Code Style. C/C++
Use this page to configure code style options for C/C++ files. When you change these settings, the Preview pane shows how this will affect your code.
Scheme
In this area, choose the code style scheme and change it as required. Code style scheme settings are automatically applied every time CLion generates, refactors, or reformats your code.
The IDE comes with two pre-defined schemes: the Project scheme and the Default scheme.
In the Project scheme, the settings that you configure apply only to your current project.
These settings are stored in the codeStyles folder under .idea and are shared through VCS together with the project.
The IDE creates the folder after you modify code style settings for your project.
In the Default scheme (IDE-level scheme), the settings that you configure apply to all existing projects that have the Default code style scheme selected.
These settings are stored in the codestyles folder under the CLion configuration directory and are not shared through VCS.
If you want to use the project code style scheme as your default scheme, you can copy it to the IDE level. The other way around is also possible: you can overwrite your current project settings with the settings from an IDE-level scheme and share them with other members of your team.
Item | Description |
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Scheme | From this list, select the scheme to be used. The predefined schemes are shown bold. The custom schemes, ones created as copies of the predefined schemes, are in plain text. The location where the scheme is stored is written next to each scheme, for example, the Default scheme is stored in the IDE, the Project scheme is stored in the project. |
Click this button to invoke the list of commands to manage the schemes:
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Set from
Click this link and choose the language to be used as the base for the current language code style. The list contains the following options:
Item | Description |
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Language | Choose this option to inherit the code style settings from another language. Select the source language from the list, that opens. So doing, only the settings that are applicable to the current language are taken. All the other settings are not affected. |
Choose this option to use one of the well-known code style guidelines. Select one of the following standards from the list. Note: each code style affects only the certain items of base settings and leaves the rest unchanged. The following styles are applicable for braces placement only: |
Tabs and Indents
Item | Description |
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Use tab character |
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Smart tabs |
The Smart tabs checkbox is available if the Use tab character checkbox is selected. |
Tab size | In this field, specify the number of spaces included in a tab. |
Continuation indent | In this field, specify the number of spaces to be inserted between the elements of an array, in expressions, method declarations and method calls. |
Keep indents on empty lines | If this checkbox is selected, CLion will keep indents on the empty lines as if they contained some code. If this checkbox is cleared, CLion will delete the tab characters and spaces. |
Label indent | In this field, specify the number of spaces to be inserted at the next line before a label statement. |
Absolute label indent | If this checkbox is selected, label indentation is counted as an absolute number of spaces. Otherwise, label indentation is counted relative to previous indent levels. |
Indent in lambdas | In this field, type the indent of lambda expressions. |
Indent members of plain structures | In this field, type the indent of the plain structure members. |
Indent members of classes | In this field, type the indent of the class members. |
Indent visibility keywords in class/structure | In this field, type the indent of the visibility keywords (public, protected, etc). |
Indent members of namespace | In this field, type the indent of members of namespaces. |
Preprocessor directive indent | In this field type the indent of preprocessor directives. |
Follow code indent | Select this checkbox to keep the indent of preprocessor directives equal to that of surrounding code lines. |
Spaces
Use this tab to specify where you want spaces in your code. To have CLion automatically insert a space at a location, select the checkbox next to this location in the list. The results are displayed in the preview pane.
Wrapping and Braces
In this tab, customize the code style options, which CLion will apply on reformatting the source code. The left-hand pane contains the list of exceptions (Keep when reformatting), and placement and alignment options for the various code constructs (lists, statements, operations, annotations, and so on) The right-hand pane shows the preview.
Alignment takes precedence over indentation options.
Hard wrap at
Use the Hard wrap at field to specify a margin space required on the right side of an element. If you select the Default option, then a value of the right margin from the global settings is used.
Wrap on typing
Use the Wrap on typing settings to specify how the edited text is fitted in the specified Hard wrap at:
Default: in this case CLion uses the Wrap on typing option that is specified in the global settings.
Yes: in this case CLion uses the value specified in the Right Margin field.
No: in this case this option is switched off and a line can exceed the value specified in the right margin.
Visual guides
Use the Visual guides field to specify multiple right margins. You can leave a default value or enter the number of spaces for your margin. If you want to specify several margins, enter numbers separated by comma.
Keep when reformatting
Use the checkboxes to configure exceptions that CLion will make when reformatting the source code. For example, by default, the Line breaks checkbox is selected. If your code contains lines that are shorter than a standard convention, you can convert them by disabling the Line breaks checkbox before you reformat the source code.
Braces placement options
Item | Description |
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Braces placement style | Use this list to specify the position of the opening brace in class declarations, function declarations and other types of declarations. The available options are:
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Force braces | From this list, choose the braces introduction method for
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Blank lines
Use this tab to define where and how many blank lines you want CLion to retain and insert in your code after reformatting. For each type of location, specify the number of blank lines to be inserted. The results are displayed in the preview pane.
Item | Description |
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Keep maximum blank lines | In this area, specify the number of blank lines to be kept after reformatting in the specified locations. |
Minimum blank lines | In this area, specify the number of blank lines to be present in the specified locations. |
New File Extensions
In this tab you can define the source/header file types used in the Create New C/C++ Source File dialog. This tab also determines the order of their appearance in the Type field of that dialog: the first pair in the tab is the first extension in the type list in dialog.
Item | Description |
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Source/header file types pane. | The list of source and header file types. All the code style rules specified under this node of Settings, are applicable to the listed file types. |
Source Extension | From the drop-down list, choose the extension to be associated with the source files. |
Header Extension | From the drop-down list, choose the extension to be associated with the header files. |
File Naming Convention | Choose the preferred naming convention from the drop down list. This setting defines a case of the file name generated in the New C++ Class dialog when a new class is being created. |
Item | Shortcut | Description |
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Alt+Insert | Click this button to add a new source/header file types pair to the list. The new pair is always of .cpp/.h type. When added to the list, assign the desired extensions from the Source Extension/Header Extension dropdown lists to them. | |
Alt+Delete | Click this button to remove the selected source/header file types pair from the list. | |
| Alt+Up or Alt+Down | Use these buttons to move the selected source/header file types pair up and down in the list. |
Code Generation
Item | Description |
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General |
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C++ |
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Documentation comments |
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Naming Convention
See Naming conventions.