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  3. Tabs vs Spaces

Tabs vs Spaces

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  • M Mark Starr

    Indent? That’s really a thing? I just left-align everything. Tried right-align, but that was messy. :)

    Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel

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    Gary R Wheeler
    wrote on last edited by
    #50

    Use RTL text (or even better bidi), I dare you.

    Software Zen: delete this;

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    • P PIEBALDconsult

      No, TAB stops are by distance, not character count. A half inch is sufficient.

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      ormonds
      wrote on last edited by
      #51

      Inches? I still use cubits.

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      • O ormonds

        Inches? I still use cubits.

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        PIEBALDconsult
        wrote on last edited by
        #52

        So did Hitler.

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        • K Kevin Marois

          Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

          If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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          Daniel Wilianto
          wrote on last edited by
          #53

          I always use IDE for coding. All IDEs that I use convert tab to spaces automatically. I always press TAB on keyboard when I want to indent, though. Since less keystroke is faster and better. So you could say that I am a TAB guy? But I am perfectly fine with it saved as spaces.

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          • P PIEBALDconsult

            So did Hitler.

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            ormonds
            wrote on last edited by
            #54

            You just reinforced Godwin's Law.

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            • K Kevin Marois

              Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

              If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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              User 14060113
              wrote on last edited by
              #55

              I use tabs bc using spaces is rude. For example, I personally prefer .html or .xaml files with an indentation of 3 spaces, for other file types I prefer 4 spaces. This is not possible if some ruthless predecessor inserted spaces according to his, probably different, personal preferences in the source files. Or if I am the predecessor, then I would force my 3 spaces upon other people. That's not the way to treat each other.

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              • K Kevin Marois

                Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

                If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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                YSLGuru
                wrote on last edited by
                #56

                Bad tabs, bad Tabs, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they screw the code up for you?

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                • K Kevin Marois

                  Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

                  If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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                  Y Offline
                  YSLGuru
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #57

                  As a SQL dev it's SPACES all the way. I use a TAB to insert 2 spaces but never use the TAB character within my code.

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                  • D David Crow

                    I use the TAB key to insert SPACES.

                    "One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson

                    "Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons

                    "You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles

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                    Roger House
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #58

                    Ditto

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                    • K Kevin Marois

                      Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

                      If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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                      Shmoken99
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #59

                      Is Spaces a slang term for Diet Coke? If so I definitely prefer it to Tab.

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                      • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

                        I would've never thought there could be a good argument for tabs, but this sounds like a good way to satisfy everyone. My only question would be what the code looks like outside the IDE, in GitHub or even Notepad, for example.

                        Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
                        The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

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                        DRHuff
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #60

                        No, no, no! If you think that you have found a good argument on the internet... :-D Thanks for the comment though. It is surprising the number of times I have brought this point up and people that were dead set against tabs get a surprised look on their faces. Never thought of that before. Every indentation is 1 tab - what you want it to look like is up to you. And if you use notepad to look at code - well I can't help everybody!

                        If you can't laugh at yourself - ask me and I will do it for you.

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                        • O obermd

                          I think it had to do with what a mechanical typewriter was able to reliably insert. Remember, the tab key didn't shift x spaces, it shifted to the next tab stop, and yes, these were physical stops in a mechanical typewriter. Since these old machines worked on a fixed width font of 8 characters per inch and the physical tab stops were one inch apart, a tab became associated with 8 characters.

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                          svella
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #61

                          Typewriters were typically either 10 (Pica) or 12 (Elite) characters per inch. Some of the later typewriters could support either and had swappable type balls.

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                          • K Kevin Marois

                            Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

                            If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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                            B Offline
                            Br Bill
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #62

                            FINALLY someone has brought up this subject!

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                            • K Kevin Marois

                              Quick survey... How many of you uses tabs vs spaces to indent your code?

                              If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

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                              U Offline
                              UziTech
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #63

                              I think this thread nicely illustrates why tabs should be used for indentation. You want 2, 4, 8 character indentation, fine. You want half inch indentation, fine. You want 2½ character indentation, %#*$ you, but sure. No one has to choose what is the "right" amount, everyone's editor will display it how they want.

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