Code conventions used internally by fftw3 (not in API): LEARN FROM THE MASTERS: read Ken Thompson's C compiler in Plan 9. Avoid learning from C++/Java programs. INDENTATION: K&R, 5 spaces/tab. In case of doubt, indent -kr -i5. NAMES: keep them short. Shorter than you think. The Bible was written without vowels. Don't outsmart the Bible. Common names: R : real type, aka fftw_real E : real type for local variables (possibly extra precision) C : complex type sz : size vecsz : vector size is, os : input/output stride ri, ii : real/imag input (complex data) ro, io : real/imag output (complex data) I, O : real input/output (real data) A : assert CK : check S : solver, defined internally to each solver file P : plan, defined internally to each solver file k : codelet X(...) : used for mangling of external names (see below) K(...) : floating-point constant, in E precision If a name is used often and must have the form fftw_foo to avoid namespace pollution, #define FOO fftw_foo and use the short name. Leave that hungarian crap to MS. foo_t counts as hungarian: use foo instead. foo is lowercase so that it does not look like a DOS program. Exception: typedef struct foo_s {...} foo; instead of typedef struct foo {...} foo; for C++ compatibility. NAME MANGLING: use X(foo) for external names instead of fftw_foo. X(foo) expands to fftwf_foo or fftw_foo, depending on the precision. (Unfortunately, this is a ugly form of hungarian notation. Grrr...) Names that are not exported do not need to be mangled. REPEATED CODE: favor a table. E.g., do not write foo("xxx", 1); foo("yyy", 2); foo("zzz", -1); Instead write struct { const char *nam, int arg } footab[] = { { "xxx", 1 }, { "yyy", 2 }, { "zzz", -1 } }; and loop over footab. Rationale: it saves code space. Similarly, replace a switch statement with a table whenever possible. C++: The code should compile as a C++ program. Run the code through gcc -xc++ . The extra C++ restrictions are unnecessary, of course, but this will save us from a flood of complaints when we release the code.