Special coding standard for controllers ?

[greg0ire]

On this page, it is stated the following : "Thou shalt use camelCase for method arguments"

However, on the controller documentation page, we can see that routing.yml uses underscore_case for route parameters, which implies that controller arguments use underscore too.

So, which convention should recommended ? I vote for underscore_case for controller arguments. If you agree, I'll make a PR.

[bicpi]

Symfony code is using camelCase for method arguments and it is recommenended to imitate the Symfony code style in your own code. What abuot an PR to fix the controller arguments in your example and to improve the wording in the style guide?

[greg0ire]

@bicpi : yeah, that is the other solution. The problem is, we cannot imitate Symfony's code style because it doesn't have any Controller code (or does it ?). symfony-standard does have some controller code, but the only argument name I could find is name, which does not help. Another argument pro-underscore would be the fact that enables us to distinguish variables from parameters in a controller and in subsequently called files, like templates.

The real question is who is stronger ? The routing's underscore convention, or php's camelCase convention ?

[bicpi]

I don't think a code style guide should distinguish the type of method, i.e. that one method uses underscores while the other method uses camelCase - just depending on the context (Controller versus some other code in this case). All methods and functions should use the same convention, and that's camelCase for Symfony. Also, variables shouldn't use underscores, that's reserved for parameter and option names.

[greg0ire]

Controller method arguments are parameters. Not container parameters of course, but route parameters. What you're saying boils down to this I think : "actions are not special".

I say they are quite special: they're the entry point of our code, and interface with the routing, which has its own conventions.

A solution would be to have symfony convert from underscore case to camelCase when injecting parameters, but I don't think this will happen.

You're making fairly good points, and I think I did too. I think we should let others, like maybe @weaverryan settle this, and I will make a PR depending on the outcome of this discussion.

Also, I noticed that the cookbook entry is about convention when contributing code to symfony, which means it can't be about controller code, so actually, the P.R. I'll make if we stick with underscores will be on the controller page, not the code standard page.

[wouterj]

The core has 2 controllers and they both use camelcase: https://github.com/symfony/FrameworkBundle/blob/master/Controller/TemplateController.php and https://github.com/symfony/FrameworkBundle/blob/master/Controller/RedirectController.php

So, let's go with that. (while I really do not like it in the routing.yml file...)

[greg0ire]

I don't like it either but I think we should choose one solution and stick to it. camelCase it is.

[greg0ire]

Plus, I found another controller in the doc that uses camelCase.

[weaverryan]

Thanks everyone!

[josecelano]

You should add it to the Coding Standards page: http://symfony.com/doc/current/contributing/code/standards.html