format-params

Format Method Parameters

Scope: What to Format

ALL projects:

All *.cs files EXCEPT auto-generated code. Exclude files with:

• "generated", ".g.cs", ".designer.cs" in filename
• AssemblyInfo.cs files
• [GeneratedCode] or [GeneratedCodeAttribute]
• <auto-generated> tags
• "auto-generated" in headers
• "This code was generated by a tool"

ONLY format parameter lists in DECLARATIONS:

• Method declarations (public, private, protected, internal, static, async, virtual, override, abstract, etc.)
• Constructor declarations
• Local function declarations (functions defined inside methods)
• Delegate declarations

DO NOT format parameter lists in INVOCATIONS or EXPRESSIONS:

• Method calls/invocations (e.g., .Replace(...), .Substring(...))
• Constructor invocations (e.g., new MyClass(...))
• Ternary operators (e.g., condition ? value1 : value2)
• Lambda expressions (e.g., (x, y) => x + y)
• LINQ query expressions
• Indexer property declarations (e.g., this[int x, int y])

Formatting Rules

Rule 1: Multiple Parameters

Break down all parameters if a method has more than 1 parameter, with each parameter on its own line.

Rule 2: Single Long Parameter

Break down a single parameter if the total line length (including indentation) exceeds 80 characters.

Examples

Declarations to Format

// No parameters - no break
public void MyMethod1()

// Single short parameter - no break
public void MyMethod2(int parameter1)

// Single parameter, total length > 80 chars - break
public void MyLooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonMethod4(
    int parameter1)

// 2 parameters - break all
public void MyMethod5(
    int parameter1,
    int parameter2)

// 3+ parameters - break all
public void MyMethod6(
    int parameter1,
    int parameter2,
    int parameter3)

// Constructor with multiple parameters - break all
public MyClass(
    string name,
    int age,
    bool isActive)

// Local function with multiple parameters - break all
void LocalFunction(
    int param1,
    string param2)

// Delegate with multiple parameters - break all
public delegate void MyEventHandler(
    object sender,
    EventArgs e);

Invocations to Leave Unchanged

// Method invocations - DO NOT format
var result = assembly.GetBeautifiedName().Replace("Api", "API", StringComparison.Ordinal);
var name = someObject.SomeMethod(arg1, arg2, arg3);

// Constructor invocations - DO NOT format
var obj = new MyClass(param1, param2, param3);

// Ternary operators - DO NOT format
return condition ? value1 : value2;

// Lambda expressions - DO NOT format
var filtered = items.Where((item, index) => item.IsActive && index > 0);

// Indexer declarations - DO NOT format
public string this[int row, int column]

Execution Instructions

1. Scan for C# files

Find all .cs files in the repository.

2. Identify DECLARATIONS (not invocations)

Method declarations:

• Lines starting with access modifiers: public, private, protected, internal
• Lines with method modifiers: static, virtual, override, abstract, async, sealed
• Pattern: [modifiers] [return-type] [method-name]([parameters])
• Must have a return type (or void) before the method name
• Usually followed by {, ;, or =>

Constructor declarations:

• Pattern: [modifiers] [class-name]([parameters])
• Class name matches the containing class
• No return type before the name

Local function declarations:

• Found inside method bodies
• Pattern: [return-type] [function-name]([parameters])

Delegate declarations:

• Pattern: [modifiers] delegate [return-type] [delegate-name]([parameters]);
• Contains the delegate keyword

Key distinction from invocations:

• Declarations have modifiers (public, private, static, etc.) OR are preceded by a type
• Invocations follow a . (member access), are on the right side of =, or are arguments to other methods

3. Apply formatting rules

For each declaration found:

• If 2+ parameters: break all parameters onto separate lines
• If 1 parameter: break only if total line length > 80 characters
• Ensure proper indentation (4 spaces per indentation level)
• Place opening parenthesis ( on same line as method name
• Place each parameter on its own line with proper indentation
• Keep closing parenthesis ) on same line as last parameter

4. Process in batches

Work on files in manageable batches (e.g., 10-20 files at a time).

5. Verify after each batch

Run dotnet build to ensure no syntax errors.

6. Track progress

Use todo list to track which files have been processed.

7. Final verification

Run full test suite after all changes complete.

Guidelines

• Preserve all code logic and comments
• Maintain existing indentation style (spaces vs tabs)
• Handle edge cases: attributes, generic types, default values, nullable types, ref/out/in parameters
• Do not modify method bodies - only parameter declarations
• Do not modify method invocations - only declarations
• Leave ternary operators unchanged
• Leave lambda expressions unchanged
• Leave LINQ expressions unchanged
• If uncertain whether something is a declaration or invocation, skip it and flag for manual review