Choosing a set of conventions for a (new or existing) software project can be frustrating. There are often more than one prospective set of conventions for each programming language and the conventions between languages are almost always different. For this reason, proposed here is a set of conventions that should be viable no matter what programming language is being used. Adopting such a universal set of conventions has the following benefits:
- When starting a new project, possibly in a new language, no time needs to be spent on deciding what set of conventions to use.
- There is a consistency in the conventions used between languages. This is particularly nice in projects where there is more than one language being used.
- It keeps the amount of conventions to have in mind to a minimum.
The conventions are split into two groups, the essential conventions and the additional conventions. The essential conventions are regarded as the ones you need to adhere to from the beginning. Correcting for these conventions at a later date might not be simple. The additional conventions are regarded as the ones that you can correct for at a later date, without too much trouble. So to get up and running with these conventions as quickly as possible, read all the essential conventions and then get going. Later, read and adopt the additional conventions. Work that does not adhere to the essential conventions should be corrected immediately. Work that does not adhere to the additional conventions should be corrected when convenient.