2.6. Symbol Name Translations

Vala has symbol name translation rules from Vala to C. The default rules follow the GLib naming conventions, but for a binding the name translations can be customised with the lower_case_cprefix, cprefix and cname CCode details.

The following example illustrates the default symbol name translation rules. Vala's name translation rules apply to both Vala programs and bindings. Compile the following example program with valac --ccode name_conversion_example.vala then examine how the Vala symbol names have been translated:

void main () {
    Foo.Bar a = new Foo.Bar ();
    a.test ();
    var b = Foo.Bar.UNCHANGING;
}

namespace Foo {
    [Compact]
    class Bar {
        public const int UNCHANGING = 42;
        public void test () {
        }
    }
}

The use of the [Compact] attribute makes the C code simpler and so easier to read, but the name translation rules apply to full Vala classes as well. Here is a table that summarizes the example's translations:

Vala Identifier	C Identifier	Notes
Foo.Bar	FooBar	This is the data type
new Foo.Bar ()	foo_bar_new ()	This is the constructor function
a.test ()	foo_bar_test (a)	This is a function acting on an instance
Foo.Bar.UNCHANGING	FOO_BAR_UNCHANGING	A constant defined with the type

When binding the library the Vala symbol names should follow the following conventions and then lower_case_cprefix, cprefix and cname can be used to ensure the C symbol name matches the library:

Vala Semantics	Vala Convention	Default Translation to C	Modify with CCode Detail
Classes	!TitleCase
Constants	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE
Delegates	!TitleCase
Enums and Flags	!TitleCase
Fields	lower_snake_case
Methods	lower_snake_case
Namespaces	!TitleCase	title_case_ TITLE_CASE_ !TitleCase	lower_case_cprefix lower_case_cprefix cprefix
Properties	lower_snake_case
Structs	!TitleCase
Type Variables (Generics)	T (A single uppercase letter). For maps, K, V are preferred for keys and values.

Where appropriate, expand cryptic C names into more understandable Vala ones (e.g., Tx into Transaction). Vala is usually much more compact than C, so we are willing to make different trade-offs and favor readability over being concise a bit more than C programmers generally do. In particular, var saves a lot of writing long type names and import helps make better use of prefixes.

Note the following:

• the use of cprefix and lower_case_cprefix with a namespace
• the priority of a class over a namespace when using cprefix and lower_case_cprefix
• the use of cname with a function and constant