============
Naming Rules
============

The Naming Ruleset contains a collection of rules about names - too long, too short, and so forth.

LongClassName
=============

Since: PHPMD 2.9

Detects when classes or interfaces are declared with excessively long names.

Example: ::

  class ATooLongClassNameThatHintsAtADesignProblem {

  }

  interface ATooLongInterfaceNameThatHintsAtADesignProblem {

  }

  class ClassGroupPrefixesThatIsUsedForGrouping {

  }

This rule has the following properties:

+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name                              | Default Value | Description                                                |
+===================================+===============+============================================================+
| maximum                           | 40            | The class name length reporting threshold.                 |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| subtract-prefixes                 |               | Comma-separated list of prefixes that will not count in    |
|                                   |               | the length of the class name. Only the first matching      |
|                                   |               | prefix will be subtracted.                                 |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| subtract-suffixes                 |               | Comma-separated list of suffixes that will not count in    |
|                                   |               | the length of the class name. Only the first matching      |
|                                   |               | suffix will be subtracted.                                 |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+

ShortClassName
==============

Since: PHPMD 2.9

Detects when classes or interfaces have a very short name.

Example: ::

  class Fo {

  }

  interface Fo {

  }

This rule has the following properties:

+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name                              | Default Value | Description                                                |
+===================================+===============+============================================================+
| minimum                           | 3             | The class name length reporting threshold                  |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| exceptions                        |               | Comma-separated list of exceptions. Example: Log,URL,FTP   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+


ShortVariable
=============

Since: PHPMD 0.2

Detects when a field, local, or parameter has a very short name.

Example: ::

  class Something {
      private $q = 15; // VIOLATION - Field
      public static function main( array $as ) { // VIOLATION - Formal
          $r = 20 + $this->q; // VIOLATION - Local
          for (int $i = 0; $i < 10; $i++) { // Not a Violation (inside FOR)
              $r += $this->q;
          }
      }
  }

This rule has the following properties:

+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name                              | Default Value | Description                                                |
+===================================+===============+============================================================+
| minimum                           | 3             | Minimum length for a variable, property or parameter name. |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| exceptions                        |               | Comma-separated list of exceptions                         |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+

LongVariable
============

Since: PHPMD 0.2

Detects when a field, formal or local variable is declared with a long name.

Example: ::

  class Something {
      protected $reallyLongIntName = -3; // VIOLATION - Field
      protected $hungarianUintArrOptions = []; // VIOLATION - Field
      public static function main( array $interestingArgumentsList[] ) { // VIOLATION - Formal
          $otherReallyLongName = -5; // VIOLATION - Local
          for ($interestingIntIndex = 0; // VIOLATION - For
               $interestingIntIndex < 10;
               $interestingIntIndex++ ) {
          }
      }
  }

This rule has the following properties:

+-----------------------------------+---------------+-------------------------------------------+
| Name                              | Default Value | Description                               |
+===================================+===============+===========================================+
| maximum                           | 20            | The variable length reporting threshold   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+-------------------------------------------+
| subtract-prefixes                 |               | Comma-separated list of prefixes that will|
|                                   |               | not count in the length of the variable   |
|                                   |               | name. Only the first matching prefix will |
|                                   |               | be subtracted.                            |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+-------------------------------------------+
| subtract-suffixes                 |               | Comma-separated list of suffixes that will|
|                                   |               | not count in the length of the variable   |
|                                   |               | name. Only the first matching suffix will |
|                                   |               | be subtracted.                            |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+-------------------------------------------+

ShortMethodName
===============

Since: PHPMD 0.2

Detects when very short method names are used.

Example: ::

  class ShortMethod {
      public function a( $index ) { // Violation
      }
  }

This rule has the following properties:

+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name                              | Default Value | Description                                                |
+===================================+===============+============================================================+
| minimum                           | 3             | Minimum length for a method or function name               |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| exceptions                        |               | Comma-separated list of exceptions                         |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+

ConstructorWithNameAsEnclosingClass
===================================

Since: PHPMD 0.2

A constructor method should not have the same name as the enclosing class, consider to use the PHP 5 __construct method.

Example: ::

  class MyClass {
       // this is bad because it is PHP 4 style
      public function MyClass() {}
      // this is good because it is a PHP 5 constructor
      public function __construct() {}
  }

ConstantNamingConventions
=========================

Since: PHPMD 0.2

Class/Interface constant names should always be defined in uppercase.

Example: ::

  class Foo {
      const MY_NUM = 0; // ok
      const myTest = ""; // fail
  }

BooleanGetMethodName
====================

Since: PHPMD 0.2

Looks for methods named 'getX()' with 'boolean' as the return type. The convention is to name these methods 'isX()' or 'hasX()'.

Example: ::

  class Foo {
      /**
       * @return boolean
       */
      public function getFoo() {} // bad
      /**
       * @return bool
       */
      public function isFoo(); // ok
      /**
       * @return boolean
       */
      public function getFoo($bar); // ok, unless checkParameterizedMethods=true
  }

This rule has the following properties:

+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name                              | Default Value | Description                                                |
+===================================+===============+============================================================+
| checkParameterizedMethods         | false         | Applies only to methods without parameter when set to true |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------------------------------------------------+

Remark
======

  This document is based on a ruleset xml-file, that was taken from the original source of the `PMD`__ project. This means that most parts of the content on this page are the intellectual work of the PMD community and its contributors and not of the PHPMD project.

__ http://pmd.sourceforge.net/