Folder conventions

Question

is there a resource out there that defines programming folder conventions (e.g. the 'bin' folder)?

I googled some but didn't find much. Any relevant discussion on the matter is encouraged.

EDIT: I'm primarily interested in source management, and I'm not really targeting a specific language (I was hoping to get a reference that might include what's common in the big languages [C, C++, C#, PHP, Python, etc]). Sorry, I didn't mean it to be overly vague.

Answer 1

Under Unix, you can have some explanations with man hier. It's the manpage about the HIERarchy.

Answer 2

In Java Maven offers a good set of conventions

src -> all source code goes here (under version control)
+ main
  + java -> Java packages for production code
  + resources -> Production resources (e.g Spring contexts etc)
  + webapp -> web app root
    + WEB-INF
+ test
  + java -> Java packages for test classpath
  + resources -> Test resouces (e.g. example XML outputs etc)

target -> all compiled output goes here (never under version control)

More details can be found on their website.

This has the advantage of clearly delineating what is intended for test and what is for production, and what is to be treated as source and what is merely a derived resource.

Unix

Here is a handy reference for the Unix directory structure.

Answer 3

I would think some general conventions would be src for source code, bin for binaries, rscr for resources, img for images, dat or data for data, lib for libraries, but it varies. If you are worried your convetion won't be understood just include in the project a text file explaining it.

Of course, you could also spell out the full name of the fold, as resources, images, source_code, libraries, scripts, and while I prefer these names, I seem to see them less often.

Answer 4

For Linux there is a standard designed by Free Standards Group, called Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Most of the distribution try to follow that standard.

Answer 5

Java "Blueprints" directory structure layout.

Guidelines, Patterns, and Code for End-to-End Java Applications

This document contains recommended conventions for structuring applications developed using Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE platform) technology (hereafter referred to as J2EE applications). The J2EE 1.4 Specification (which can be downloaded from http://java.sun.com/j2ee/1.4/download.html#platformspec) indicates that certain files, such as deployment descriptors, class files, interface files, and other files, must be present as part of an application. However, this specification does not specify a recommended or required directory structure for these files. The guidelines in this document are intended to assist developers with organizing the files and directories associated with an application in a logical fashion. Organizing your applications as shown in these guidelines will make it easier to manage and maintain a project, especially when multiple developers contribute to the same project or projects are maintained during an extended lifetime. Having a predefined, consistent, standard workspace layout saves time, especially at the onset of a project.

Answer 6

Aside from the suggestions already made, if I have understood correctly you're worried about directory conventions during the development of software/web apps. For the most part (depending on how you have designed it), the only people affected by this setup is the developers. I personally would suggest that while you become familiar with any standards that may exist you also work out a system that works for you and your team if there's more than just you. Be consistent once you have determined this setup.

If I have misunderstood and you're concerned with installation architecture then do follow the standards which have been outlined for Linux/Unix... The windows standards are missing but not usually hard to figure out.

Answer 7

The book Brownfield Application Development in .Net gives a number of suggestions for organizing directory trees for projects.