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Style guide and design principles

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Style guide

This section describes the coding style rules that apply to JuMP code and that we recommend for JuMP models and surrounding Julia code. The motivations for a style guide include:

  • conveying best practices for writing readable and maintainable code

  • reducing the amount of time spent on bike-shedding by establishing basic naming and formatting conventions

  • lowering the barrier for new contributors by codifying the existing practices (for example, you can be more confident your code will pass review if you follow the style guide)

In some cases, the JuMP style guide diverges from the Julia style guide. All such cases will be explicitly noted and justified.

The JuMP style guide adopts many recommendations from the Google style guides.

The style guide is always a work in progress, and not all JuMP code follows the rules. When modifying JuMP, please fix the style violations of the surrounding code (that is, leave the code tidier than when you started). If large changes are needed, consider separating them into another PR.

JuliaFormatter

JuMP uses JuliaFormatter.jl as an auto-formatting tool.

We use the options contained in .JuliaFormatter.toml.

To format code, cd to the JuMP directory, then run:

] add JuliaFormatter@1
using JuliaFormatter
format("docs")
format("src")
format("test")

A continuous integration check verifies that all PRs made to JuMP have passed the formatter.

The following sections outline extra style guide points that are not fixed automatically by JuliaFormatter.

Abstract types and composition

Specifying types for method arguments is mostly optional in Julia. The benefit of abstract method arguments is that it enables functions and types from one package to be used with functions and types from another package via multiple dispatch.

However, abstractly typed methods have two main drawbacks:

  1. It’s possible to find out that you are working with unexpected types deep in the call chain, potentially leading to hard-to-diagnose MethodErrors.

  2. Untyped function arguments can lead to correctness problems if the user’s choice of input type does not satisfy the assumptions made by the author of the function.

As a motivating example, consider the following function:

julia> function my_sum(x)
           y = 0.0
           for i in 1:length(x)
               y += x[i]
           end
           return y
       end
my_sum (generic function with 1 method)

This function contains a number of implicit assumptions about the type of x:

  • x supports 1-based getindex and implements length

  • The element type of x supports addition with 0.0, and then with the result of x + 0.0.

As a motivating example for the second point, VariableRef plus Float64 produces an AffExpr. Do not assume that +(::A, ::B) produces an instance of the type A or B.

my_sum works as expected if the user passes in Vector{Float64}:

julia> my_sum([1.0, 2.0, 3.0])
6.0

but it doesn’t respect input types, for example returning a Float64 if the user passes Vector{Int}:

julia> my_sum([1, 2, 3])
6.0

but it throws a MethodError if the user passes String:

julia> my_sum("abc")
ERROR: MethodError: no method matching +(::Float64, ::Char)
[...]

This particular MethodError is hard to debug, particularly for new users, because it mentions +, Float64, and Char, none of which were called or passed by the user.

Dealing with MethodErrors

This section diverges from the Julia style guide, as well as other common guides like SciML. The following suggestions are intended to provide a friendlier experience for novice Julia programmers, at the cost of limiting the power and flexibility of advanced Julia programmers.

Code should follow the MethodError principle:

!!! info "The MethodError principle" A user should see a MethodError only for methods that they called directly.

Bad:

_internal_function(x::Integer) = x + 1
# The user sees a MethodError for _internal_function when calling
# public_function("a string"). This is not very helpful.
public_function(x) = _internal_function(x)

Good:

_internal_function(x::Integer) = x + 1
# The user sees a MethodError for public_function when calling
# public_function("a string"). This is easy to understand.
public_function(x::Integer) = _internal_function(x)

If it is hard to provide an error message at the top of the call chain, then the following pattern is also ok:

_internal_function(x::Integer) = x + 1
function _internal_function(x)
    error(
        "Internal error. This probably means that you called " *
        "`public_function()`s with the wrong type.",
    )
end
public_function(x) = _internal_function(x)

Dealing with correctness

Dealing with correctness is harder, because Julia has no way of formally specifying interfaces that abstract types must implement. Instead, here are two options that you can use when writing and interacting with generic code:

Option 1: use concrete types and let users extend new methods.

In this option, explicitly restrict input arguments to concrete types that are tested and have been validated for correctness. For example:

julia> function my_sum_option_1(x::Vector{Float64})
           y = 0.0
           for i in 1:length(x)
               y += x[i]
           end
           return y
       end
my_sum_option_1 (generic function with 1 method)

julia> my_sum_option_1([1.0, 2.0, 3.0])
6.0

Using concrete types satisfies the MethodError principle:

julia> my_sum_option_1("abc")
ERROR: MethodError: no method matching my_sum_option_1(::String)

and it allows other types to be supported in future by defining new methods:

julia> function my_sum_option_1(x::Array{T,N}) where {T<:Number,N}
           y = zero(T)
           for i in eachindex(x)
               y += x[i]
           end
           return y
       end
my_sum_option_1 (generic function with 2 methods)

Importantly, these methods do not have to be defined in the original package.

Some usage of abstract types is okay. For example, in my_sum_option_1, we allowed the element type, T, to be a subtype of Number. This is fairly safe, but it still has an implicit assumption that T supports zero(T) and +(::T, ::T).

Option 2: program defensively, and validate all assumptions.

An alternative is to program defensively, and to rigorously document and validate all assumptions that the code makes. In particular:

  1. All assumptions on abstract types that aren’t guaranteed by the definition of the abstract type (for example, optional methods without a fallback) should be documented.

  2. If practical, the assumptions should be checked in code, and informative error messages should be provided to the user if the assumptions are not met. In general, these checks may be expensive, so you should prefer to do this once, at the highest level of the call-chain.

  3. Tests should cover for a range of corner cases and argument types.

For example:

"""
    test_my_sum_defensive_assumptions(x::AbstractArray{T}) where {T}

Test the assumptions made by `my_sum_defensive`.
"""
function test_my_sum_defensive_assumptions(x::AbstractArray{T}) where {T}
    try
        # Some types may not define zero.
        @assert zero(T) isa T
        # Check iteration supported
        @assert iterate(x) isa Union{Nothing,Tuple{T,Int}}
        # Check that + is defined
        @assert +(zero(T), zero(T)) isa Any
    catch err
        error(
            "Unable to call my_sum_defensive(::$(typeof(x))) because " *
            "it failed an internal assumption",
        )
    end
    return
end

"""
    my_sum_defensive(x::AbstractArray{T}) where {T}

Return the sum of the elements in the abstract array `x`.

## Assumptions

This function makes the following assumptions:

 * That `zero(T)` is defined
 * That `x` supports the iteration interface
 * That  `+(::T, ::T)` is defined
"""
function my_sum_defensive(x::AbstractArray{T}) where {T}
    test_my_sum_defensive_assumptions(x)
    y = zero(T)
    for xi in x
        y += xi
    end
    return y
end

# output

my_sum_defensive

This function works on Vector{Float64}:

julia> my_sum_defensive([1.0, 2.0, 3.0])
6.0

as well as Matrix{Rational{Int}}:

julia> my_sum_defensive([(1//2) + (4//3)im; (6//5) + (7//11)im])
17//10 + 65//33*im

and it throws an error when the assumptions aren’t met:

julia> my_sum_defensive(['a', 'b', 'c'])
ERROR: Unable to call my_sum_defensive(::Vector{Char}) because it failed an internal assumption
[...]

As an alternative, you may choose not to call test_my_sum_defensive_assumptions within my_sum_defensive, and instead ask users of my_sum_defensive to call it in their tests.

Juxtaposed multiplication

Only use juxtaposed multiplication when the right-hand side is a symbol.

Good:

2x  # Acceptable if there are space constraints.
2 * x  # This is preferred if space is not an issue.
2 * (x + 1)

Bad:

2(x + 1)

Empty vectors

For a type T, T[] and Vector{T}() are equivalent ways to create an empty vector with element type T. Prefer T[] because it is more concise.

Comments

For non-native speakers and for general clarity, comments in code must be proper English sentences with appropriate punctuation.

Good:

# This is a comment demonstrating a good comment.

Bad:

# a bad comment

JuMP macro syntax

For consistency, always use parentheses.

Good:

@variable(model, x >= 0)

Bad:

@variable model x >= 0

For consistency, always use constant * variable as opposed to variable * constant. This makes it easier to read models in ambiguous cases like a * x.

Good:

a = 4
@constraint(model, 3 * x <= 1)
@constraint(model, a * x <= 1)

Bad:

a = 4
@constraint(model, x * 3 <= 1)
@constraint(model, x * a <= 1)

In order to reduce boilerplate code, prefer the plural form of macros over lots of repeated calls to singular forms.

Good:

@variables(model, begin
    x >= 0
    y >= 1
    z <= 2
end)

Bad:

@variable(model, x >= 0)
@variable(model, y >= 1)
@variable(model, z <= 2)

An exception is made for calls with many keyword arguments, since these need to be enclosed in parentheses in order to parse properly.

Acceptable:

@variable(model, x >= 0, start = 0.0, base_name = "my_x")
@variable(model, y >= 1, start = 2.0)
@variable(model, z <= 2, start = -1.0)

Also acceptable:

@variables(model, begin
    x >= 0, (start = 0.0, base_name = "my_x")
    y >= 1, (start = 2.0)
    z <= 2, (start = -1.0)
end)

While we always use in for for-loops, it is acceptable to use = in the container declarations of JuMP macros.

Okay:

@variable(model, x[i=1:3])

Also okay:

@variable(model, x[i in 1:3])

Naming

module SomeModule end
function some_function end
const SOME_CONSTANT = ...
struct SomeStruct
  some_field::SomeType
end
@enum SomeEnum ENUM_VALUE_A ENUM_VALUE_B
some_local_variable = ...
some_file.jl # Except for ModuleName.jl.

Exported and non-exported names

Begin private module level functions and constants with an underscore. All other objects in the scope of a module should be exported. (See JuMP.jl for an example of how to do this.)

Names beginning with an underscore should only be used for distinguishing between exported (public) and non-exported (private) objects. Therefore, never begin the name of a local variable with an underscore.

module MyModule

export public_function, PUBLIC_CONSTANT

function _private_function()
    local_variable = 1
    return
end

function public_function end

const _PRIVATE_CONSTANT = 3.14159
const PUBLIC_CONSTANT = 1.41421

end

Use of underscores within names

The Julia style guide recommends avoiding underscores "when readable," for example, haskey, isequal, remotecall, and remotecall_fetch. This convention creates the potential for unnecessary bikeshedding and also forces the user to recall the presence/absence of an underscore, for example, "was that argument named basename or base_name?". For consistency, always use underscores in variable names and function names to separate words.

Use of !

Julia has a convention of appending ! to a function name if the function modifies its arguments. We recommend to:

  • Omit ! when the name itself makes it clear that modification is taking place, for example, add_constraint and set_name. We depart from the Julia style guide because ! does not provide a reader with any additional information in this case, and adherence to this convention is not uniform even in base Julia itself (consider Base.println and Base.finalize).

  • Use ! in all other cases. In particular it can be used to distinguish between modifying and non-modifying variants of the same function like scale and scale!.

Note that ! is not a self-documenting feature because it is still ambiguous which arguments are modified when multiple arguments are present. Be sure to document which arguments are modified in the method’s docstring.

See also the Julia style guide recommendations for ordering of function arguments.

Abbreviations

Abbreviate names to make the code more readable, not to save typing. Don’t arbitrarily delete letters from a word to abbreviate it (for example, indx). Use abbreviations consistently within a body of code (for example, do not mix con and constr, idx and indx).

Common abbreviations:

  • num for number

  • con for constraint

No one-letter variable names

Where possible, avoid one-letter variable names.

Use model = Model() instead of m = Model()

Exceptions are made for indices in loops.

@enum vs. Symbol

The @enum macro lets you define types with a finite number of values that are explicitly enumerated (like enum in C/C++). Symbols are lightweight strings that are used to represent identifiers in Julia (for example, :x).

@enum provides type safety and can have docstrings attached to explain the possible values. Use @enums when applicable, for example, for reporting statuses. Use strings to provide long-form additional information like error messages.

Use of Symbol should typically be reserved for identifiers, for example, for lookup in the JuMP model (model[:my_variable]).

using vs. import

using ModuleName brings all symbols exported by the module ModuleName into scope, while import ModuleName brings only the module itself into scope. (See the Julia manual) for examples and more details.

For the same reason that from <module> import * is not recommended in python (PEP 8), avoid using ModuleName except in throw-away scripts or at the REPL. The using statement makes it harder to track where symbols come from and exposes the code to ambiguities when two modules export the same symbol.

Prefer using ModuleName: x, p to import ModuleName.x, ModuleName.p and import MyModule: x, p because the import versions allow method extension without qualifying with the module name.

Similarly, using ModuleName: ModuleName is an acceptable substitute for import ModuleName, because it does not bring all symbols exported by ModuleName into scope. However, we prefer import ModuleName for consistency.

Documentation

This section describes the writing style that should be used when writing documentation for JuMP (and supporting packages).

We can recommend the documentation style guides by Divio, Google, and Write the Docs as general reading for those writing documentation. This guide delegates a thorough handling of the topic to those guides and instead elaborates on the points more specific to Julia and documentation that use Documenter.

  • Be concise

  • Use lists instead of long sentences

  • Use numbered lists when describing a sequence, for example, (1) do X, (2) then Y

  • Use bullet points when the items are not ordered

  • Example code should be covered by doctests

  • When a word is a Julia symbol and not an English word, enclose it with backticks. In addition, if it has a docstring in this doc add a link using @ref. If it is a plural, add the "s" after the closing backtick. For example,

    `VariableRef`s

  • Use @meta blocks for TODOs and other comments that shouldn’t be visible to readers. For example,

    ```@meta
# TODO: Mention also X, Y, and Z.
```

Docstrings

  • Every exported object needs a docstring

  • All examples in docstrings should be jldoctests

  • Always use complete English sentences with proper punctuation

  • Do not terminate lists with punctuation (for example, as in this doc)

Here is an example:

"""
    signature(args; kwargs...)

Short sentence describing the function.

Optional: add a slightly longer paragraph describing the function.

## Notes

 - List any notes that the user should be aware of

## Example

```jldoctest
julia> 1 + 1
2
```
"""

Testing

Use a module to encapsulate tests, and structure all tests as functions. This avoids leaking local variables between tests.

Here is a basic skeleton:

module TestPkg

using Test

function runtests()
    for name in names(@__MODULE__; all = true)
        if startswith("$(name)", "test_")
            @testset "$(name)" begin
                getfield(@__MODULE__, name)()
            end
        end
    end
    return
end

_helper_function() = 2

function test_addition()
    @test 1 + 1 == _helper_function()
    return
end

end # module TestPkg

TestPkg.runtests()

Break the tests into multiple files, with one module per file, so that subsets of the codebase can be tested by calling include with the relevant file.