linux-kernel - [PATCH 9/9] CodingStyle: flip the rule about curlies

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Message-ID: <20250509203430.3448-9-adobriyan@gmail.com>
Date: Fri,  9 May 2025 23:34:30 +0300
From: Alexey Dobriyan <adobriyan@...il.com>
To: corbet@....net
Cc: workflows@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Alexey Dobriyan <adobriyan@...il.com>
Subject: [PATCH 9/9] CodingStyle: flip the rule about curlies

Require set of curlies {} in all if/else branches and all loops
not matter how simple.

The rationale is that maintaining curlies increases churn and make
patches bigger when those if/else branches grow and shrink so it is
easier to always add them.

There are more important things in life than herding curlies.

Signed-off-by: Alexey Dobriyan <adobriyan@...il.com>
---
 Documentation/process/coding-style.rst | 57 +++++++++++++++-----------
 1 file changed, 32 insertions(+), 25 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst b/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
index 494ab3201112..dc18ff40ebf2 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
@@ -280,43 +280,50 @@ supply of new-lines on your screen is not a renewable resource (think
 25-line terminal screens here), you have more empty lines to put
 comments on.
 
-Do not unnecessarily use braces where a single statement will do.
+All ``if``, ``for``, ``do``-``while``, ``switch`` and ``while`` statements
+use braces even when C grammar allows to omit them:
 
 .. code-block:: c
 
-	if (condition)
-		action();
-
-and
-
-.. code-block:: c
-
-	if (condition)
-		do_this();
-	else
-		do_that();
-
-This does not apply if only one branch of a conditional statement is a single
-statement; in the latter case use braces in both branches:
+	if (cond) {
+		t();
+	}
 
-.. code-block:: c
+	if (cond) {
+		t();
+	} else {
+		f();
+	}
 
-	if (condition) {
-		do_this();
-		do_that();
+	if (cond1) {
+		t1();
+	} else if (cond2) {
+		t2();
 	} else {
-		otherwise();
+		f();
 	}
 
-Also, use braces when a loop contains more than a single simple statement:
+	for (int i = 0; i < N; i += 1) {
+		f(i);
+	}
 
-.. code-block:: c
+	do {
+		g();
+	} while (0);
 
-	while (condition) {
-		if (test)
-			do_something();
+	switch (x) {
+	case X1:
+		f();
 	}
 
+	while (1) {
+		f();
+	}
+
+In the future, code will be added and deleted but braces stay untouched.
+Maitaining them when if branches, loop bodies grow and shrink is useless
+busywork not even worthy of discussion.
+
 Spaces
 ******
 
-- 
2.49.0