Naming conventions

Variable naming conventions

The following characters are not allowed in variable names:

• whitespace characters: input file parsing ambiguity
• ,: input file parsing ambiguity
• ;: input file parsing ambiguity
• .: clash with PyTorch parameter/buffer naming convention

Source code naming conventions

In NEML2 source code, the following naming conventions are recommended:

• User-facing variables and option names should be as descriptive as possible. For example, the equivalent plastic strain is named "equivalent_plastic_strain". Note that white spaces, quotes, and left slashes are not allowed in the names. Underscores are recommended as a replacement for white spaces.
• Developer-facing variables and option names should use simple alphanumeric symbols. For example, the equivalent plastic strain is named "ep" in consistency with most of the existing literature.
• Developer-facing member variables and option names should use the same alphanumeric symbols. For example, the member variable for the equivalent plastic strain is named ep. However, if the member variable is protected or private, it is recommended to prefix it with an underscore, i.e. _ep.
• Struct names and class names should use PascalCase.
• Function names should use snake_case.