Codebase Conventions

An existing codebase is the most authoritative reference for how new code in it should look. Before adding anything, find the two or three closest precedents, write down the conventions they share, build the new code by shadowing the nearest one, and check the result against them before committing. New code must read as if the original authors wrote it: one way of doing each thing, not two.

The Prime Directive

NO NEW CODE WITHOUT A NAMED PRECEDENT IN THIS REPOSITORY

No exceptions. No workarounds. No shortcuts.

If you cannot point to the file you modelled your change on, you guessed. When no precedent exists, say so, and establish the convention deliberately.

When to Use