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  3. Tabs vs Spaces

Tabs vs Spaces

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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.

    D Offline
    D Offline
    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.

        U Offline
        U Offline
        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.

          Y Offline
          Y Offline
          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.

            Y Offline
            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.

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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.

                S Offline
                S Offline
                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.

                  D Offline
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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.

                      B Offline
                      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.

                        U Offline
                        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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