Project NameCheck

Pro and Enterprise Edition only

Project NameCheck enforces naming standards. You can fully configure the standards to suit your programming style. If Project NameCheck encounters a name that doesn't conform to the standards, it reports a problem. Checked names include variables, constants, parameters, procedures, events, user-defined types, enums, controls, and class and module names.

Why use naming standards?

Following a naming standard makes your code consistent. It is easy to read and understand, especially when working in a team. When you see a properly formatted name, you can immediately tell what the name is for, what type it is, and what scope it is.

For example, gintUserID might stand for a global integer containing an ID number for the current user, and gstrUserName might be the user's name. When you see this name, you immediately know how you are supposed to use it, and you can tell that modifying the value might have effects in other parts of the program. Your standards might also state that constants must be in ALL_CAPS. This way you are not likely to try to assign a new value to PRODUCT_WEIGHT. Moreover, when you see a Variant called datBirth, you're not going to assign the variable a string of a city name, but a birth date. Thus, naming standards can prevent both compilation and run-time errors.

How do I start?

Select Project NameCheck in the Pro menu. Specify the standard you wish to use. Three default standard are included. You will most likely want to configure one of them to suit to your needs.
From Problem Options, select a Filter that includes NameCheck problems. The filter named <Project NameCheck> is easy to start with.
Run Project Analyzer as you would normally. All names that don't conform to the standard will be reported as problems.
Fine-tune your configuration.

How do I configure a standard?

Configure a standard before using it. Project NameCheck comes with three default standards that you need to modify to suit your own purposes. One of the standards is meant to be a starting point for VB.NET programmers, one is for VB 3-6, and the third one is for those who work with both VB.NET and an earlier version. The main difference between these standards are settings that are only used by some VB versions.

The default standards are not 100% ready as such. They do not follow any specific naming recommendation by Microsoft or anyone else. They are just suggestions from which you can start building your own standard. If you follow complex naming conventions, you may even define several standards and switch from one to the other when required.

Sharing standards with colleagues

You can copy your standards to your colleagues with the Export and Import buttons. Standards can be exported to a .std file and imported to Project NameCheck on another computer.

Version issues