Puppet/Coding style

Before coding

Noteː this document is work in progress and the content with evolve. Any contribution is welcome though ;-)

Read this page
Make sure that what you're going to code is not already work in progress
Make sure you're familiar with Puppet Syntax, Lint, Rspec, and Beaker
If you want to create a new module, read Puppet/New_module

Best practices

Deprecation

Any patch must be backward compatible.

It meansː

do not break the interface (deprecate parameters for at least one cycle, and add a warning for our users)
do not change default parameters (except if you have a good reason but your commit message must explain it)

Commit message

Please read GitCommitMessages.

Consistency

We have a lot of modules to maintain, please keep our code consistent. Before adding new parameters or new classes, see if other modules already implement them and keep consistent. See also our common librarie OpenStackLib

Empty parameter

When you need to specify a empty (nil) parameter, using undef is the best choice. Do not useː " (not Puppetish) or false (undef is false if tested as a boolean).

Testing

Your code needs to be tested. Puppet OpenStack CI will verify for you, but if you want to save time, you better to run tests locally before sending a patchː

Documentation

Validate all parameters are documented. They are required and lint will check it.
If possible, keep examples/*.pp updated, they are very useful for our users.
Comment your code when needed (temporary workarounds, TODO, etc).

Asking for review

Different ways to get reviewsː

Go on IRC #puppet-openstack (freenode) and gently ask for reviews. If you need to discuss about already reviewed code, you can ping the reviewers.
Add your patch on the Puppet OpenStack meeting Agenda (in Open Discussion section).
Use Mailing list.