Discussion: Naming convention for main code folder (`toolbox/` vs `src/` vs `<toolboxname>/`)

[ehennestad]

I'd like to open a discussion about the recommendation to use toolbox/ as the main folder for user-facing MATLAB code in open-source projects. I realise there is probably some history behind this choice that I’m not aware of, so apologies if this topic has already been settled.

The way I see it, there are three candidate options:

1. toolbox/
2. src/
3. <toolboxname>/

1. toolbox/

• ✅ Fits well with the MATLAB Toolbox framework (e.g., toolbox packaging and generating an .mltbx file).

• ✅ Standard name—if you know the pattern, you immediately know where the end-user code is located.

• ❌ MATLAB-centric term; might confuse developers who are used to other languages (Python, Java, etc.).

• ❌ Very specific, and not every package feels like a toolbox.

2. src/

• ✅ Widely used across many languages and immediately recognizable.

• ✅ Standard name—if you know the pattern, you immediately know where the end-user code is located.

• ❌ Short for “source” and reads a bit awkwardly. (“addpath src”)

3. <toolboxname>/

• ✅ Can create a shallower folder structure—no need for src/<toolboxname> or toolbox/<toolboxname>.

• ❌ Harder to spot quickly when entering an unfamiliar repository; it requires scanning all folder names.

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Overall, I tend to prefer src/ because of its widespread use and the generality of the term. Of course most of this is highly subjective, but would be interested to hear other opinions and reasonings!

[rpurser47]

Haha @ehennestad , you've walked into a long standing debate. Those are the three choices.

Candidate	Pros	Cons	Comments
toolbox	predictable for automation easy for users to recognize what is part of the toolbox, and what isn't	A little hard to figure out initially, esp. if you're coming from other languages	As you say, not everything is a toolbox, our hope is to offer best practices for other scenarios in the future
src source	Commonly used term in software development	Not very approachable for non-developers Technically, MATLAB code isn't source code (since there's no transformation)	We're trying to get away from "let's shorten things so we have to type less even if it makes it harder for people to get started" rationales
<toolboxname>	The historical solution for MATLAB toolboxes	Many software developers find the repeated toolbox name confusing/unintutive/annoying. I think it took me 2-3 years at MathWorks before I stopped having a visceral reaction to the double name

I live steadfastly in the toolbox camp, and I think I've worn @michellehirsch down on the subject. @gulley and @bpancras may have comments. It's not perfect, but of the three, it presents the least pain for people coming to MATLAB. To me, src feels like something from the 70s, though I've been typing src since the 80s. Effectively, toolbox feels like the least problematic of the three.