mozilla-central/docs/code-quality/coding-style/format_cpp_code_with_clang-format.rst

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=====================================
Formatting C++ Code With clang-format
=====================================
Mozilla uses the Google coding style for whitespace, which is enforced
using `clang-format <https://clang.llvm.org/docs/ClangFormat.html>`__. A
specific version of the binary will be installed when
``./mach clang-format`` or ``./mach bootstrap`` are run. We build our
own binaries and update them as needed.
Options are explicitly defined `in clang-format
If the options are changed in clang upstream, this might cause some
changes in the Firefox tree. For this reason, it is best to use the
mozilla-provided binaries.
Manual formatting
-----------------
We provide a mach subcommand for running clang-format from the
command-line. This wrapper handles ensuring the correct version of
clang-format is installed and run.
If clang-format isn’t installed, the binaries will be automatically
downloaded from taskcluster and installed into ~/.mozbuild. We build our
own clang-format binaries.
Formatting local changes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
::
$ ./mach clang-format
When run without arguments, it will run on a local diff. This could miss
some reformatting (for example, when blocks are touched).
Formatting specific paths
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
::
$ ./mach clang-format -p <path> # Format <path> in-place
$ ./mach clang-format -p <path> -s # Show changes
The command also accepts a ``-p`` argument to reformat a specific
directory or file, and a ``-s`` flag to show the changes instead of
applying them to the working directory
Formatting specific commits / revisions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
::
$ ./mach clang-format -c HEAD # Format a single git commit
$ ./mach clang-format -c HEAD~~..HEAD # Format a range of git commits
$ ./mach clang-format -c . # Format a single mercurial revision
The command accepts a ``-c`` argument that takes a revision number or
commit range, and will format the lines modified by those commits.
Scripting Clang-Format
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clang format expects that the path being passed to it is the path
on-disk. If this is not the case, for example when formatting a
temporary file, the "real" path must be specified. This can be done with
the ``--assume-filename <path>`` argument.
Configuring the clang-format commit hook
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To run clang-format at commit phase, run ``mach bootstrap`` or just add
the following line in the ``hgrc`` file:
.. code:: ini
[extensions]
clang-format = ~/.mozbuild/version-control-tools/hgext/clang-format
We use a hg extension as they are more flexible than hooks.
With git, the configuration is the following:
::
# From the root git directory:
$ ln -s $(pwd)/tools/lint/hooks_clang_format.py .git/hooks/pre-commit
You'll likely need to install the ``python-hglib`` package for your OS,
or else you may get errors like ``abort: No module named hglib.client!``
when you try to commit.
Editor integration
------------------
It is possible to configure many editors to support running
``clang-format`` automatically on save, or when run from within the
editor.
Editor plugins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Eclipse
- Install the
plugin
- In Preferences -> C/C++ -> CppStyle, set the clang-format path to
~/.mozbuild/clang-tools/clang-tidy/bin/clang-format
- (Optional) check "Run clang-format on file save"
(Or install
`clang-format <http://melpa.org/#/clang-format>`__ from MELPA)
- `google-c-style <http://melpa.org/#/google-c-style>`__ from MELPA
- `alternative
- `Visual
- `llvm.org plugin <http://llvm.org/builds/>`__
- `Integrated support in Visual Studio
- `Visual Studio
- `Script for patch
Configuration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These tools generally run clang-format themselves, and won't use
``./mach clang-format``. The binary installed by our tooling will be
located at ``~/.mozbuild/clang-tools/clang-tidy/bin/clang-format``.
You typically shouldn't need to specify any other special configuration
in your editor besides the clang-format binary. Most of the
configuration that clang-format relies on for formatting is stored
inside our source tree. More specifically, using the .clang-format file
located in the root of the repository. Please note that this doesn't
include the list of ignored files and directories (provided by
.clang-format-ignore which is a feature provided by the mach command
wrapper).
Coding style configuration is done within clang-format itself. When we
change the configuration (incorrect configuration, new feature in clang,
etc), we use `local
Ignored files & directories
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We maintain a `list of ignored directories and
which is used by ``./mach clang-format``. This is generally only used
for code broken by clang-format, and third-party code.
Ignored code hunks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sections of code may have formatting disabled using comments. If a
section must not be formatted, the following comments will disable the
reformat:
::
// clang-format off
my code which should not be reformatted
// clang-format on
You can find an `example of code not
Ignore lists
------------
To make sure that the blame/annotate features of Mercurial or git aren't
affected. Two files are maintained to keep track of the reformatting
commits.
With Mercurial
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| The list is stored in
| Commit messages should also contain the string ``# ignore-this-changeset``
The syntax in this file is generated using the following syntax:
::
$ hg log --template '{node} - {author|person} - {desc|strip|firstline}\n'
With git
~~~~~~~~
The list is stored in
and contains git revisions for both gecko-dev and the git cinnabar
repository.