CODING_GUIDELINES.md

Coding Guidelines

To ensure consistency and maintainability across the project, please follow these coding standards:

General Guidelines

• Write clean and readable code.
• Follow the Effective Dart guidelines.
• Avoid hardcoding values; use constants or configuration files.
• Ensure all code changes are tested before committing.

File and Folder Organization

• Group related files together (e.g., components, screens, services).
• Keep files small and focused; a single file should ideally handle one responsibility.
• Use descriptive and consistent file and folder names in snake_case.

Naming Conventions

• Classes: Use PascalCase (e.g., UserModel, MainScreen).
• Variables: Use camelCase (e.g., userName, isLoggedIn).
• Constants: Use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE (e.g., MAX_RETRY_COUNT).

Code Comments

• Write meaningful comments explaining the “why” behind the logic, not the “what.”
• Document all public methods and classes using DartDoc.

  /// Calculates the total price of items in the cart.
  double calculateTotalPrice(List<Item> items) {
    ...
  }

Flutter-Specific Guidelines

• Use widgets efficiently; prefer const constructors where possible.
• Separate business logic from UI using patterns like Provider, or Riverpod.
• Avoid nesting widgets deeply; extract them into reusable components.

Git Commit Guidelines

• Use descriptive commit messages (e.g., feat: add login functionality).
• Follow the Conventional Commits specification.

Code Reviews

• All pull requests must be reviewed and approved before merging.
• Address all comments from reviewers before marking a PR as ready.

By adhering to these guidelines, we ensure a high standard of quality and a codebase that's easier to maintain and scale.