Automate style enforcement

Implement automated code style enforcement using complementary tools rather than relying on manual reviews. Configure multiple tools to work together, as each has unique strengths and blind spots.

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Prompt

Reviewer Prompt

Implement automated code style enforcement using complementary tools rather than relying on manual reviews. Configure multiple tools to work together, as each has unique strengths and blind spots.

Key practices:

  • Configure formatters to automatically apply fixes (not just check) to prevent build failures while ensuring consistency
  • Use overlapping tools like formatter-maven-plugin, spotless, and PMD together for comprehensive coverage
  • Add static analysis rules to catch common style and quality issues
  • Automate organizational concerns like import ordering and POM file element sorting

Example configuration:

<plugin>
    <groupId>com.diffplug.spotless</groupId>
    <artifactId>spotless-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <configuration>
        <java>
            <removeUnusedImports />
            <formatAnnotations />
            <!-- Additional style rules -->
        </java>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>apply</goal>
            </goals>
            <phase>process-sources</phase>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

When introducing new tools, prefer those that can automatically fix issues rather than just reporting them. This reduces manual work and ensures consistent style across the codebase.

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