memtest86plus/doc/README_DEVEL.md

# Developer's Guide

This is the developer's guide to the Memtest86+ source code. The user's guide
can be found in the README.md file in the top level directory.

## Code Organisation

The source code is divided into the following categories, each contained in a
subdirectory of the same name:

* app

    The main application and framework for running the memory tests.

* boot

    The code that runs from the BIOS or bootloader entry point to the
    start of the main application.

* lib

    The subset of the C standard library that is used by Memtest86+ plus other
    hardware-independent low-level support functions.

* system

    Low-level support functions that interface to the hardware.

* tests

    The individual memory tests.

The boot code is mostly written in AT&T syntax x86 assembly language. The
remaining code is written in C with a smattering of inline assembly code.

Each category is further subdivided into multiple source files, splitting the
code into small units of closely related functionality. For the C code, the
API for each unit is defined in a header (`.h`) file and the implementation
(if required) is found in the correspondingly named source (`.c`) file.

## Code Documentation

Doxygen can be used to automatically generate HTML documentation for the API
for each code unit from the comments in the C header files. To regenerate the
documentation, change directory into the `doc` subdirectory and run `doxygen`.

## Coding Conventions

### C Code

Macro names and enumeration values are written in upper case separated by
underscores. All other identifiers are written in lower case separated by
underscores. Both excessive length and excessive abbreviation are avoided.

Line length is normally limited to 120 characters.

Indentation is 4 spaces. No hard tab characters are used.

Opening braces for function bodies are put on a new line. Other opening braces
are put on the same line as the construct that introduces them.

The C11 dialect is used. In particular, variable declarations and statements
are interspersed and loop variables are declared within the `for` loop
construct.

### Assembly Code

Labels are written in lower case separated by underscores. Op-codes and
register names are written in lower case.

Line length is normally limited to 120 characters.

Indentation is 8 spaces using hard tab characters.

The C preprocessor is used for defining constant values and expressions.
Macro names are written in upper case separated by underscores.