Naming Guidelines

.NET Framework 1.1

A consistent naming pattern is one of the most important elements of predictability and discoverability in a managed class library. Widespread use and understanding of these naming guidelines should eliminate many of the most common user questions. This topic provides naming guidelines for the .NET Framework types. For each type, you should also take note of some general rules with respect to capitalization styles, case sensitivity and word choice.

In This Section

Capitalization Styles: Describes the Pascal case, camel case, and uppercase capitalization styles to use to name identifiers in class libraries.
Case Sensitivity: Describes the case sensitivity guidelines to follow when naming identifiers in class libraries.
Abbreviations: Describes the guidelines for using abbreviations in type names.
Word Choice: Lists the keywords to avoid using in type names.
Avoiding Type Name Confusion: Describes how to avoid using language-specific terminology in order to avoid type name confusion.
Namespace Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming namespaces.
Class Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming classes.
Interface Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming interfaces.
Attribute Naming Guidelines: Describes the correct way to name an attribute using the Attribute suffix.
Enumeration Type Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming enumerations.
Static Field Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming static fields.
Parameter Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming parameters.
Method Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming methods.
Property Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming properties.
Event Naming Guidelines: Describes the guidelines to follow when naming events.

Related Sections

Class Member Usage Guidelines: Describes the guidelines for using properties, events, methods, constructors, fields, and parameters in class libraries.
Type Usage Guidelines: Describes the guidelines for using classes, value types, delegates, attributes, and nested types in class libraries.
Design Guidelines for Class Library Developers: Provides naming and usage guidelines for types in the .NET Framework as well as guidelines for implementing common design patterns.