C Code Style

C code style

This skill applies whenever you are writing, editing, or reviewing .c or .h files in a project that adopts this style guide. The full rule set lives in CODING_RULES.md at the repository root — that file is the single source of truth (this repository's README.md is just a symlink to it, so it renders on the GitHub front page). This skill exists to make the rules operational: what to self-apply while writing code, and how to run the formatter afterward.

1. Read the rules first

Before writing or editing C code, read CODING_RULES.md in this repository (or wherever this skill was installed alongside it — if it's not there, the checklist in step 3 below is a self-contained fallback). Do not rely on memory of "typical" C style — several of this guide's rules are deliberately non-default (e.g. (void) on zero-parameter functions, at most 2 return points per function, no stdbool.h).

2. What clang-format fixes for you

Don't hand-format these — write reasonably and let the formatter normalize them in step 4: indentation and spacing, brace placement, pointer-asterisk alignment, function-prototype alignment, trailing commas in struct initializers, blank-line and parenthesis spacing.

3. What clang-format will NOT fix — apply these yourself while writing

These are semantic or naming rules; a formatter cannot infer them. Apply them as you write, not after:

• Names (variables, parameters, struct/enum members) are lowercase with underscores and at least 3 characters. Never a bare __/_ prefix. static module-private functions use a prv_ prefix.
• Use stdint.h types (uint8_t, int32_t, ...) except char/float/double. Avoid stdbool.h; use 1/0.
• Don't rely on static initializers for global/static variables that need a real startup value in embedded contexts — give the module an init() function instead.
• Declare all locals at the top of a block, grouped by type, in order: custom structs/enums (and their pointers) → integers (widest unsigned first) → floating point.
• const-correct pointers and parameters; generic pointers are void*, cast internally, never cast a void* return value.
• Every function with zero parameters uses (void), never empty ().
• A function has at most 2 return points: one early return for parameter/argument validation, one at the end. No return in the middle — use a return-value variable to accumulate the result instead.
• Check a pointer against NULL before dereferencing it (unless the surrounding code guarantees it can't be NULL). After free(ptr), immediately set ptr = NULL.
• Boolean-treated variables are compared with if (x) / if (!x), never == 1 / == 0; counter/value variables use > 0 / == 0, never bare if (x).
• Doxygen: every function (including static ones) gets a \brief, a \param[in]/\param[out] per parameter, and a \return if it returns non-void. The doc block goes at the function's definition (where the body is, typically the .c file) — never duplicated at the declaration in the header. Pad tags so description text starts at column 22 (see template.c/template.h for the exact alignment). Wrap identifiers, constants, and literals referenced in prose in backticks.

4. Format the code

After writing or editing any .c/.h file, run the formatter using this repository's .clang-format (it's found automatically by walking up from the file's directory — no path needed):

scripts/check-format.sh <changed-file.c> [<changed-file.h> ...]

This script:

1. Checks clang-format is on PATH and is version 20 or newer (this repo's minimum — see CODING_RULES.md, General rules).
2. If missing or too old, prints the install command for the current OS (brew install llvm on macOS, distro package or LLVM apt repo on Linux, the LLVM installer on Windows) and exits non-zero — install it, then re-run.
3. Otherwise runs clang-format -i on the given files.

To verify compliance without writing changes (e.g. before reporting a task done), use --check instead:

scripts/check-format.sh --check <file.c> [<file.h> ...]

Exits 0 if already compliant, non-zero (with the specific violations) if not.

5. Verified behavior

This flow was tested directly in this repository: check-format.sh correctly refuses to run when clang-format is absent (prints the right install command per OS and exits 1), and — once clang-format is installed — correctly detects a deliberately mis-formatted file with --check, fixes it with the default (in-place) mode, and re-verifies clean afterward. template.c and template.h in this repository both pass --check as-is — use them as a reference for exact formatting and doxygen alignment.