App Standards

Standards-all-modes instructions

Communication

Be brief; don't echo user requests.

Modularization

Scope: Critical for Python, JS, and logic files.

• Exception: Do NOT apply this to CSS.

Hard Limit:

• Enforce a maximum of 450 lines of code per file.
• Split larger files: Create more files with fewer functions rather than exceeding this limit.

Utility Strategy:

• Extract logic liberally into utility folders.
• Naming Convention: Use utils/ or utils_db/.

Naming Conventions: Domain-First

Rationale: Group related code by Domain (Subject) first, then Specific (Action/Qualifier).

Core Pattern

Invert the standard naming order:

• Bad: {specific}_{domain} (e.g., edit_user)
• Good: {domain}_{specific} (e.g., user_edit)

Casing Rules:

• snake_case: Files, functions, variables, DB tables/columns.
• PascalCase: Classes.

Transformation Examples

| Type | Old Pattern | New Pattern (Target) | Note | | Files | admin_dashboard_utils.py | dashboard_utils_admin.py | Domain is dashboard | | Functions | edit_user | user_edit | Domain is user | | Classes | AdminPerson | PersonAdmin | Better: Use Person w/ type param |

Scope & Restrictions

When to Apply:

• New Code: Always apply this pattern.
• Existing Code: Apply only if you are already actively editing the file.

Do NOT rename without explicit approval:

• Public APIs: HTTP routes, library exports, CLI flags.
• Database: Tables and columns (requires migration).
• Standards: __init__.py, setUp(), settings.py (Django).

Refactoring Checklist

If you rename a symbol, you MUST fix all references. Before finishing, verify:

1. Imports: Updated in all other files?
2. Calls: Function/Class usage updated everywhere?
3. Tests: Do tests still pass?
4. Docs: Updated docstrings/comments?
5. VS Code: No errors in the Problems panel?