coding-standards

Code Standards - Unreal Engine 5.7

Formatting

• ALWAYS use tab indentation (Unreal standard, not spaces)
• Maximum 120 characters per line
• Spaces around operators: if (bIsActive && Health > 0)
• Braces on same line for functions and classes:

  void MyFunction()
  {
      // code
  }
  

• Use spaces after commas: TArray<int32> Array = {1, 2, 3};

Comments

• Use // for single-line comments
• Use /* */ for multi-line comments
• ALWAYS document public functions with descriptive comments
• Explain "why" not "what" in complex comments
• Use // TODO: for future tasks
• Use // FIXME: for known bugs

Code Organization

• Declare variables at the beginning of scope
• Group related functions
• Keep functions focused and small (ideally < 50 lines)
• ALWAYS use const when appropriate:
  • const in parameters that are not modified
  • const in methods that don't modify the object
  • const in variables that don't change

Error Handling and Assertions

• check() - Assertion that breaks the game in debug (removed in Shipping)

  check(PlayerController != nullptr);
  

• ensure() - Check that logs but doesn't break the game

  ensureMsgf(Health > 0, TEXT("Health should be positive"));
  

• verify() - Similar to check but executes in all builds
• ensureAlways() - Similar to ensure but executes in all builds
• Return boolean values or error codes when appropriate
• ALWAYS log errors using UE_LOG() with appropriate levels:

  UE_LOG(LogTemp, Error, TEXT("Failed to initialize: %s"), *ErrorMessage);
  UE_LOG(LogTemp, Warning, TEXT("Health is low: %f"), Health);
  UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Player spawned"));
  

Log Levels

• Error - Critical errors that prevent functioning
• Warning - Warnings about potential problems
• Log - General information
• Verbose - Detailed information (disabled by default)
• VeryVerbose - Very detailed information (disabled by default)