Naming

Naming Conventions

Description

Load naming conventions for ikigai C codebase.

Public Symbol Pattern

All public symbols follow: ik_MODULE_THING

• ik_ - namespace prefix
• MODULE - single word (config, protocol, openai, handler)
• THING - descriptive name with approved abbreviations

Examples:

• ik_cfg_load() - function
• ik_protocol_msg_t - type
• ik_httpd_shutdown - global variable

Module Organization: One subdirectory = One module. All symbols from a module use the same prefix regardless of file location.

Approved Abbreviations

MUST use these consistently (types, functions, fields, variables):

Words That Must NOT Be Abbreviated

Always spell out completely:

• handler, manager, server, client
• function, parameter, shutdown, payload
• protocol, openai, httpd

Special Conventions

Raw pointers into buffers use _ptr suffix:

bool *visible_ptr;         // Raw pointer to external storage
const char **text_ptr;     // Raw pointer to external string pointer

Global variables use g_ prefix:

extern volatile sig_atomic_t g_httpd_shutdown;

Internal static symbols don't need ik_ prefix.

External Library Wrappers

DO NOT use ik_ prefix - these are link seams for testing.

Library wrappers (talloc, yyjson) use trailing underscore:

talloc_zero_(ctx, size)           // wraps talloc_zero_size()
yyjson_read_file_(path, flg, ...)  // wraps yyjson_read_file()

POSIX wrappers use posix_ prefix + trailing underscore:

posix_open_(pathname, flags)      // wraps open()
posix_write_(fd, buf, count)      // wraps write()

Complete reference: See project/naming.md for full details, rationale, and examples.