Modernizing Fortran codebases is a crucial step toward improving code quality and ensuring maintainability. It helps developers uncover hidden bugs and reduces the risk of introducing new errors during development. Additionally, these efforts support modern compilers and tools in generating optimized code and identifying potential issues early. Ultimately, modernization boosts developer productivity and enhances code robustness.
This project is inspired by the OWASP community-led initiative, which regularly publishes the most relevant Top 10 Secure Coding Recommendations. These are widely adopted by the industry to help developers avoid common security vulnerabilities. The OWASP initiative thrives on collaboration and knowledge sharing through platforms like their GitHub repository.
Beyond OWASP, various open catalogs provide comprehensive collections of checks (rules) to help ensure secure coding practices. Each check describes specific scenarios and necessary actions, offering extensive documentation, example codes, automated code analysis tools, and references to other resources. Notable examples include SEI CERT C and CWE.
Building on these foundations, this project aims to start a similar community-driven initiative focused on modern Fortran software development. Leveraging the existing Open Catalog on Best Practices for Modernization and Performance, we seek to establish a dedicated set of Top 10 Recommendations and related checks to address the specific challenges of Fortran Modernization.
Modernizing Fortran code encompasses updating and maintaining legacy Fortran codes (e.g., F77, F90) with extensive development histories. It also involves refactoring existing Fortran codes to leverage the features of the latest Fortran standards (e.g., transitioning from F90 to F23).
To develop the Top 10 Recommendations for Fortran Modernization, we adopted a comprehensive and community-focused approach. First, we conducted an extensive review of existing resources on the topic to identify an initial draft of the most recurrent recommendations. These were later discussed with the Fortran development community to collect insights and feedback (e.g., in Fortran Discourse [12]), which were crucial for shaping the final proposal.
The presented Top 10 Recommendations are prioritized to guide developers through a progression of modernization efforts. Each recommendation is detailed with specific checks that describe actionable steps, including examples of before and after code snippets, the rationale behind the changes, and links to further reading.
To ensure the recommendations remain relevant and comprehensive, we plan to continuously review community input and update the guidelines as the Fortran standards evolve and new best practices emerge.
We welcome and encourage contributions to the Top 10 Recommendations! Here's how you can get involved:
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Join the discussion:
Got ideas, questions, or suggestions? Head over to our GitHub Discussions. It's the perfect place for open-ended conversations and brainstorming!
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Report issues:
Found inacuracies, unclear explanations, or other problems? Please open an Issue. Detailed reports help us quickly improve the quality of the project!
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Submit pull requests:
Interested in solving any issues? Feel free to fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a Pull Request. We'd love to see your contributions!
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[1] Fortran Community. "Fortran Best Practices". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://fortran-lang.org/en/learn/best_practices/
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[2] Fortran Wiki Contributors. "Modernizing Old Fortran". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://fortranwiki.org/fortran/show/Modernizing+Old+Fortran
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[3] Fortran Discourse Community. "Fortran Discourse". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://fortran-lang.discourse.group
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[4] Reinhold Bader. "Fortran code modernization". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://www.ugent.be/hpc/en/training/2018/modern_fortran_materials/modernfortran2018.pdf
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[5] The Numerical Algorithms Group. "Fortran Modernisation Workshop". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://blog.rwth-aachen.de/hpc_import_20210107/attachments/39157901/39420371.pdf
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[6] The Carpentries. "Best Practices in Modern Fortran". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://wvuhpc.github.io/Modern-Fortran/11-Best-Practices/index.html
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[7] Norman S. Clerman, Walter Spector. "Modern Fortran: Style and Usage". 1st Edition, 2011.
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[8] Michael Metcalf, John Reid, Malcolm Cohen, Reinhold Bader. "Modern Fortran Explained". 6th Edition, 2023.
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[9] Fortran Users of NERSC (FUN). "FUN Training July 2023: Modern Fortran Basics". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://www.nersc.gov/users/training/past-training-events/2023/fun-training-july-2023-modern-fortran-basics/
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[10] Jack Carlson, Olaf David. "Fortran 90/95 Coding Conventions - Fortran Features that are obsolescent and/or discouraged". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://alm.engr.colostate.edu/cb/wiki/16983#section-Fortran+Features+that+are+obsolescent+and_2For+discouraged
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[11] GitHub Collaborators. "Best practices and styles guidelines of Fortran FOSS Programmers". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://github.com/Fortran-FOSS-Programmers/Best_Practices
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[12] Fortran Discourse Community. "Our initiative to publish the 'Fortran-lang Top 10 Recommendation for Fortran modernization', is it really new or even feasible?". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/our-initiative-to-publish-the-fortran-lang-top-10-recommendation-for-fortran-modernization-is-it-really-new-or-even-feasible/7774
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[13] GitHub Collaborators. "Open Catalog of Best Practices for Modernization and Optimization". Accessed: Jun. 06, 2024. [Online] Available: https://github.com/codee-com/open-catalog