// vim:syntax=doxygen /** \page cmp FLTK Code Management Plan (CMP)

*** WORK IN PROGRESS ***

\section cmp_intro CMP Coding Intro This document defines the coding standards that all FLTK developers must follow when developing source code and related documentation for the FLTK library. The purpose of defining formal standards is to organize and focus our development efforts, ensure that all developers communicate and develop software with a common vocabulary/style, and make it possible for us to generate and release a high-quality GUI toolkit which can be used with a high degree of confidence. Much of this file describes existing practices that have been used up through FLTK 1.1.x, however some new standards have been added for future code and releases. \section cmp_communication Communication The fltk.coredev mailing list/newsgroup are the primary means of communication between developers. All major design changes must be discussed prior to implementation. We use GitHub Issues to manage bugs. Please see the CMP section on Managing GitHub Issues for how developers should manage GitHub issues. It is wise for all developers to monitor these github related mailing list/newsgroups for bug and commit acitivity: - fltk.commit — (nntp/web) All fltk developer commits on GitHub commit. Includes old pre-Oct 2018 SVN commits - fltk.issues — (nntp/web) All new/current fltk bugs as GitHub Issues. See "Managing GitHub Issues" - fltk.bugs — (nntp/web) The "Old STR Bug Management System" activity (replaced by GitHub Issues). See "Managing Old STR's" To monitor these groups, either configure github to cc you on activity, or see the https://www.fltk.org/newsgroups.php page and use either the web interface or NNTP instructions. \section cmp_goals Specific Goals The specific goals of the FLTK are as follows: - Develop a C++ GUI toolkit based upon sound object-oriented design principles and experience. - Minimize CPU usage (fast). - Minimize memory usage (light). - Support multiple operating systems and windowing environments, including UNIX/Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, and X11, using the "native" graphics interfaces. - Support OpenGL rendering in environments that provide it. - Provide a graphical development environment for designing GUI interfaces, classes, and simple programs. - Support UTF-8 text. - Support printer rendering in environments that provide it. - Support "schemes", "styles", "themes", "skinning", etc. to alter the appearance of widgets in the toolkit easily and efficiently. The purpose is to allow applications to tailor their appearance to the underlying OS or based upon personal/user preferences. - Support newer C++ language features, such as templating via the Standard Template Library ("STL"), and certain Standard C++ library interfaces, such as streams. However, FLTK will not depend upon such features and interfaces to minimize portability issues. - Support intelligent layout of widgets. Many of these goals are satisfied by FLTK 1.1.x, and many complex applications have been written using FLTK on a wide range of platforms and devices. \section cmp_practices_docs Documentation All widgets are documented using the Doxygen software; Doxygen comments are placed in the header file for the class comments and any inline methods, while non-inline methods should have their comments placed in the corresponding source file. The purpose of this separation is to place the comments near the implementation to reduce the possibility of the documentation getting out of sync with the code. All widgets must have a corresponding test program which exercises all widget functionality and can be used to generate image(s) for the documentation. Complex widgets must have a written tutorial, either as full text or an outline for later publication Starting with FLTK 1.3 Doxygen is used for HTML and PDF documentation. \section cmp_coding_standards Coding Standards The following is a guide to the coding style that must be used when adding or modifying code in FLTK. Most of this should be obvious from looking at the code, but here it all is in one spot. \section cmp_coding_style General Coding Style The FLTK code basically follows the K&R coding style. While many of the developers are not entirely satisfied with this coding style, no one has volunteered to change all of the FLTK source code (currently about 54,000 lines of code!) to a new style. The K&R coding style can be summarized with the following example code: \verbatim int function(int arg) { if (arg != 10) { printf("arg = %d\n", arg); return (0); } else { return 1; } } int function2(int arg) { for (int i = 0; i < arg; i++) { stuff(); } while (something) { stuff(); } switch (arg) { case 0: stuff_here(); break; case 1: { int var; stuff_here(); break; } case 2: stuff(); /* FALLTHROUGH */ case 3: simple_stuff1(); break; case 4: simple_stuff2(); break; default: break; } return (0); } \endverbatim To summarize: - All curly braces must open on the same line as the enclosing statement and close at the same level of indentation. - Each block of code must be indented 2 spaces. - Tabs are not allowed in source files, please use only spaces for indenting. - A space follows all reserved words. - A space precedes and follows all operators except prefix and postfix operators (++i, j--, et al). - Trailing whitespace (spaces and tabs) must be removed before committing. Please check your editor's documentation how to do this. \note Example Visual Studio Code: use ctrl-k ctrl-x before saving the file. On macOS: use cmd-k cmd-x instead. \section cmp_coding_standards_docs Source File Documentation Each source file must start with the standard FLTK header containing the description of the file, and FLTK copyright and license notice: \verbatim // // Some descriptive text for the Fast Light Tool Kit (FLTK). // // Copyright 1998-2020 by Bill Spitzak and others. // // This library is free software. Distribution and use rights are outlined in // the file "COPYING" which should have been included with this file. If this // file is missing or damaged, see the license at: // // https://www.fltk.org/COPYING.php // // Please see the following page on how to report bugs and issues: // // https://www.fltk.org/bugs.php // \endverbatim ..or the equivalent comment block using the C or other comment delimiters appropriate for the source file language (shell, CMake, etc). \section cmp_coding_doxygen Doxygen Documentation (Comments) FLTK 1.3 and up uses Doxygen with the JavaDoc comment style to document all classes, structures, enumerations, methods, and functions. Doxygen comments are \b mandatory for all FLTK header and source files, and no FLTK release will be made without complete documentation of public APIs. Here is an example of the Doxygen comment style: \verbatim /** The Foo class implements the Foo widget for FLTK. This description text appears in the documentation for the class and may include HTML tags as desired. */ class FL_EXPORT Foo : public Widget { int private_data_; public: /** Creates a Foo widget with the given position and label. This description text appears in the documentation for the method's implementation. References to parameters \p X, \p Y, \p W, \p H are mentioned this way. \param[in] X,Y,W,H Position and size of widget \param[in] L Optional label (default is 0 for no label) */ Foo(int X, int Y, int W, int H, const char *L = 0) { ..implementation here.. } }; \endverbatim Essentially, a comment starting with '/ **' and ending with '* /' (both w/o spaces) before the class or method defines the documentation for that class or method. These comments should appear in the header file for classes and inline methods and in the code file for non-inline methods. In addition to Doxygen comments, block comments must be used liberally in the code to describe what is being done. If what you are doing is not "intuitively obvious to a casual observer", add a comment! Remember, you're not the only one that has to read, maintain, and debug the code. Never use C++ comments in C code files or in header files that may be included from a C program. (Otherwise builds on strict platforms like SGI will fail). Normally, fltk C files have ".c" and ".h" file extensions, and C++ have ".cxx" and ".H". Currently there are a few exceptions; filename.H and Fl_Exports.H both get interpreted by C and C++, so you must use C style comments in those. \section cmp_general_recommendations General Developer Recommendations Most important rule: Put Doxygen comments where the code's implementation is. This means don't put the docs with the prototypes in the .H file, unless that's where the code is implemented. - \p class, \p typedef, \p enum, and \p inline docs go in the headers - Most other docs go in the source files - For doxygen syntax in C++ files, use: \verbatim /** for standard doxygen comments */ ///< for short single line post-declaration doxygen comments \endverbatim - For doxygen syntax in C files, use: \verbatim /** for standard doxygen comments */ /**< for short single line post-declaration doxygen comments */ \endverbatim - Use `\p` for parameters citation in the description - Use `\param[in] xxx` and `\param[out] xxx` for input/output parameters. - Don't use doxygen tags between the `\\htmlonly` and `\\endhtmlonly` pair of tags. - When commenting out code or writing non-doxygen comments, be sure not to accidentally use doxygen comment styles, or your comments will be published! Beware doxygen recognizes other comment styles for itself: \verbatim /*! beware */ /*@ beware */ //! beware //@ beware \endverbatim There may be others. For this reason, follow all non-doxygen comment leaders with a space to avoid accidental doxygen parsing: \verbatim /* safe from doxygen */ // safe from doxygen ↑ Space immediately after comment characters \endverbatim Note: Several characters are 'special' within doxygen commments, and must be escaped with a backslash to appear in the docs correctly. Some of these are: \verbatim \< -- disambiguates html tags \> -- "" \& -- "" \@ -- disambiguates JavaDoc doxygen comments \$ -- disambiguates environment variable expansions \# -- disambiguates references to documented entities \% -- suppresses prevention of auto-linking (escapes a single '%' that prevents auto-linking) \\ -- escapes the escape character \endverbatim Itemized lists can be specified two ways; both work, the first is preferred: \b Preferred: Here's a bullet list: \verbatim - Apples - Oranges \endverbatim Here's a numbered list: \verbatim -# First thing -# Second thing \endverbatim Old (HTML) style. Please use the style above instead. Here's a bullet list: \verbatim \endverbatim Here's a numbered list: \verbatim
  1. First thing
  2. Second thing
\endverbatim \section cmp_temporary_code Documenting Temporary Code or Issues Temporary code and code that has a known issue MUST be documented in-line with the following (Doxygen) comment style: \verbatim /** \todo this code is temporary */ \endverbatim `\todo` items are listed by Doxygen making it easy to locate any code that has an outstanding issue or code that should be removed or commented out prior to a release. \section cmp_documenting_class_and_struct Documenting Classes and Structures Classes and structures start with a comment block that looks like the following: \verbatim /** A brief description of the class/structure. A complete description of the class/structure. */ class MyClass { ...implementation... }; \endverbatim \section cmp_documenting_enum Documenting Enumerations Enumerations start with a comment block that looks like the following: \verbatim /** A brief description of the enumeration. A complete description of the enumeration. */ enum MyEnum { ...implementation... }; \endverbatim Each enumeration value must be documented in-line next to the corresponding definition as follows: \verbatim /* C++ STYLE */ enum MyEnum { BLACK, ///< The color black. RED, ///< The color red. GREEN, ///< The color green. YELLOW, ///< The color yellow. BLUE ///< The color blue. }; \endverbatim If the enum is included in a C file, be sure to use C style commenting: \verbatim /* C STYLE */ enum MyEnum { BLACK, /**< The color black. */ RED, /**< The color red. */ GREEN, /**< The color green. */ YELLOW, /**< The color yellow. */ BLUE /**< The color blue. */ }; \endverbatim \section cmp_documenting_functions_and_methods Documenting Functions and Methods Functions and methods start with a comment block that looks like the following: \verbatim /** A brief description of the function/method. A complete description of the function/method. Optional passing mention of parameter \p a and \p out1. Optional code example goes here if needed: \code ..code showing how to use it.. \endcode \param[in] a Description of input variable a \param[in] x,y Description of input variables x and y in one comment \param[out] out1 Description of output variable out1 \param[out] out2 Description of output variable out2 \return 0 on success, -1 on error \see other_func1(), other_func2() */ int my_function(int a, int x, int y, float &out1, float &out2) { ...implementation... } \endverbatim Some details on the above: - Parameters Use `\param` to document function/method parameters using either of the following formats, the latter being preferred: \verbatim \param var Some description \param[in|out] var Some description. \endverbatim Mention of parameters in docs should use `"\p varname"`. (Use `\p` instead of `\a`) Note: Doxygen checks your `\param` variable names against the actual function signatures in your code. It does NOT check `\p` names for consistency. - Return Values Use `\return` to document return values. Omit this if there is no return value. - Reference related methods Use `\see` to help the reader find related methods. (Methods are sorted alphabetically by doxygen, so 'related' methods might not appear together) Locate `\see` references below `\param[]` and `\return` as shown in the above example. - Code examples Use `\code` and `\endcode` when code examples are needed. Text within will be exempt from html and doxygen escape code parsing, so you don't have to escape characters \<, \>, \&, etc. as you would normally. Be careful not to embed C style comments within `\code` and `\endcode` or it will break the outer doxygen comment block. (A good reason to always test build the code base before committing documentation-only mods.) - Where to put docs Function/method documentation must be placed next to the corresponding code. (Rule: "Put the docs where the code implementation is.") Comments for in-line functions and methods are placed in the header file where they're defined. \section cmp_documenting_members_and_variables Documenting Members and Variables Members and variables can be documented in one of two ways; in block comment form: \verbatim /** A brief doxygen description of the member/variable. A complete description of the member/variable. More text goes here.. */ int my_variable_; \endverbatim or in the preferred form as in-line comments as follows: \verbatim int my_variable1_; ///< C++ file's brief doxygen description of the member/variable int my_variable2_; /**< C file's brief doxygen description of the member/variable */ \endverbatim \section cmp_methodology_algorithms Methodology, Algorithms, Etc. The goal of FLTK is to provide a robust GUI toolkit that is small, fast, and reliable. All public API functions and methods must be documented with the valid values for all input parameters - NULL pointers, number ranges, etc. - and no public API function may have undefined behaviors. Input validation should be performed only when the function or method is able to return an error to the caller. When solving a particular problem, whether you are writing a widget or adding functionality to the library, please consider the following guidelines: -# Choose the small, simple, easy-to-test algorithm over a more complex, larger one that is harder to debug and maintain. -# Choose the fastest algorithm that satisfies #1 -# Break complex solutions into smaller, more manageable pieces. -# If functionality can be separated from the main part of the FLTK library, separate it. The idea is to keep the FLTK "core" as small as possible so that programs use memory proportionate to their complexity rather than starting big. -# Choose a general-purpose solution over a single-purpose solution, i.e. don't limit your design to what you think something will be used for. -# Don't rely on functionality available on a particular platform or compiler; this ties in with #5. \section cmp_portability C++ Portability Since FLTK is targeted at platforms which often lack complete ISO C++ support or have limited memory, all C++ code in FLTK must use a subset of ISO C++. These restrictions shall be reviewed prior to each minor or major release of FLTK. \subsection cmp_fltk_1_1_x_restrictions FLTK 1.1.x Restrictions The following C++ features may be not used in FLTK 1.1.x code: - Exceptions - Namespaces - Standard C++ headers and library - Templates - static_cast, dynamic_cast, const_cast \subsection cmp_fltk_1_3_x_restrictions FLTK 1.3.x Restrictions The following C++ features may be not used in FLTK 1.3.x code: - Exceptions - Namespaces - Standard C++ headers and library - Templates - dynamic_cast \subsection cmp_fltk_1_4_x_restrictions FLTK 1.4.x Restrictions The following C++ features may be not used in FLTK 1.4.x code: - Exceptions - Namespaces - Standard C++ headers and library - Templates - dynamic_cast The `reinterpret_cast` keyword may be used but is not mandatory. The `static_cast` and `const_cast` keywords should be used when casting pointers of different types. The `dynamic_cast` keyword must not be used since run-time typing features may not be available at all times. \subsection cmp_fltk_1_5_x_restrictions FLTK 1.5.x Restrictions \todo This needs to be populated with the new restrictions/allowed c++ features. \subsection cmp_source_file_naming Source File Naming The current practice is to use an extension of ".c" for C source files, ".h" for C header files, ".cxx" for C++ source files, and ".H" for C++ header files in the "FL" directory (".h" otherwise.) \todo Mention of the "fltk" namespace below is I think fltk2 specific, needs changes for 1.x.x Function/Method/Variable Naming All public (exported) functions and variables must be placed in the "fltk" namespace. Except for constructor and destructor methods, the names consist of lowercase words separated by the underscore ("_"), e.g. "fltk::some_variable" and "text_color()". Private member variables of classes end with an extra underscore, e.g. "text_size_". \section cmp_struct_class_naming Structure/Class Naming \todo The following needs modification; AFAIK we don't use the `fltk` namespace - I think that was an fltk2 thing - but we do recently make some use of `Fl` namespace (matt's recent tablet commits) All public (exported) structures and classes must be placed in the "fltk" namespace and consist of capitalized words without the underscore, e.g. "fltk::SuperWidget". Private members of classes must end with a trailing underscore ("_") and have corresponding public access methods without the underscore as applicable, e.g. "text_size_" and "text_size()". \section cmp_constant_enum_naming Constant/Enumeration Naming \todo The following needs modification regarding "fltk" namespace (this being an FLTK2 thing IIRC) Public enumerations and constant variables must be placed inside the "fltk" namespace and consist of UPPERCASE WORDS separated by the underscore ("_"), e.g. "ALIGN_LEFT", "COLOR_RED", etc. Enumeration type names consist of capitalized words without underscores, e.g. "MyEnum". `#define` constants are prohibited aside from the include guard definitions. \section cmp_preprocessor_variables Preprocessor Variables File \c config.h and the C++ compilers define a few preprocessor variables that help organizing platform-specific code and control access to a few internal classes. Only code internal to the FLTK library can include the \c config.h header file. Thus, FLTK header files that are part of the public API must not, directly or indirectly, include \c config.h. - `_WIN32` identifies the MS-Windows platform (both for the 32- and 64-bit versions). Note: FLTK 1.3.x and earlier used \c WIN32 which had to be defined by the FLTK build system. FLTK 1.4.0 and later versions use \c `_WIN32` (with leading underscore) which should be defined by the build tools (preprocessor, compiler) on the Windows platform. - `__CYGWIN__` is defined when FLTK runs on Windows but uses Cygwin's POSIX emulation features (cygwin1.dll). No longer officially supported but \b may work. - `__APPLE__` identifies the macOS platform. - `FLTK_USE_X11` is defined by \c 'FL/fl_config.h' (since 1.4) when FLTK is built for the Xlib (aka `X`) graphics system. Thus, `FLTK_USE_X11` is defined - on Unix and Linux, if built for the X11 or the "hybrid" (X11 + Wayland) platform - on Windows, if `configure` used `--enable-cygwin` \b and `--enable-x11`.\n Note: FLTK 1.4 is the last minor FLTK version that supports `configure`. - Note: Xlib-specific code was also often delimited without reference to the `FLTK_USE_X11` macro (thus without the requirement to include \c FL/fl_config.h) as follows: \code #if defined(_WIN32) // Windows specific code ... #elif defined(__APPLE__) // macOS specific code ... #else // Xlib specific code ... #endif \endcode This \b must no longer be done because it could be ambiguous since the introduction of Wayland. - `FLTK_USE_WAYLAND` is defined by \c 'FL/fl_config.h' (since 1.4) if FLTK is built with Wayland support (either with or without X11 support). This is only possible on Linux, Unix, or similar platforms. - `USE_XFT` is defined by `config.h` if FLTK is built for X11 \b and CMake build option \c FLTK_USE_XFT has been enabled (\c ON). FLTK 1.4 and earlier: ... or the corresponding configure option `--use-xft`. It is set to 1 when the Xft library of scalable, anti-aliased fonts is used, and to 0 otherwise. Note: This variable is \b not accessible by user code (not in the public interface). It is considered an implementation detail. - `FL_LIBRARY` is defined by all FLTK library build systems when the FLTK library itself is compiled. Application program developers \b must \b not define it when compiling their programs. - `FL_INTERNALS` can be defined by application program developers to access certain internal FLTK library classes (e.g., the `Fl_X` class) and some global variables and definitions (macros) if they need it. APIs to these internal classes are highly subject to changes, though. - `FL_DLL` is defined by the FLTK build system when building shared libraries (DLL's) with Visual Studio. Application program developers using Visual Studio and linking against the shared FLTK libraries (DLL's) built with Visual Studio must define this macro when compiling their source files. Note that this macro must be defined by the build system (VS project setup/properties) or on the compiler command line so it is "seen" by all included FLTK header files.



- `FL_DOXYGEN` is defined when the Doxygen program that builds the FLTK documentation processes the source code. This variable has two major uses:

-# `#ifndef FL_DOXYGEN` / `#endif` allows to hide code from Doxygen. -# The Doxygen program does not define the platform-specific variables `__APPLE__` or `_WIN32` (even if it's run on macOS or Windows). Thus, platform-specific (say, macOS-specific) code must be bracketed as follows to be seen by Doxygen: \verbatim #if defined(__APPLE__) || defined(FL_DOXYGEN) ... Doxygen-visible, macOS-specific code ... #endif \endverbatim

- `FL_ABI_VERSION` is used to allow developers to implement ABI breaking code in Patch Releases. Normally set to the default ABI version for each minor version (for instance 10400 for all 1.4.x releases), can be changed by users or devs with configure or CMake to enable ABI breaking features for testing or use by end users in static builds of FLTK.

Note: This preprocessor variable was named FLTK_ABI_VERSION in FLTK 1.3.x and was renamed to FL_ABI_VERSION since FLTK 1.4.0.

When set, the variable's value is expected to be the integer representation of the FLTK version number, where the Minor and Patch numbers are padded to two digits to allow for numbers 1 thru 99, e.g. \verbatim #define FL_ABI_VERSION 10401 // FLTK ABI version 1.4.1 ..'1' is the major version (no padding; avoids octal issues) ..'04' is the minor version (2 digit padding) ..'01' is the patch version (2 digit padding) \endverbatim ABI breaking features are by default '\#ifdef'ed out with this variable during patch releases, and are merged in by developers during the next Minor Release.

Example: If the current patch release is 1.4.0, and the developer adds an ABI-breaking fix to what will be the next 1.4.1 release, then the new code would be implemented as: \verbatim #if FL_ABI_VERSION >= 10401 // FLTK 1.4.1, the next patch release # ... new ABI breaking code ... #else ... old non-ABI breaking (default builds) ... #endif \endverbatim This variable solves several issues: - Allows ABI breaking code to be implemented at any time by developers. - Gets fixes into Git sooner, so users can see, test and access it. - Testing ABI features during Patch Releases increases the stability of Minor Releases. - Prevents devs having to defer ABI breaking code to the small window of time preceding Minor Releases. \section cmp_miscellaneous_coding_practices Miscellaneous Coding Practices \subsection cmp_use_of_fallthrough Using switch() and 'FALLTHROUGH' Comments When using switch/case statements, and your case statement does not end in break in order to fall through to the next case statement, a \code /* FALLTHROUGH */ \endcode comment should be added where the break statement would be. \subsection cmp_useful_vs_macros Useful Visual Studio C++ Macros (Windows) Here's a list of Visual Studio compiler macros for main Visual Studio versions that can be used to conditionalize code based on the Visual Studio version: Version | Product Name | _MSC_VER --------|----------------------|---------- 17.0 | Visual Studio 2022 | 1930 16.0 | Visual Studio 2019 | 1920 15.0 | Visual Studio 2017 | 1910 14.0 | Visual Studio 2015 | 1900 12.0 | Visual Studio 2013 | 1800 11.0 | Visual Studio 2012 | 1700 10.0 | Visual Studio 2010 | 1600 9.0 | Visual Studio 2008 | 1500 8.0 | Visual Studio 2005 | 1400 7.1 | Visual Studio 2003 | 1310 7.0 | Visual Studio 7 | 1300 6.0 | Visual Studio 6 | 1200 5.0 | Visual Studio 5 | 1100 For details of other versions (patch releases like 15.8) see Microsoft docs.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/overview/compiler-versions Recommended usage: \verbatim #if defined(_MSC_VER) && (_MSC_VER <= 1300) /* VS7 and older */ .. #else /* _MSC_VER */ .. #endif /* _MSC_VER */ \endverbatim \subsection cmp_useful_xcode_macros Useful macOS C++ Macros These macOS macros may be used to write code compatible with different macOS versions. They are not necessary for standard FLTK user code but can be used if macOS specific code is needed for an application or inside the FLTK library. Below is a list of operating system version compiler macros that can be used to conditionalize code based on the compile time (build host) and the runtime version of the macOS operating system. These are made available by Apple's `AvailabilityVersions.h` inside the current / selected SDK. \b outdated: For more info on these and other macros, see Apple's "TechNote 2064". \todo Find current Apple / macOS docs for macOS version macros. Version | Macro | Value | Product Name | Release --------|------------------------|--------|---------------|-------- 10.0 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_0 | 1000 | Cheetah | 2001 10.1 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_1 | 1010 | Puma | 2001 10.2 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_2 | 1020 | Jaguar | 2002 10.3 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_3 | 1030 | Panther | 2003 10.4 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_4 | 1040 | Tiger | 2005 10.5 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_5 | 1050 | Leopard | 2007 10.6 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_6 | 1060 | Snow Leopard | 2009 10.7 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_7 | 1070 | Lion | 2011 10.8 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_8 | 1080 | Mountain Lion | 2012 10.9 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_9 | 1090 | Mavericks | 2013 10.10 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_10 | 101000 | Yosemite | 2014 10.11 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_11 | 101100 | El Capitan | 2015 10.12 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_12 | 101200 | Sierra | 2016 10.13 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_13 | 101200 | High Sierra | 2017 10.14 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_14 | 101200 | Mojave | 2018 10.15 | MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_15 | 101200 | Catalina | 2019 11.0 | MAC_OS_VERSION_11_0 | 110000 | Big Sur | 2020 12.0 | MAC_OS_VERSION_12_0 | 120000 | Monterey | 2021 13.0 | MAC_OS_VERSION_13_0 | 130000 | Ventura | 2022 14.0 | MAC_OS_VERSION_14_0 | 140000 | Sonoma | 2023 15.0 | MAC_OS_VERSION_15_0 | 150000 | Sequoia | 2024 26.0 | MAC_OS_VERSION_26_0 | 260000 | Tahoe | 2025 Notes: - The \c Value column is in decimal notation - The macro name is MAC_OS_X_VERSION_* up to MacOS X 10.15 (Catalina) - The macro name is MAC_OS_VERSION_* (without \c '_X') since macOS 11 (Big Sur) - There \e is a gap in version numbers from 15 to 26 because newer versions of macOS reflect the release year (+1), e.g. version 26 was released in 2025. - The \c Release column (release year) has been included in this table for reference. We may use the release date to decide whether we support a particular macOS version. - See README.macOS.md about which macOS versions FLTK supports. \b Note: \c MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED is defined automatically by the build system and represents the highest macOS version the library has been built for. The default is the SDK version used to build the library. It can be modified by setting the CMake cache variable CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET to a specific macOS version. Example: - CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = 15.4 - -> MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED = 150400 Recommended usage and requirements (include files): \code #define FL_INTERNALS 1 // required to define "internal" macros, define before: #include // defines the MAC_OS_*VERSION_* macros (see table above) #if (MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_5) if (fl_mac_os_version >= 100500) { // macOS 10.5 and newer.. } else #else { // macOS 10.4 and older.. } #endif \endcode This way, code compiled before and after macOS 10.5 will be able to run on computers running macOS versions before and after 10.5. Modify version numbers as applicable for specific macOS versions. \subsection cmp_useful_gnu_macros Useful GNU C++ Macros \todo To be done. \section cmp_coding_source_files Source Files Each source file shall be placed in a sub-directory corresponding to the software sub-system it belongs to ("fltk", "OpenGL", etc.). \todo rework paragraph above, explain "sub-systems" and directory names Source files shall be documented and formatted as described in the Coding Standards section. To remain compatible with case-insensitive filesystems, no two filenames and/or directory names shall differ only by the case of the letters in the name. C source files shall have an extension of ".c". C++ source files shall have an extension of ".cxx". Header files shall have an extension of ".h". Public FLTK 1.x headers (i.e. those in or below the \c FL/ directory) shall have an extension of ".H", private headers in source directories shall have an extension of ".h".
Why use the ".cxx" extension?
C++ source files can have any of the following extensions on various platforms: ".C", ".cc", ".cpp", ".cxx". Only the ".cxx" extension is universally recognized by C++ compilers as a C++ source file - ".C" is not usable on macOS and Windows, ".cc" is not usable on Windows, and ".cpp" is historically considered C preprocessor output on UNIX.

Since not all make programs handle C++ source files with the ".cxx" extension, the FLTK build system explicitly defines makefile rules for compiling C++ source files with an extension of ".cxx".

IDE/compiler support source files (project files, workspaces, makefiles, etc.) shall have extensions as required by the IDE/compiler tool. \todo remove this paragraph in FLTK 1.5, remove this 'todo' in 1.4. Header files must utilitize so-called "guard" definitions to prevent multiple inclusion. The guard definitions are named using the full path in the FLTK source tree, e.g.: FL/Fl.H becomes _FL_Fl_H_ fluid/foo.h becomes _fluid_foo_h_ Any non-alphanumeric (letters and numbers) characters are replaced with the underscore (_) character, and leading and trailing underscores are added to limit global namespace pollution. \section cmp_practices_cmake Build System (CMake) The FLTK build system uses CMake to tailor the library to the local operating system. Since FLTK 1.4 the primary and recommended build system is CMake. The older autoconf/configure builds are no longer supported as of FLTK 1.5.x. To improve portability, Makefiles must not make use of the unique features offered by GNU make. See the Makefile Standards section for a description of the allowed make features and makefile guidelines. \todo Remove this paragraph in 1.5, Additional GNU build programs such as GNU automake and GNU libtool must not be used. GNU automake produces non-portable Makefiles which depend on GNU-specific extensions, and GNU libtool is not portable or reliable enough for FLTK. Note: Starting with FLTK 1.4.0 we do no longer bundle IDE files for Microsoft Windows (Visual Studio) and macOS (Xcode). IDE environments (project files) can be generated with CMake. See README.CMake.txt for more information about using CMake. */