errx(1, "number overflowed");
785	return (eight);
786}
787.Ed
788.Pp
789Do not use K&R style declarations or definitions, they are obsolete
790and are forbidden in C23.
791Compilers warn of their use and some treat them as an error by default.
792When converting K&R style definitions to ANSI style, preserve
793any comments about parameters.
794.Pp
795Long parameter lists are wrapped with a normal four space indent.
796.Pp
797Variable numbers of arguments should look like this:
798.Bd -literal
799#include <stdarg.h>
800
801void
802vaf(const char *fmt, ...)
803{
804	va_list ap;
805
806	va_start(ap, fmt);
807	STUFF;
808	va_end(ap);
809	/* No return needed for void functions. */
810}
811
812static void
813usage(void)
814{
815	/* Optional blank line goes here. */
816.Ed
817.Pp
818Optionally, insert a blank line at the beginning of functions with no local
819variables.
820Older versions of this
821.Nm
822document required the blank line convention, so it is widely used in existing
823code.
824.Pp
825Do not insert a blank line at the beginning of functions with local variables.
826Instead, these should have local variable declarations first, followed by one
827blank line, followed by the first statement.
828.Pp
829Use
830.Xr printf 3 ,
831not
832.Xr fputs 3 ,
833.Xr puts 3 ,
834.Xr putchar 3 ,
835whatever; it is faster and usually cleaner, not
836to mention avoiding stupid bugs.
837.Pp
838Usage statements should look like the manual pages
839.Sx SYNOPSIS .
840The usage statement should be structured in the following order:
841.Bl -enum
842.It
843Options without operands come first,
844in alphabetical order,
845inside a single set of brackets
846.Ql ( \&[
847and
848.Ql \&] ) .
849.It
850Options with operands come next,
851also in alphabetical order,
852with each option and its argument inside its own pair of brackets.
853.It
854Required arguments
855(if any)
856are next,
857listed in the order they should be specified on the command line.
858.It
859Finally,
860any optional arguments should be listed,
861listed in the order they should be specified,
862and all inside brackets.
863.El
864.Pp
865A bar
866.Pq Ql \&|
867separates
868.Dq either-or
869options/arguments,
870and multiple options/arguments which are specified together are
871placed in a single set of brackets.
872.Bd -literal -offset 4n
873"usage: f [-aDde] [-b b_arg] [-m m_arg] req1 req2 [opt1 [opt2]]\en"
874"usage: f [-a | -b] [-c [-dEe] [-n number]]\en"
875.Ed
876.Bd -literal
877	(void)fprintf(stderr, "usage: f [-ab]\en");
878	exit(1);
879}
880.Ed
881.Pp
882Note that the manual page options description should list the options in
883pure alphabetical order.
884That is, without regard to whether an option takes arguments or not.
885The alphabetical ordering should take into account the case ordering
886shown above.
887.Pp
888New core kernel code should be reasonably compliant with the
889.Nm
890guides.
891The guidelines for third-party maintained modules and device drivers are more
892relaxed but at a minimum should be internally consistent with their style.
893.Pp
894Stylistic changes (including whitespace changes) are hard on the source
895repository and are to be avoided without good reason.
896Code that is approximately
897.Fx
898KNF
899.Nm
900compliant in the repository must not diverge from compliance.
901.Pp
902Whenever possible, code should be run through a code checker
903(e.g., various static analyzers or
904.Nm cc Fl Wall )
905and produce minimal warnings.
906.Pp
907New code should use
908.Fn _Static_assert
909instead of the older
910.Fn CTASSERT .
911.Sh FILES
912.Bl -tag -width indent
913.It Pa /usr/src/tools/tools/editing/freebsd.el
914An Emacs plugin to follow the
915.Fx
916.Nm
917indentation rules.
918.It Pa /usr/src/tools/tools/editing/freebsd.vim
919A Vim plugin to follow the
920.Fx
921.Nm
922indentation rules.
923.El
924.Sh SEE ALSO
925.Xr indent 1 ,
926.Xr err 3 ,
927.Xr warn 3 ,
928.Xr style.Makefile 5 ,
929.Xr style.mdoc 5 ,
930.Xr style.lua 9
931.Sh HISTORY
932This manual page is largely based on the
933.Pa src/admin/style/style
934file from the
935.Bx 4.4 Lite2
936release, with occasional updates to reflect the current practice and
937desire of the
938.Fx
939project.
940.Pa src/admin/style/style
941is a codification by the CSRG of the programming style of Ken Thompson and
942Dennis Ritchie in
943.At v6 .
944