Ortus Coding Standards

Overview

Ortus Solutions maintains consistent formatting rules across all BoxLang, CFML, and Java source code. These rules are enforced via the OrtusJava Eclipse formatter profile (ortus-java-style.xml) for Java, and via the conventions documented here for BoxLang and CFML. When in doubt, match what already exists in the file you are editing.

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Indentation

Use tabs for indentation — never spaces for the leading indent.

• Class body: indented one tab from the class declaration.
• Method body: indented one tab from the method signature.
• Switch cases: indented one tab from switch.
• Case body: indented one tab from the case label.
• Continuation lines (wrapped expressions): indented one level.

// Java — tab-indented, end-of-line braces
public class UserService {

    public User findById( int id ) {
        if ( id <= 0 ) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException( "id must be positive" );
        }
        return repository.find( id );
    }

}

// BoxLang — same indentation rules
class UserService {

    function findById( required numeric id ) {
        if ( id <= 0 ) {
            throw( type = "InvalidArgument", message = "id must be positive" )
        }
        return variables.repository.find( arguments.id )
    }

}

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Spacing Inside Parentheses

Always place a space after ( and before ) in:

• Method declarations
• Method invocations
• Control flow keywords (if, for, while, switch, catch, synchronized)
• Casts
• Parenthesized expressions

// Java
public void process( String name, int count ) {
    if ( count > 0 ) {
        doThing( name );
    }
    var result = ( String ) rawValue;
}

// BoxLang
function process( required string name, required numeric count ) {
    if ( count > 0 ) {
        doThing( name )
    }
}

Never place a space between a function name/keyword and its opening (:

// WRONG
doThing ( name );

// RIGHT
doThing( name );

No space inside empty parentheses:

// RIGHT
init()
list()

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Brace Style

Use K&R / end-of-line brace placement — opening brace on the same line as the statement, not on its own line.

// RIGHT
public void save( User user ) {
    if ( user.isValid() ) {
        repository.save( user );
    } else {
        throw new ValidationException( "invalid user" );
    }
}

// WRONG — Allman style, do not use
public void save( User user )
{
    ...
}

The same rule applies to:

• Class declarations
• Method declarations
• if / else / else if
• for / while / do-while
• try / catch / finally
• switch
• Array initializers

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Always Use Braces

Even for single-statement bodies, always use braces. Never place an if or loop body on the same line as its condition.

// WRONG — no braces, body on same line
if ( user == null ) return;

for ( var item : items ) process( item );

// RIGHT
if ( user == null ) {
    return;
}

for ( var item : items ) {
    process( item );
}

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Spacing Around Operators

Place one space on each side of:

• Assignment operators (=, +=, -=, etc.)
• Comparison operators (==, !=, <, >, <=, >=)
• Arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /, %)
• Bitwise operators (&, |, ^, ~)
• Shift operators (<<, >>, >>>)
• String concatenation (& in BoxLang/CFML, + in Java)
• Lambda arrows (-> in Java, -> / => in BoxLang)
• Ternary operator (? and :)

// Java
var total  = price * quantity;
var result = isValid ? "yes" : "no";
var upper  = items.stream().map( s -> s.toUpperCase() ).collect( Collectors.toList() );

// BoxLang
var total  = price * quantity
var result = isValid ? "yes" : "no"
var upper  = items.map( ( s ) -> uCase( s ) )

No space for:

• Unary operators before their operand: !condition, ++i, -value
• After !: !isValid (no space between ! and isValid)
• Ellipsis: String... values (no space before ...)

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Column Alignment

When multiple related declarations or assignments appear in a block, align on columns so they read like a table. This applies to:

• Field (property) declarations
• Local variable declarations
• Assignment groups

// Java — aligned field declarations
private final UserRepository  userRepository;
private final EmailService    emailService;
private final int             maxRetries;

// BoxLang — aligned assignments
var firstName = "Alice"
var lastName  = "Smith"
var email     = "[email protected]"
var active    = true

this.name                 = "My App"
this.sessionManagement    = true
this.sessionTimeout       = createTimespan( 0, 1, 0, 0 )
this.timezone             = "UTC"

Apply alignment within logical groups (separated by blank lines). Do not force alignment across unrelated declarations.

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Blank Lines

Context	Rule
Between methods	1 blank line
Between abstract methods	1 blank line
Between fields	0 blank lines (fields are grouped together)
After package declaration	1 blank line
First declaration inside a class body	1 blank line
Beginning of a method body	0 blank lines
End of a code block	0 blank lines
Before a code block (e.g., before {)	0 blank lines

// Java — correct blank line usage
public class OrderService {

    private final OrderRepository orderRepository;
    private final PaymentService  paymentService;

    public OrderService( OrderRepository orderRepository, PaymentService paymentService ) {
        this.orderRepository = orderRepository;
        this.paymentService  = paymentService;
    }

    public Order create( CreateOrderRequest request ) {
        var order = buildOrder( request );
        orderRepository.save( order );
        return order;
    }

    private Order buildOrder( CreateOrderRequest request ) {
        return new Order( request.getItems(), request.getUserId() );
    }

}

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Naming Conventions

Item	Convention	Example
Java classes	PascalCase	UserService, OrderProcessor
Java interfaces	PascalCase	UserRepository, Serializable
Java methods	camelCase	getUserById(), processOrder()
Java fields	camelCase	userRepository, maxRetries
Java constants	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	MAX_RETRIES, DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
Java packages	lowercase.dot.separated	ortus.boxlang.runtime.services
BoxLang classes	PascalCase	UserService.bx, OrderProcessor.bx
BoxLang functions	camelCase	getUserById(), processOrder()
BoxLang variables	camelCase	userProfile, orderTotal
BoxLang templates	camelCase or kebab-case	userProfile.bxm, order-detail.bxm
BoxLang scripts	camelCase	buildReport.bxs
BoxLang constants (local)	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	var MAX_RETRIES = 3

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Comments and Javadoc

Javadoc (Java)

Write Javadoc for all public classes and public/protected methods.

/**
 * Finds a user by their unique identifier.
 *
 * @param  id  the user's primary key (must be positive)
 *
 * @return the matching {@link User}, or {@code null} if not found
 *
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code id} is not positive
 */
public User findById( int id ) {
    ...
}

Rules:

• Opening /** and closing */ on their own lines.
• One space after * on every body line.
• @param, @return, and @throws tags on separate lines.
• Do not join description lines — keep each sentence on its own line.
• @param descriptions aligned (not required but preferred for readability).

Inline Comments (Java)

// Use single-line comments for brief explanations above the line they describe.
// Never end-of-line comments for non-obvious things — put them above instead.

// Calculate total including tax
var total = basePrice * ( 1 + taxRate );

Do not leave commented-out code in committed files.

BoxLang Documentation Comments

/**
 * Finds a user by their unique identifier.
 *
 * @id         The user's primary key. Must be a positive integer.
 * @return     struct containing user data, or an empty struct if not found.
 */
struct function findById( required numeric id ) {
    ...
}

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BoxLang-Specific Conventions

Semicolons

Do not use semicolons on regular statements in BoxLang. They are optional and the standard is to omit them for cleaner code.

// RIGHT — no semicolons
var result = calculate( x, y )
return result

// WRONG
var result = calculate( x, y );
return result;

Exceptions where semicolons ARE required:

• Property declarations: property name="fieldName" type="string";
• Multiple statements on a single line (avoid this pattern)

Lambdas vs Closures

Use lambdas (->) when the function is deterministic and operates only on its own arguments:

// Lambda — only uses the item argument (no outer scope access)
var doubled = numbers.map( ( n ) -> n * 2 )
var upper   = words.map( ( w ) -> w.uCase() )

Use closures (=>) when the function accesses variables from the enclosing scope or calls external BIFs:

// Closure — accesses outer variable `threshold`
var filtered = numbers.filter( ( n ) => n > threshold )

// Closure — calls external BIF
var encoded = values.map( ( v ) => encodeForHTML( v ) )

Argument Scope in Closures

Inside a closure, do not use the arguments scope to access outer function parameters. The arguments scope inside the closure refers only to the closure's own parameters:

// WRONG — arguments.name refers to the closure's arguments, not the outer function's
function process( required string name ) {
    var found = items.filter( ( item ) => item.name != arguments.name )
}

// RIGHT — use unscoped name; BoxLang finds it in the enclosing scope
function process( required string name ) {
    var found = items.filter( ( item ) => item.name != name )
}

Function Call Spacing

// RIGHT — spaces inside parentheses, space after comma
doThing( arg1, arg2 )
createUser( firstName = "Alice", active = true )

// WRONG — no spaces inside parens
doThing(arg1, arg2)

Struct and Array Literals

// Preferred — literal syntax with alignment
var config = {
    host    : "localhost",
    port    : 5432,
    database: "myapp"
}

var roles = [ "admin", "editor", "viewer" ]

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Multi-Line Method Calls

When a call does not fit on one line, wrap arguments with one argument per line and align them:

// Java
var result = userService.createUser(
    request.getFirstName(),
    request.getLastName(),
    request.getEmail(),
    request.getRoleId()
);

// BoxLang
var result = userService.createUser(
    firstName = request.firstName,
    lastName  = request.lastName,
    email     = request.email,
    roleId    = request.roleId
)

Wrap before operators, not after:

// RIGHT — operator at start of wrapped line
var isEligible = user.isActive()
    && user.hasVerifiedEmail()
    && !user.isSuspended();

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Java-Specific Patterns

Import Order

Group imports in this order with one blank line between groups:

1. java.* and javax.*
2. Third-party libraries
3. ortus.boxlang.* internal classes

Do not use wildcard imports (import java.util.*).

Null Checks

Prefer Objects.requireNonNull in constructors and public entry points:

public UserService( UserRepository repo ) {
    this.repo = Objects.requireNonNull( repo, "repo must not be null" );
}

final Fields

Declare all injected dependencies and constructor-set fields as final:

private final UserRepository userRepository;
private final EmailService   emailService;

Avoid Magic Numbers

Extract literal numbers and strings into named constants:

// WRONG
if ( retries > 3 ) { ... }

// RIGHT
private static final int MAX_RETRIES = 3;
if ( retries > MAX_RETRIES ) { ... }

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Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-Pattern	Fix
Allman-style braces	Use K&R (end-of-line) braces
No spaces inside ( ) in calls	Always doThing( arg ) not doThing(arg)
Semicolons on BoxLang statements	Remove unless a property declaration
Unaligned field groups	Align with spaces/tabs to column
arguments.name inside closure accessing outer scope	Remove scope prefix
Comment-out dead code	Delete it; use version control
Wildcard imports in Java	Use explicit imports
Magic numbers	Extract to named constants
Mutable public fields in Java	Use private final + accessor
One-liner if without braces	Always use braces