This coding standard is organized into an introductory chapter and 18 chapters containing guidelines in specific topic areas. Each of these 18 chapters contains a list of guidelines in that section, a risk assessment summary for these guidelines, and a list of related guidelines. There is also a common glossary and bibliography.
Guidelines have a consistent structure. Each guideline has a unique identifier, which is included in the title. The title of the guideline and the introductory paragraphs define the conformance requirements. This is typically followed by one or more pairs of noncompliant code examples and corresponding compliant solutions. Each guideline also includes a risk assessment and bibliographical references specific to that guideline.