[rules-dev] indentation spaces VS tabs (\t)

[Mark Proctor]

  yes it should be 4 spaces.

Mark
On 06/09/2010 14:20, Geoffrey De Smet wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> Looks like we have different ways of indent our files.
> I 've seen these occurrences for a single indentation on drools trunk:
> - java files:
> -- 4 spaces
> -- 1 tab
> - xml files:
> -- 4 spaces
> -- 3 spaces
> -- 2 spaces
> -- 1 tab
> - drl files:
> -- 4 spaces
> -- 2 spaces
> -- 1 tab
> I've seen different types mixed in the same line regularly. One
> developer created the line, another developer wrapped it in an if statement.
>
> The problem
> ===========
> What's the problem with mixing these different types?
> - It stimulates merge conflicts.
> - It obfuscates diffs.
> - It hampers with readability.
> Some editors show \t as 2 spaces, others as 4, others as 8. Most
> notably, in plain HTML, firefox etc show it as 8 spaces IIRC.
> So line A with 2 indentations of 4 spaces each
> and line B with 2 indentations of 1 tab each
> are not rendered starting from the same column.
>
> The solution proposals
> ======================
> We should agree on what to use.
> Then simply configure it in eclipse/intellij:
> - In eclipse you need to set it several times:
> -- once in the java style (or import the eclipse-formatter.xml)
> -- once in the xml style (even if you import the eclipse-formatter.xml file)
> -- once in the text style (even if you import the eclipse-formatter.xml
> file)
> - In intellij, do it in code style/general.
>
>
> Proposal 1) Use 4 spaces in java, xml and drl to indent.
> Pro:
> - The current drools eclipse formatter, trunk/eclipse-formatter.xml
> states this for java files. Note that it says nothing about xml or drl
> files because those need to be configured separately in eclipse, which
> is probably the reason why some of use spaces for java files and tabs
> for xml files.
> - Most of our java files currently use 4 spaces
> - The "Sun java coding conventions" state we should use 4 spaces.
> http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/codeconventions-136091.html#262
> "Four spaces should be used as the unit of indentation."
>
> Proposal 2) Use 4 spaces in java and 2 spaces in xml and drl
> Pro:
> - xml files can have deep indentations and 2 spaces might be clear enough
>
> Proposal 3) Use 1 tab in java, xml and drl to indent.
> Pro:
> - Eclipse uses 1 tab by default for xml files (and maybe also for java
> files?)
>
> My opinion (vote?)
> ==================
>
> Proposal 1) Use 4 spaces in java, xml and drl to indent.
>
> PS
> ==
> Please keep this topic isolated to the spaces VS tabs problem.
> If you'd like to open the topic of the coding style which differs
> between developers, please do so in a separate topic, as that one can be
> long and unfulfilling discussion and I 'd like to settle the spaces
> quickly...
>