path: root/STYLE.md

# psi C style guide

This document describes the conventions for the C implementation of `psi`. Formatting
is enforced by [`.clang-format`](.clang-format) and naming by [`.clang-tidy`](.clang-tidy);
everything a tool cannot check is described here and is expected in review.

The guiding idea: **idiomatic, data-driven C that reads like the Rust original in naming**,
with Allman bracing as the one deliberate departure from typical C style.

---

## 1. Language & build

- **C17**, compiled with `-Wall -Wextra -Werror -pedantic`. Warnings are errors; keep every
  build clean.
- Build system is **premake5** (`premake5 gmake && make config=release`). Public headers live
  in `include/`, implementation in `src/`, the test runner in `tester/`.
- Portable across x86_64 and ARM64 (the only supported architectures). Platform-specific code
  (SIMD intrinsics) is `#ifdef`-gated with a scalar fallback.

---

## 2. Formatting (enforced by clang-format)

Run before committing:

```bash
find include src tester -name '*.c' -o -name '*.h' | xargs clang-format -i
```

CI check (no diffs allowed):

```bash
find include src tester -name '*.c' -o -name '*.h' | xargs clang-format --dry-run -Werror
```

### Braces — Allman, everywhere

Opening brace on its own line for functions, structs, enums, unions, and control blocks.

```c
struct PsiComplex
{
	double real;
	double imaginary;
};

double psi_abs_complex(struct PsiComplex z)
{
	return sqrt(psi_norm2_complex(z));
}
```

**Exception (tool limitation):** compound literals keep the brace on the same line as the
type, because clang-format cannot break it:

```c
return (struct PsiComplex){
	a.real + b.real,
	a.imaginary + b.imaginary,
};
```

### Single statements omit braces

An `if`/`for`/`while` with a single-statement body has no braces; the statement goes on the
next line.

```c
if (index >= row->width)
	return;

for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++)
	sum = psi_add_complex(sum, values[i]);
```

Use braces once a body has more than one statement.

### Indentation — tabs

Tabs for indentation (width 4). Alignment (e.g. wrapped arguments under an open paren) uses
spaces, so alignment survives any tab width.

### Pointers bind to the type

```c
struct PsiComplex* data;
void psi_free_vector(struct PsiVector* v);
const size_t* targets;
```

Not `struct PsiComplex *data`.

### Line length & wrapping

- 100-column limit. Long lines wrap; continuation indents two tabs, wrapped call/parameter
  lists align under the opening paren.

```c
static void execute_kernels(struct PsiVector* state, const struct PsiKernel* kernels,
						    size_t count, size_t num_qubits, struct PsiRuntimeConfig config)
{
	...
}
```

### Includes

Not sorted by the tool — order them yourself. Convention: system headers (`<...>`) first, a
blank line, then project headers (`"..."`). `include/psi.h` orders its headers by dependency
layer, not alphabetically.

---

## 3. Naming (enforced by clang-tidy)

| Kind | Convention | Example |
|------|-----------|---------|
| Structs | `Psi` + PascalCase | `struct PsiQuantumRegister` |
| Enums | `Psi` + PascalCase | `enum PsiGateType` |
| Enum constants | `UPPER_CASE` | `PSI_GATE_H`, `PSI_SIMD_NEON` |
| Functions | `snake_case` | `psi_add_complex`, `apply_kernel` |
| Parameters / variables | `snake_case` | `num_qubits`, `target_bit` |
| Macros / compile-time consts | `THIS_CASE` | `PSI_VERSION_MAJOR`, `INV_SQRT_2` |
| Function-like macros | `psi_` + `snake_case` | `psi_matrix`, `psi_column_vector` |

### Library prefix

Every **public** symbol is namespaced:

- functions → `psi_...`
- structs → `Psi...`
- macros / constants → `PSI_...`

File-local `static` helpers are **not** prefixed (`apply_pair`, `build_pairs`, `op_to_kernel`).

### Data-driven, action-first (not OOP)

The operation leads and the data is an argument — think free functions over data, not methods
bound to a type. `psi_<operation>_<type>(...)`:

```c
psi_add_complex(a, b)       /* not psi_complex_add   */
psi_new_quantum_gate(...)   /* not gate_new(...)     */
psi_apply_gate(&reg, ...)   /* verb first            */
```

*Not enforceable by tooling — maintained in review.*

---

## 4. Types

- **`double` only** for floating point. No `float`, no fixed-width float aliases (their sizes
  are not guaranteed across platforms).
- **Fixed-width `<stdint.h>`** types (`uint32_t`, `int64_t`, …) over `int`/`unsigned`/`long`.
- **`size_t`** for sizes, counts, and indices (the Rust `usize`).
- **No `typedef` on structs, enums, or unions** — always spell `struct PsiComplex`,
  `enum PsiGateType`.

---

## 5. Memory & ownership

There is no garbage collector; ownership is explicit and follows a few rules.

- Every type that owns a heap allocation has a matching `psi_new_*` / `psi_free_*` pair, and
  `psi_free_*` takes a pointer and nulls the freed fields.

```c
struct PsiVector v = psi_new_vector(4, PSI_COLUMN_VECTOR);
...
psi_free_vector(&v);
```

- **The caller frees.** Functions that allocate and return a value (`psi_add_vector`,
  `psi_clone_matrix`, the gate factories, the renderers' returned strings) transfer ownership
  to the caller.
- **Read-only args are passed by value**, which shares the underlying buffer and never frees
  it. Mutators and destructors take a pointer.
- **Constructors that take ownership** consume what they are handed (e.g. a gate takes
  ownership of its matrix; `psi_apply_custom` takes ownership of the custom gate). Builders
  that take an existing value they should not consume make a copy (`psi_new_vector_from`,
  `psi_new_quantum_register_from`).
- **Allocation idiom:** `sizeof *ptr`, not the repeated type.

```c
struct PsiKernel* out = malloc(count * sizeof *out);
```

- Verify with sanitizers during development:

```bash
clang -std=c17 -Iinclude -Isrc -Itester -fsanitize=address,undefined -g \
	src/psi.c src/**/*.c tester/*.c -o /tmp/psi -lm && /tmp/psi
```

---

## 6. Error handling

- Preconditions and programmer errors (dimension mismatches, out-of-range indices) use
  `assert`. The Rust original returned `Option`/panicked; in C these are `assert`s, since they
  indicate caller bugs rather than recoverable conditions.
- `malloc`/`calloc`/`realloc` results are `assert`ed non-NULL (with `|| size == 0` where a
  zero-size allocation is legal).

---

## 7. Comments

- **Avoid narration.** Code should read on its own; do not annotate ported steps or restate
  what a line does.
- **Short math-formula comments are welcome** where they clarify an expression:

```c
struct PsiComplex psi_mul_complex(struct PsiComplex a, struct PsiComplex b)
{
	// (a + bi)(c + di) = (ac - bd) + (ad + bc)i
	return (struct PsiComplex){
		a.real * b.real - a.imaginary * b.imaginary,
		a.real * b.imaginary + a.imaginary * b.real,
	};
}
```

*Not enforceable by tooling — maintained in review.*

---

## 8. Project layout

```
include/          public API (mirrors src/ subtree)
  psi.h           umbrella header — includes the whole public API
  maths/          complex, vector, matrix, format, simd
  core/           quantum_components, gates, custom_gate, classical_components,
                  circuit, kernel, runtime, noise
  visualizer/     renderer
src/              implementation, same subtree; may also hold private headers
tester/           assertion-based test suite
```

- Headers are `#pragma once` and included **root-relative**: `#include "maths/complex.h"`.
- `include/psi.h` is the umbrella: `#include <psi.h>` pulls in the entire public API. Add each
  new module's public header to it.
- Private, implementation-only headers live under `src/` (e.g. `src/visualizer/grid.h`).

---

## 9. Testing

- `tester/` is an assertion suite with subcommands
  (`clifford`, `non-clifford`, `custom`, `kernels`, `simd`, `noise`, `all`, `help`).
- Tests assert against known states (Bell, GHZ, rotations, fusion, noise purity, …) and check
  that all runtimes agree. The process exit code reflects pass/fail (CI-friendly).

```bash
premake5 gmake && make config=release
./bin/release-<system>/tester            # all suites
./bin/release-<system>/tester noise      # one suite
```

---

## Tooling summary

| Concern | Tool | Command |
|---------|------|---------|
| Formatting | clang-format | `... | xargs clang-format --dry-run -Werror` |
| Naming | clang-tidy | `clang-tidy <file> -- -std=c17 -Iinclude -Isrc` |
| Build | premake5 + make | `premake5 gmake && make config=release` |
| Tests | tester | `./bin/release-<system>/tester` |
| Leaks / UB | sanitizers | build with `-fsanitize=address,undefined` |