This document is aimed at all developers who use the C++ language to develop applications for Symbian C++ programming. The purpose of this document is to assist designers in the task of C++ programming. All software authors are expected to adopt the conventions detailed here as standards.
The first part of the document introduces the coding convention; this is followed by practical coding idioms that provide beginners with a good understanding of Symbian C++ programming. The last part of the document addresses system resource usage.
Programming style can be described as, "The way that a programmer brings clarity, maintainability, testability, reliability, and efficiency to the code of a module." The apocryphal 80-20 development rule states that 80 percent of the time will be spent fixing 20 percent of the problems that occur in development. This document addresses that problematic 20 percent.
This definition sets the objectives for good programming style but it does not help to determine whether a piece of software has good or bad style. One can easily conclude that coding itself is only one factor in reaching these goals: a badly designed module can hardly be clear, maintainable, testable, or reliable, even if it is coded in the best possible style. On the other hand, even the most excellent design cannot make the software clear and maintainable if its implementation, the code, is of poor quality.
In a software platform, the programmers must have a similar style, otherwise software maintenance is too expensive and difficult, and reuse becomes almost impossible. A uniform way of coding contributes strongly to the programming productivity of the organization.