rodecomp/CODING_RULES.md

Coding rules

These apply to rodecomp: Ragnarok Online Ragexe 2026-02-19 (x86), built with MSVC v142 19.29.30159. AGENTS.md and the current server response's guidance take precedence over this file.

1. No comments in the code

Code carries no explanatory comments: none inside functions, none above them, no file headers, no commented-out code. Allowed comments are Clank stable-ID annotations (// FUNCTION:, // GLOBAL:, // STRING:, // VTABLE:), // OFFSET: provenance on standalone functions, existing // STATIC: provenance, exact bare // INLINED markers, and field-offset markers (/* XXXX */). Use only string literals evidenced in the original executable.

Put explanations in submission notes rather than adding source comments or creating documentation by default. Preserve existing provenance except OFFSET annotations attached to inline-only functions, which must be removed. If the submission gate rejects otherwise permitted provenance, report the policy conflict rather than stripping it or disabling the gate. This document does not change the server's accepted syntax.

2. Stable IDs identify implementations and data

Every reconstructed standalone function gets its // OFFSET: address and its existing stable ID directly above its definition:

// OFFSET: 0x00AE97D0
// FUNCTION: fn_00123
void Player::Update(float dt) {
    ...
}

• // OFFSET: 0x... is mandatory on every standalone // FUNCTION: definition: one line per stacked ID, placed above the FUNCTION lines, with the address td symbol <id> reports (eight uppercase hex digits). Never type an address from memory or a decompiler listing that disagrees with the symbol database.
• FUNCTION/GLOBAL/STRING/VTABLE annotations contain IDs, never addresses; the symbol database stays authoritative. Preserve existing // STATIC: 0x... provenance for data. Inline-only functions must not carry OFFSET provenance.
• Use the existing ID of the actual original function. Do not annotate an ordinary destructor with a scalar-deleting destructor's ID, or stack a thunk's ID onto its target.
• For symbols missing from the database, use td_new_symbol and its returned annotation.
• Declarations do not receive implementation annotations. Preserve existing declaration provenance rather than rewriting unrelated code solely for style.
• Prefer non-template definitions in .cpp files; retain existing inline accessors and helpers where required by the original code and established repository patterns. Do not move bodies merely to satisfy style.
• Shared types, prototypes and data declarations belong in the appropriate existing header. File-local helpers and private types may remain in their .cpp; do not introduce a second declaration convention.

Variables with static storage use the stable annotation returned by the symbol database:

// GLOBAL: gl_00045
int g_resourceReuseDelay;

• Preserve existing STATIC provenance on data definitions; it is not a replacement for a stable ID.
• Keep file-scope definitions near the top of the .cpp, after includes. Tables that depend on local helper definitions may follow those helpers. Preserve original initialization and teardown ordering.
• Keep function-local statics local when that matches the original lifetime.
• #include lines always go above everything else in the file (after the include guard in a header). A later pass that needs a new header adds it to the include block at the top, never next to the new code.
• Helper functions used only by one .cpp may stay static there, defined below the statics; they need no header declaration.

Global storage and shared declarations

• Every reconstructed global has one actual definition in its owning subsystem's .cpp, with its stable data annotation. File-local globals stay file-local. Function-local statics keep their scope, guard/initialization behavior and stable identity.
• Shared headers contain plain extern declarations. Do not repeat GLOBAL, STRING or VTABLE on those declarations. A .cpp includes the owner header instead of declaring a second extern. Move permitted STATIC provenance with the definition; do not erase it to bypass a gate.
• The definition must exist on main or in the same payload. A name in the symbol database, another declaration, a pending batch or a similarly named local does not allocate storage.
• Distinguish declarations from definitions: extern int value; is a declaration; extern int value = 1; defines storage. Imported SDK/DLL data is not project-owned storage.
• Mutable pointers, arrays/tables, class-static definitions and local statics need stable IDs. Scalar constants that are folded into code need no invented address. constexpr alone does not exempt an addressable table or object. Use STRING/VTABLE only for that kind of original data.
• Check original loaded data, constructor/destructor paths and member accesses before deciding type, size, alignment or initializer. The highest observed field gives a lower bound, not a complete size. No xrefs or missing PE relocations do not prove an initializer is zero.
• A compiler may reference global.member by absolute address. Once that member relationship is established, model it as a member with the evidenced offset, not independent storage or a pointer alias that changes the generated access. Never infer membership solely from proximity.
• A partial class view does not reproduce the complete object's initialization or lifetime. Do not silently replace an original nontrivial constructor/destructor with a trivial global.

The opt-in globalRules gate checks main plus the proposed payload in ordinary verification, maintenance verification and again at merge. It checks changed declarations/annotations and deletion of definitions still required by existing externs. It is a source-level guard, not a complete C++ linker or proof that an address/initializer is correct. Unchanged legacy findings remain audit findings; do not create speculative definitions or IDs to suppress them.

// INLINED for functions that exist only inlined

A function that exists only inlined has exactly one annotation, the bare line // INLINED, immediately above its definition:

// INLINED
static void BuildFullKeyName(const char* keyname, char* buffer) {
    ...
}

• // INLINED has no colon, address, range, stable ID, enclosing-function name, or other suffix.
• An inline-only function's annotation block contains only the bare marker: no // OFFSET:, // FUNCTION:, or other provenance comments. Remove other annotations when classifying a function as inline-only; preserve supporting addresses and enclosing function IDs in review/submission notes, not source comments. This overrides general provenance-preservation rules.
• Do not invent a standalone ID or mark a source-only helper inline without original evidence.
• Inlined code is checked through its callers, not submitted as an invented standalone original.

2a. Verification uses Clank

• Read td_disassemble as ground truth and td_decompile as a starting point, not a specification.
• Run td_check on each changed translation unit independently while fixing compilation errors.
• After changing a header, check its includers before submitting. Compile using compile.json; Clank does not run CMake, CTest or a complete application link during these checks.
• Validate the exact proposed payload against clean current server main, without unrelated working-tree changes. Include the real prerequisite interfaces, implementations and affected callers, or land them first.
• Preserve functions that already match. Fix compile errors and structural differences; byte identity is a bonus, not permission to distort source or spend unbounded time tuning it.
• Do not add game // VERIFY: hashes or use re/tools/verify.py; neither is this project's verification workflow.
• Claims, submission scope and peer-review procedure follow AGENTS.md and current server guidance.

2b. Cast chains mean the types are wrong

A chain of casts (static_cast<int>(static_cast<std::uint32_t>(...)), std::bit_cast round trips) usually reproduces the compiler's output instead of the original source. Fix the declared types of the field, parameter or return value so the code reads naturally.

// Wrong: hides that the value is stored as a 32-bit int
return static_cast<int>(static_cast<std::uint32_t>(this->render.instant.Get(key)));

// Right: the getter returns the original type
return this->render.instant.Get(key);

Keep a cast only where the original source evidently had one (an explicit narrowing or a sign change).

3. Every field carries its offset

Every recovered instance data member of a struct, class or union is prefixed with its evidenced x86 offset:

class CResourceCache {
    public:
    /* 0000 */ int32_t m_refCount;
    /* 0004 */ CTexture* m_texture;
    /* 0008 */ CRes* m_resource;
};

• Format: /* XXXX */ type name;, four uppercase hex digits without 0x, and more digits only when the offset needs them (/* 1A2B0 */).
• Preserve established names. For new fields, prefer descriptive names when supported by evidence; otherwise retain offset-based names such as unknown_0010 or the local equivalent.
• Offsets are those of Ragexe 2026-02-19's x86 layout. Verify known sizes and offsets with x86 assertions; do not invent complete layouts from a recovered prefix or add unsupported x64 assumptions.

4. Member order in a class

For new declarations, prefer the following grouping, without reordering existing fields or virtual slots:

1. static fields
2. static functions
3. fields
4. virtual functions
5. functions

Nested types may precede the groups that use them. Original data layout and virtual-table order always take precedence over declaration style; avoid unrelated restyling.

class CResourceCache {
    public:
    static uint32_t s_optFlags;

    static void AnimateThread(void* arg);

    /* 0000 */ int32_t m_refCount;
    /* 0004 */ CTexture* m_texture;

    virtual ~CResourceCache();

    void AdvanceTime(uint32_t delta);
};

5. Shared types follow existing subsystem headers

• Reuse the appropriate header under Source/ for shared enums and data types.
• Use an existing Types.h if the subsystem has one; do not create a repository-wide Types.h migration.
• Keep dependencies small and avoid cycles. Do not introduce game-specific DB or event headers.

6. Diagnostic file and line arguments preserve original behavior

Preserve evidenced diagnostic strings, file paths and line values when the original passes them explicitly. Do not substitute __FILE__ or __LINE__ merely to follow a different project's convention, and do not invent diagnostic literals. Distinguish compiler-generated diagnostics from application arguments using the original instructions.

7. Platform and build scope

• This target is Windows x86. Keep code in its assigned existing translation unit and subsystem headers.
• Preserve fixed Win32, DirectDraw, Direct3D, Lua and codec boundary ABIs where evidenced; apply the calling-convention rule below. Preserve ownership, field widths and failure behavior.
• Compile individual units with the configured Clank toolchain and compile.json, not a new build system.
• Missing original instructions are a blocker, not permission to invent a fallback or partial implementation.

Calling conventions: implicit by default

• Do not add explicit calling conventions (__cdecl, __stdcall, __fastcall, __thiscall, etc.) to code we reimplement. Use the compiler's normal C++ conventions for project-owned functions, methods and internal function-pointer types. Decompiler output or a closer byte match alone is not a reason to add one.

• Specify a convention only when an actual ABI boundary requires it: calls into library or DLL code we will not reimplement, callbacks invoked by external code, or fixed interfaces such as Win32 callbacks and COM methods. Preserve required SDK macros (WINAPI, CALLBACK, STDMETHODCALLTYPE, etc.) at those boundaries.

• For dynamically loaded functions, the function-pointer type must carry the library's calling convention. GetProcAddress and a cast do not infer or repair an incorrect function-pointer ABI. For example, the existing Miles DLL binding requires __stdcall:

  const char* (__stdcall* setRedistDirectory)(const char*);
  this->setRedistDirectory = reinterpret_cast<decltype(this->setRedistDirectory)>(
      GetProcAddress(this->m_module, "_AIL_set_redist_directory@4"));
  

• When changing an existing convention, update declarations, definitions and function-pointer types consistently, and check affected callers in the same submission. Do not strip required boundary conventions or change only a header while leaving a conflicting definition.

8. Reconstruct source, not instructions

• Prefer the original programmer's types and algorithms over instruction-shaped C++. Byte identity is a bonus, never a reason for cryptic code. Use compiler intrinsics only with clear evidence that the original source used them; an optimized SIMD instruction alone is not evidence. Scalar data is not __m128i.
• Recover records and members instead of dereferencing integer pointers cast onto byte buffers. At a real binary-format boundary, use a typed record or memcpy for unaligned fields; preserve layout and aliasing.
• Apply namespace and API conventions consistently throughout a subsystem, including declarations and callers.
• Group cohesive implementations and their headers in subsystem folders, e.g. Client/Browser/. Group by actual ownership and dependencies, not a loose keyword; update includes and build metadata with every move.
• Use SDK/library constants and identifiers directly: WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE, CGID_DocHostCommandHandler. Do not duplicate documented definitions. Name game-specific choices with an enum, or constexpr when an enum is unsuitable; do not turn serialized data, hashes or lookup tables into invented symbolic constants.
• Do not include <mmsystem.h>; include the specific Windows API headers actually required. Formatter-control comments are forbidden too. Preserve include dependencies without clang-format suppression comments.
• Separate different logical phases with a blank line; keep related assignments together. Use a 160-column limit, rather than wrapping short calls into instruction-like fragments. Formatting must not change behavior.
• Leave exactly one blank line after an include block before declarations, including in headers. Never keep more than one consecutive blank line; whitespace-only lines count as blank.

Reconstruct missing types

Repeated offset reads or consecutive field-sized memcpys on flat integers/buffers suggest a missing struct. Reconstruct it when the data forms a logical object; use named members, verify layout, and copy whole records where appropriate. Preserve packing, byte order and aliasing; do not invent structs for unrelated scalars.

#pragma pack(push, 1)
struct PakEntryFile {
  /* 0000 */ std::uint32_t compressedSize;
  /* 0004 */ std::uint32_t alignedSize;
  /* 0008 */ std::uint32_t originalSize;
  /* 000C */ std::uint8_t flags;
  /* 000D */ std::uint32_t dataOffset;
};
#pragma pack(pop)

static_assert(sizeof(PakEntryFile) == 17);
static_assert(offsetof(PakEntryFile, dataOffset) == 13);

PakEntryFile fileEntry;
std::memcpy(&fileEntry, metadata, sizeof(fileEntry));
cursor = metadata + sizeof(fileEntry);
entry.compressedSize = fileEntry.compressedSize;
entry.dataOffset = fileEntry.dataOffset;