cpp

name	cpp
description	C++ coding standards - use when working with .cpp, .hpp, .h, .cc files

When writing C++ code, follow these conventions:

Standard & Compiler

• Target C++20 or later (adjust as needed)
• Compile with -Wall -Wextra -Werror

Style & Formatting

• Use clang-format for formatting with "Mozilla" style
• Naming: PascalCase for types, camelCase for functions/variables, SCREAMING_SNAKE for macros
• Braces on new line for functions and control structures
• 4-space indentation (adjust as needed)

Memory & Resources

• Prefer smart pointers (unique_ptr, shared_ptr) over raw pointers
• Use RAII for resource management
• Avoid manual new/delete

Modern C++ Practices

• Use auto for complex types, explicit types for clarity
• Prefer range-based for loops
• Use constexpr where possible
• Prefer std::array over C-style arrays
• Use std::optional for nullable values
• Use std::string_view for non-owning string references

Headers

• Use #pragma once for header guards
• Forward declare when possible to reduce compile times
• Include what you use (IWYU)

Error Handling

• Use exceptions for exceptional cases
• Use std::expected or error codes for expected failures (C++23)
• noexcept for functions that don't throw

Documentation

• Doxygen-style comments for public APIs
• Brief description, @param, @return, @throws