Coding Conventions

General Coding Conventions

The names of all source files, variables and method names follow the camel case convention. The first letter of every source file is capitalised. For source files that begin with "rif", the capital case RIF should be used (eg: RIFServiceException)
All source files must include a copy of the RIF code license and attributions text. The text declares that the code is licensed under GPL v3.0.
All class files should contain comment headers for a "code road map". (See any class file and note headings for Constructors, Accessors and Mutators, Errors and Validation etc.
Do not hard-code display Strings that could be used in client applications to label GUI components or display error messages. Instead, add an entry to a properties file as in this example:
```
String healthThemeLabel
	= RIFServiceMessages.getMessage("healthTheme.label");

And in file RIFServiceMessages.properties

...
healthTheme.label=Health Theme
...
```

Class Level Coding Conventions

Unless a class is an abstract class, it should be marked with final, as in the example:
```
public final class AgeBand
	extends AbstractRIFConcept {

...	

}
```
In a class declaration, references to "extends [superclass]" should be moved to the next line and indented. For example:
```
public final class DiseaseMappingStudy
	extends AbstractStudy {
	...
}
```
In a class declaration, references to "implements [interface A, interface B...]" should show one interface listed per line, as in this example:
```
class SpecifyReportingOptionsStepPanel 
	extends AbstractStepPanel
	implements ActionListener, 
	MouseListener {
	
	...
}
```
In a method declaration, references to "throws [exception]" should appear on the next line, as in this example: public void checkSecurityViolations() throws RIFServiceSecurityException { ... } and in the case of multiple exception types:
```
public void validateData() 
	throws X,
	Y {
	
	...
	
}
```

All method parameters should be declared final and listed one per line, as in this example:

	public void checkGeoLevelSelectExists(
		final Connection connection,
		final String geographyName,
		final String geoLevelSelectName)
		throws RIFServiceException {

		...
	
	}

and in the case of methods with a single parameter:

	public static AgeBand createCopy(
		final AgeBand originalAgeBand) {

		...
	}

Package Naming Conventions

Convention	Meaning
`*.businessConceptLayer`	Contains classes that describe domain concepts that are meaningful to environmental health scientists
`*.dataStorageLayer`	Contains: classes that implement RIF services (Source files with a name `*API`) classes that assemble and execute SQL queries classes that manage database resources (eg: connection pooling)
`*.fileFormats`	Contains classes that read and write business class objects to various file formats. In the RIF, these file formats include XML and HTML. Note that classes that serialise objects in JSON are not managed here but in the `rifServices.restfulWebServices` package.
`*.system`	Contains classes which relate to RIF concepts but are used by classes throughout a project or across projects.
`*.util`	Classes which have minimal dependencies on RIF-specific concepts. These classes become candidates for being used in other unrelated software projects.
`*.restfulWebServices`	Classes that relate to supporting web services or for serialising business objects in the JSON format

Source File Naming Conventions

General Naming Conventions

Convention	Meaning
Source files with name `Abstract*`	An abstract class
Source files with name `*API`	An interface describing the behaviour of a RIF service.

Naming Conventions in the Presentation Layer

General Naming Conventions

Convention	Meaning
Source files ending in `*Tool`	The main class for launching the GUI application. Contains a `main(...)` method.
Source files ending in `*Dialog`	Class that manages a `javax.swing.JDialog`
Source files ending in `*Panel`	Class that manages a `javax.swing.JPanel`
Source files ending in `*Table`	Class that manages a `javax.swing.JTable`
include the type of GUI element in GUI variable names	Follow these examples: JButton myButton; JTextArea descriptionTextArea; JPanel mainPanel; JComboBox sexComboBox;

Naming Conventions in the Business Concept Layer

Convention	Meaning
Source files named `Option` or `Type`	An enumerated type.

Naming Conventions in the Data Storage Layer

Convention	Meaning
Source files named `*Service`	A class that implements a RIF service interface (a source file named `*API`)
Source files named `SQL*`	A class that contains code used to create SQL queries
Source files named `*QueryFormatter`	A class that A class used to create the text for a particular type of SQL query. These classes help standardise the way the queries are constructed, make them more readable, and make it easier to alter the case of some phrases so they can operate with multiple database vendors.