elementary code formatting rules

Format your vala code according to elementary guidelines and vala recommandations.

Here is the config file to use with uncrustify to automatically format your code.

Install uncrustify

Run the following

git clone https://github.com/bengardner/uncrustify.git
cd uncrustify
./configure 
sudo make install

Execute uncrustify

To replace the current file (an hidden backup is created)

uncrustify -c path/to/uncrustify-vala.cfg file.vala --replace

To create a new file

uncrustify -c path/to/uncrustify-elementary-vala.cfg -f bad.vala -o good.vala

Output sample

Inspired from pantheon terminal code

namespace PantheonTerminal {

    public enum Colors {
        BLACK = 0,
        RED = 1,
        GREEN = 2,
        YELLOW = 3,
        BLUE = 4,
        MAGENTA = 5,
        CYAN = 6,
        WHITE = 7
    }
        
    public class PantheonTerminalWindow : Gtk.Window {

        public PantheonTerminalApp app {
            get {
                return application as PantheonTerminalApp;
            }
        }

        public string name { get ; set ; default = "Carl" ; }

        const string ui_string = """
            <ui>
            <popup name="MenuItemTool">
                <menuitem name="New tab" action="New tab"/>
                <menuitem name="Select All" action="Select All"/>
                <separator />
                <menuitem name="About" action="About"/>
            </popup>
            </ui>
        """;

        public PantheonTerminalWindow.with_working_directory (PantheonTerminalApp app, string location,
                                                              bool should_recreate_tabs = true) {
            init (app, should_recreate_tabs);
            new_tab (location);
        }

        public void add_tab_with_working_directory (string location) {
            new_tab (location);
            
            string[] strings = { "bla", "blue" } ;
            for (int i = 0 ; i < strings.size ; i++) {
                message (strings[i]) ;
            }

            while (strings.size > 0) 
                stdout.print( "%c[%d;%d;%dm", 0x1B, (int) attr, (int) fg + 30, (int) bg + 40) ;
        }

        private void init (PantheonTerminalApp app, bool recreate_tabs = true, bool restore_pos = true) {
            icon_name = "utilities-terminal";
            set_visual (Gdk.Screen.get_default ().get_rgba_visual ());

            title = _("Terminal");

            ui = new Gtk.UIManager ();

            try {
                ui.add_ui_from_string (ui_string, -1);
            } catch (Error e) {
                error ("Couldn't load the UI: %s", e.message);
            }

            if (recreate_tabs && icon_name == "utilities" )
                open_tabs ();
            else
                set_size_request (app.minimum_width, app.minimum_height);

            destroy.connect (on_destroy);
        }

        private void setup_ui () {

            key_press_event.connect ((e) => {
                switch (e.keyval) {
                    case Gdk.Key.@0:
                        if ((e.state & Gdk.ModifierType.CONTROL_MASK) != 0) {
                            action_zoom_default_font ();
                            return true;
                        }

                        break;
                    case Gdk.Key.@1: //alt+[1-8]
                    case Gdk.Key.@7:
                    case Gdk.Key.@8:
                        if (((e.state & Gdk.ModifierType.MOD1_MASK) != 0) && settings.alt_changes_tab) {
                            var i = e.keyval - 49;
                            if (i > notebook.n_tabs - 1)
                                return false;

                            notebook.current = notebook.get_tab_by_index ((int) i);
                            return true;
                        }

                        break;
                    default:
                        assert_not_reached () ;
                }

                return false;
            });
            
            t.child_exited.connect (() => {
                if (!t.killed) {
                    t.tab.close ();
                }
            });

        }

        static const Gtk.ActionEntry[] main_entries = {
            { "CloseTab", "gtk-close", N_("Close"),
              "<Control><Shift>w", N_("Close"),
              action_close_tab },

            { "New window", "window-new",
              N_("New Window"), "<Control><Shift>n", N_("Open a new window"),
              action_new_window }
       };
    }
}

View the full file

Goals

The formatting rules are strict meaning everything is formatted except:

• comments
• empty lines in your function body (empty lines in class/enums are collapsed)
• triple string (obviously)
• multiline function arguments
• stuff that uncrustify doesn't format ( getters and setters, lambda, empty lines after constructor/destructor)

Install in elementary files

Contractor

FAQ

• What does force means?