Most crucial elements in a light-weight C++ coding standard

if (p = 0)

if (p == 0)

if (0 == p)

// bad example - what the writer wrote
if( i < 0 )
    printf( "%dn", i );
    ++i; // this error is _very_ easy to overlook!

// good example - what the writer meant
if( i < 0 ) {
    printf( "%dn", i );
    ++i;
}

float x = (y > 3) ? 1.0f : -1.0f;

float x = foo(2 * ((y > 3) ? a : b) - 1);

if (5 == variable)

struct MyStruct // BAD
{
   int i ; bool j ; char * k ;
}

struct MyStruct // GOOD
{
   MyStruct() : i(0), j(true), k(NULL) : {}

   int i ; bool j ; char * k ;
}

MyStruct oMyStruct = { 25, true, "Hello" } ; // BAD
MyStruct oMyStruct(25, true, "Hello") ;      // GOOD

void doSomething()
{
   MyStruct s = { 25, true, "Hello" } ;
  // Etc.
}

void doSomethingElse()
{
   MyStruct s = { 25, true, "Hello" } ;
  // Etc.
}

// Etc.

if (bla) {
  for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
    foo();
}

if (bla) {
  for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
    foo();
}

if (bla) {
  for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
    foo();
}

// char * d, * s ;
strcpy(d, s) ; // BAD

// std::string d, s ;
d = s ;        // GOOD

int * i = (int *) malloc(25) ; // Now, I BELIEVE I have an array of 25 ints!
int * j = new int[25] ;        // Now, I KNOW I have an array of 25 ints!