Thread: Tabs or Spaces

Spaces are universal and every editor should know what spaces are and how many to use. Tabs are relative to the app and settings in the editor displaying the document.

I would say it is the complete opposite. Tabs are universal. Any editor can read a tab, and know that there should be some amount of specified indentation.

NOT all editors agree on what spaces are and how many to use, and that is exactly the problem. Tabs are NOT relative, but are universal. Spaces are relative to the editor.

Hence the options that occur in most editors: "Spaces per tab indentation"....because each editor does it differently.

[edit]
Oh...and I have never experienced the board messing up tabs. The python code I posted earlier used tabs...looks great to me.
[/edit]

[edit #2]

I would have to agree with laserlight that for the most part it is the mixture of tabs and spaces that really obfuscates code. Tabs and spaces simply dont go together. If yall want to use spaces, then that is your choice, but I would have to agree that a mixture of the two just doesnt work.

But when it comes down to choosing either spaces or tabs, it's tabs all the way.
[/edit]

It really depends on who is going to see it really, doesn't it? I mean, for c-prog it's good to have four (etc), spaces cause it doesn't change the code to being "uber spaced", I think ethic has a problem with that, so I'm going to say he likes spaces too. However, if you're just writing code for yourself I don't think it matters what you use, I'd wager that whatever your IDE came defaulted to is what you love most. Alternatively if you're writing code for the "man" it's whatever he wants that you're going to use regardless of which you prefer.

It took me a while to realise the importance of code indenting, pre-cboard time though. I'm sure we're all of the same mind that badly indented code is bad, right? Then why say that universally well indented code isn't the best?

edit:
>> Oh...and I have never experienced the board messing up tabs. The python code I posted earlier used tabs...looks great to me.
Consider code that people copy at .. say ... 7 {}'s in with long commenting ... *shudder*

Get a decent code editor, then

It will indent code by your chosen tab stops (insert multiple spaces) when you press tab.
It will automatically indent the next line when you press return.
It will re-indent code as you copy/paste it if necessary.
And so on and so on...

You people pressing space 12 times just to indent 3 tabs stops really need to figure out how the tools work (or pick a better strawman to knock down).

I personally use spaces all of the time, never tabs. But I have a nice editor that indents code for me; I only have to hit the spacebar four times at the beginning of a block. If I was using notepad I might be tempted to use tabs . . .

Plus the extra spaces increase your source file size to make it look more impressive.

Originally Posted by Daved

How do you delete those 12 spaces?

I usually don't unless they're in comments. I generally click on this button, which also has the effect of reformatting the whole file if nothing is selected (or only the selection):

SPACES FOR PRESIDENT!

We're winning! Just a few more votes and we'll have a sufficient majority to elect spaces pope! heheh

Plus the extra spaces increase your source file size to make it look more impressive.

I thought that was a downside to using a "pure spaces" approach, actually... but I guess it depends on your point of view

I usually don't unless they're in comments. I generally click on this button, which also has the effect of reformatting the whole file if nothing is selected (or only the selection)

What text editor or IDE do you use?

Nah, 42 is good, but we only need 24 at the moment.