Ftnchek

ftnchek: Fortran Code Formatter

Detects and corrects formatting mistakes in Fortran code to prevent compilation errors, with features for consistent indentation and continuation character management.

What is Ftnchek?

ftnchek is a static analysis tool used to detect formatting issues in Fortran code that may lead to hard-to-diagnose compilation errors. It goes through Fortran source code files line-by-line and checks for compliance with standard formatting rules and conventions prescribed by the Fortran standards.

Some of the formatting issues that ftnchek checks for include:

• Inconsistent indentation of code blocks
• Missing ampersand (&) continuation characters at ends of lines
• Nonstandard capitalization of names and keywords
• Spacing around operators and punctuation
• Excessively long lines that should be split
• Comments placed in nonstandard locations

By running the Fortran code through ftnchek before compilation, developers can identify and correct these formatting problems early, preventing cryptic errors during compilation and debugging down the line. This helps improve developers' productivity when writing, updating, and troubleshooting Fortran programs that follow standard formatting conventions. The tool is especially useful for legacy Fortran code that predates more recent formatting guidelines.

Overall, ftnchek streamlines the Fortran development workflow by automating the detection of code style and formatting inconsistencies that may otherwise require time-consuming manual code reviews to identify and resolve.

Ftnchek Features

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