# Coding conventions

## Syntax

- Use 2 spaces of indentation per indentation level in Nix expressions, 4 spaces in shell scripts.

- Do not use tab characters, i.e. configure your editor to use soft tabs. For instance, use `(setq-default indent-tabs-mode nil)` in Emacs. Everybody has different tab settings so it’s asking for trouble.

- Use `lowerCamelCase` for variable names, not `UpperCamelCase`. TODO: naming of attributes in `all-packages.nix`?

- Function calls with attribute set arguments are written as

      foo {
        arg = ...;
      }

  not

      foo
      {
        arg = ...;
      }

  Also fine is

      foo { arg = ...; }

  if it's a short call.

- In attribute sets or lists that span multiple lines, the attribute names or list elements should be aligned:

      # A long list.
      list =
        [ elem1
          elem2
          elem3
        ];

      # A long attribute set.
      attrs =
        { attr1 = short_expr;
          attr2 =
            if true then big_expr else big_expr;
        };

      # Alternatively:
      attrs = {
        attr1 = short_expr;
        attr2 =
          if true then big_expr else big_expr;
      };

- Short lists or attribute sets can be written on one line:

      # A short list.
      list = [ elem1 elem2 elem3 ];

      # A short set.
      attrs = { x = 1280; y = 1024; };

- Breaking in the middle of a function argument can give hard-to-read code, like

      someFunction { x = 1280;
        y = 1024; } otherArg
        yetAnotherArg

  (especially if the argument is very large, spanning multiple lines).

  Better:

      someFunction
        { x = 1280; y = 1024; }
        otherArg
        yetAnotherArg

  or

      let res = { x = 1280; y = 1024; };
      in someFunction res otherArg yetAnotherArg

- The bodies of functions, asserts, and withs are not indented to prevent a lot of superfluous indentation levels, i.e.

      { arg1, arg2 }:
      assert system == "i686-linux";
      stdenv.mkDerivation { ...

  not

      { arg1, arg2 }:
        assert system == "i686-linux";
          stdenv.mkDerivation { ...

- Function formal arguments are written as:

      { arg1, arg2, arg3 }:

  but if they don't fit on one line they're written as:

      { arg1, arg2, arg3
      , arg4, ...
      , # Some comment...
        argN
      }:

- Functions should list their expected arguments as precisely as possible. That is, write

      { stdenv, fetchurl, perl }: ...

  instead of

      args: with args; ...

  or

      { stdenv, fetchurl, perl, ... }: ...

  For functions that are truly generic in the number of arguments (such as wrappers around `mkDerivation`) that have some required arguments, you should write them using an `@`-pattern:

      { stdenv, doCoverageAnalysis ? false, ... } @ args:

      stdenv.mkDerivation (args // {
        ... if doCoverageAnalysis then "bla" else "" ...
      })

  instead of

      args:

      args.stdenv.mkDerivation (args // {
        ... if args ? doCoverageAnalysis && args.doCoverageAnalysis then "bla" else "" ...
      })

## Package naming

In Nixpkgs, there are generally three different names associated with a package:

- The `name` attribute of the derivation (excluding the version part). This is what most users see, in particular when using `nix-env`.

- The variable name used for the instantiated package in `all-packages.nix`, and when passing it as a dependency to other functions. This is what Nix expression authors see. It can also be used when installing using `nix-env -iA`.

- The filename for (the directory containing) the Nix expression.

Most of the time, these are the same. For instance, the package `e2fsprogs` has a `name` attribute `"e2fsprogs-`version`"`, is bound to the variable name `e2fsprogs` in `all-packages.nix`, and the Nix expression is in `pkgs/os-specific/linux/e2fsprogs/default.nix`. However, identifiers in the Nix language don’t allow certain characters (e.g. dashes), so sometimes a different variable name should be used. For instance, the `module-init-tools` package is bound to the `module_init_tools` variable in `all-packages.nix`.

There are a few naming guidelines:

- Generally, try to stick to the upstream package name.

- Don’t use uppercase letters in the `name` attribute — e.g., `"mplayer-1.0rc2"` instead of `"MPlayer-1.0rc2"`.

- The version part of the `name` attribute must start with a digit (following a dash) — e.g., `"hello-0.3-pre-r3910"` instead of `"hello-svn-r3910"`, as the latter would be seen as a package named `hello-svn` by `nix-env`.

- Dashes in the package name should be changed to underscores in variable names, rather than to camel case — e.g., `module_init_tools` instead of `moduleInitTools`.

- If there are multiple versions of a package, this should be reflected in the variable names in `all-packages.nix`, e.g. `hello_0_3` and `hello_0_4`. If there is an obvious “default” version, make an attribute like `hello = hello_0_4;`.

## File naming and organisation

Names of files and directories should be in lowercase, with dashes between words — not in camel case. For instance, it should be `all-packages.nix`, not `allPackages.nix` or `AllPackages.nix`.

### Hierachy

Each package should be stored in its own directory somewhere in the `pkgs/` tree, i.e. in `pkgs/`category`/`subcategory`/`...`/`pkgname``. Below are some rules for picking the right category for a package. Many packages fall under several categories; what matters is the primary purpose of a package. For example, the `libxml2` package builds both a library and some tools; but it’s a library foremost, so it goes under `pkgs/development/libraries`.

When in doubt, consider refactoring the `pkgs/` tree, e.g. creating new categories or splitting up an existing category.

If it’s used to support software development:

- If it’s a library used by other packages:

- `development/libraries` (e.g. `libxml2`)

If it’s a compiler:

- `development/compilers` (e.g. `gcc`)

If it’s an interpreter:

- `development/interpreters` (e.g. `guile`)

If it’s a (set of) development tool(s):

- If it’s a parser generator (including lexers):

- `development/tools/parsing` (e.g. `bison`, `flex`)

If it’s a build manager:

- `development/tools/build-managers` (e.g. `gnumake`)

Else:

- `development/tools/misc` (e.g. `binutils`)

Else:

- `development/misc`

If it’s a (set of) tool(s):

- (A tool is a relatively small program, especially one intented to be used non-interactively.)

  If it’s for networking:

- `tools/networking` (e.g. `wget`)

If it’s for text processing:

- `tools/text` (e.g. `diffutils`)

If it’s a system utility, i.e., something related or essential to the operation of a system:

- `tools/system` (e.g. `cron`)

If it’s an archiver (which may include a compression function):

- `tools/archivers` (e.g. `zip`, `tar`)

If it’s a compression program:

- `tools/compression` (e.g. `gzip`, `bzip2`)

If it’s a security-related program:

- `tools/security` (e.g. `nmap`, `gnupg`)

Else:

- `tools/misc`

If it’s a shell:

- `shells` (e.g. `bash`)

If it’s a server:

- If it’s a web server:

- `servers/http` (e.g. `apache-httpd`)

If it’s an implementation of the X Windowing System:

- `servers/x11` (e.g. `xorg` — this includes the client libraries and programs)

Else:

- `servers/misc`

If it’s a desktop environment (including window managers):

- `desktops` (e.g. `kde`, `gnome`, `enlightenment`)

If it’s an application:

- A (typically large) program with a distinct user interface, primarily used interactively.

  If it’s a version management system:

- `applications/version-management` (e.g. `subversion`)

If it’s for video playback / editing:

- `applications/video` (e.g. `vlc`)

If it’s for graphics viewing / editing:

- `applications/graphics` (e.g. `gimp`)

If it’s for networking:

- If it’s a mailreader:

- `applications/networking/mailreaders` (e.g. `thunderbird`)

If it’s a newsreader:

- `applications/networking/newsreaders` (e.g. `pan`)

If it’s a web browser:

- `applications/networking/browsers` (e.g. `firefox`)

Else:

- `applications/networking/misc`

Else:

- `applications/misc`

If it’s data (i.e., does not have a straight-forward executable semantics):

- If it’s a font:

- `data/fonts`

If it’s related to SGML/XML processing:

- If it’s an XML DTD:

- `data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd` (e.g. `docbook`)

If it’s an XSLT stylesheet:

- (Okay, these are executable...)

  `data/sgml+xml/stylesheets/xslt` (e.g. `docbook-xsl`)

If it’s a game:

- `games`

Else:

- `misc`

### Versioning

Because every version of a package in Nixpkgs creates a potential maintenance burden, old versions of a package should not be kept unless there is a good reason to do so. For instance, Nixpkgs contains several versions of GCC because other packages don’t build with the latest version of GCC. Other examples are having both the latest stable and latest pre-release version of a package, or to keep several major releases of an application that differ significantly in functionality.

If there is only one version of a package, its Nix expression should be named `e2fsprogs/default.nix`. If there are multiple versions, this should be reflected in the filename, e.g. `e2fsprogs/1.41.8.nix` and `e2fsprogs/1.41.9.nix`. The version in the filename should leave out unnecessary detail. For instance, if we keep the latest Firefox 2.0.x and 3.5.x versions in Nixpkgs, they should be named `firefox/2.0.nix` and `firefox/3.5.nix`, respectively (which, at a given point, might contain versions `2.0.0.20` and `3.5.4`). If a version requires many auxiliary files, you can use a subdirectory for each version, e.g. `firefox/2.0/default.nix` and `firefox/3.5/default.nix`.

All versions of a package must be included in `all-packages.nix` to make sure that they evaluate correctly.