Tab versus space indentation in C#

Question

I sometimes find myself discussing this issue with other C# developers and especially if we use different styles. I can see the advantage of tab indentation allowing different developers to browse the code with their favorite indent size. Nonetheless, I long ago went for two space indentation in my C# code and have stuck with it ever since. Mainly because I often disliked the way statements spanning multiple lines are sometimes messed up when viewing code from other developers using another tab size.

Recently a developer at one of my clients approached me and asked why I did not use tabs because he preferred to view code with an indentation size of 4.

So my question is: Which style do you prefer and why?

Answer 1

TAB because it is easy to get the indentation size you like(2) and the ones that other people reading your code like. The inverse transformation, from double space to TAB, is difficult.

Answer 2

I prefer my style, that's why I use Ctrl-A Ctr-K,S (Format doc) to format the file according to my rules, if I don't like the way it's indented.

At my shop we had this argument too, and we finally gave it a rest, people prefer different styles, so they should use their preferred style, because it makes the working environment more comfortable, and also makes them more happy ...

Answer 3

Personal Preference: C# tab = 2 spaces, C++ tab = 3 spaces, and let Visual Studio convert them to spaces.

For me the core of the "tab vs. space" discussion is not indentation, but in-code alignment.

Tabs can provide "everyone's favorite indentation". However, if you like to line up statements like this:

switch(foo)
{
   case bar:      Do1(); break;
   case foobar_2: Do2(); break;
}

then, Tabs are evil. Rather, non-lead tabs are evil.

So a coding standard that requires "initial line indentation must be tabs, no other tabs are allowed" would technically be the best two worlds. However, I would find such a coding standard to much obsessed with a petty detail. There are more important things.

---

Anyway, a shop should be able to pick one of the standards, and developers should be able to stick to it, whichever it is.

Answer 4

I prefer elastic tabstops. Unfortunately, software support for them is very limited.

Answer 5

Me and this guy on my team, we're like dogs marking territory by urinating on it. I mark my territory by using tabs. When he happens to change some code in my territory, he marks it by using spaces.

It's kinda a fun relationship, like one of those movies with mismatched cop buddies...

Answer 6

I'm a white-space bigot, sorry. I think of code as prose, so we should follow the rules of good writing as much as we can. I would never write a sentence with examples(like, this), so should we write code that way? Also for me, tabs are a sin. They cause problems as you integrate/use external tools. IMO, always set the environment to replace tabs with some amount of spaces, but for me the number doesn't matter as long as the team settles on it.

Answer 7

I prefer to focus on writing good, solid code. Format it so it's generally readable under a number of circumstances. I used to get grumpy about dealing with "whitespace incompatibilities," but frankly life is too short, there is too much code to be written and too much to share to be stuck on this. If you've solved all other problems and are shipping on time, then I think it's fair to focus on whitespace and the One True Brace Style.

Answer 8

I don't see much of a problem when the enviroment is homogeneous enough to the code show properly in every editor used. But when the source is shared among users of several editors, or when the users customize the way tabs are showed AND some use spaces, some problems start to happen. In the past we let the developers use tabs or spaces, whatever they wanted. Someone used tabs to show 2 spaces in their editor. Another developer customizad eclipse to show 4 spaces. And most used 2 spaces, with the editor showing the default 3 spaces for tab.

Then people started to edit the source, and not everytime formated the entire code. When the tabs as 2 spaces station shown the code, everything was fine. But if anybody else opened the source for editing, there was several misalignment.

For a while only forcing people to reformat the code at saving was enough. Until some clients had some strange rules that forced us to customize some code inside their house. Not even a notebook on their network was permited, the enviroment was theirs. And the tabbed code was pratically unreadable in some stations, where a tab could expand to 8-10 spaces on some 40 column console...

This forced us to reformat all the code to use 2 space ident. It was a severe pain, but became unavoidable... so the rule is: if the code can be read/edited by some arbitrary developer, or in some arbitrary enviroment, it is a good practice to ident using spaces.

Answer 9

Using tabs is the only way to go. It's freedom baby. Spaces are for fascists!

Tabs let anyone viewing it choose their own preferred indent size.

Tabs also make the size of the code files smaller. I know this isn't a big deal, but it is something. When you're using SVN over a slow connection, it all adds up.

Answer 10

Given Visual Studio's powerful formatting tools, I don't think it's necessary to choose anymore, as long as everyone is using the same rules, more or less.

Just delete and replace the last brace in a file and VS will reformat according to the rules defined in your settings. If I am making substantial changes to a class, I will reformat the whole file. Otherwise I leave it alone. No point checking in just white space changes.

It just doesn't matter anymore.

Answer 11

Tabs are inherintly evil.

Answer 12

get some practice with python. Spaces is the only way to go.

Answer 13

Tab has a semantic meaning. So go for tabs. That is why they exist in the first place.

Answer 14

I prefer a hard tab of 5 with virtual whitespace turned on.

Answer 15

Tabs. I prefer 4 spaces and my enemy in the next cubicle prefers 3 spaces, and both get what we want.

And please don't mix them: one tab and then two spaces (especially when it comes to intending method/function arguments based on the name) is evil and breaks the beauty of the code.

Answer 16

Obviously tabs are better.

Obviously spaces are better.

The correct answer is:

It doesn't matter, as long as you are consistent.

Answer 17

This is kind of a pointless argument - in Visual Studio Ctrl+K+D reformats the file to use your preference anyway.

Make sure they're the same preferences as everyone else on your team or they'll hate you when they get a merge.

Answer 18

Tabs are sometimes displayed differently in different editors. So when using just one editor, it doesn't really matter. But if you jump between different ones, it can start to be a problem if you have used tabs.

As an example, I coded a bunch of html/css/php files in Dreamweaver (using tabs) and they all looked pretty. Then one day I needed to fix something in some of the files through ssh, where I only had access to vim. They didn't look as good there... to put it like that... Of course I'm sure you can make vim work the same way as Dreamweaver, but using spaces is just... simpler... =)

Also, to those who mentioned it in other answers/comments here: Are there seriously people out there coding with non-fixed width fonts?? I would go insane...

Answer 19

I am a spaces guy - but that said the most important thing is to be consistent in a team. It will otherwise be very frustrating to share and review code among the members. File compare will also be a problem if developers constantly reformat code to their preferred format.

Answer 20

I prefer using tabs with 4 spaces.

With 2 spaces, blocks look compacted to the left and it always leaves me with the feeling that the logical structure of the code is being "watered down", in terms of readability. The choice between 3 and 4 spaces is aesthetic. Going above 4 doesn't really produce any kind of gain for me; However, eventually the spacing becomes too large and this tends to be distracting.

The reason for my preference of using tabs is convenience when typing.

Answer 21

Tabs.

Spaces are annoying when navigating.

Anyway, all I ask is a choice. And I visual C# 2010 I cannot find such a setting.

What also annoys me is that it insists on formatting like this:

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    label1.Text = "Hello, World!";
}

When I want to format it like this:

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) {
    label1.Text = "Hello, World!";
}

Your opinion on my formatting is irrelevant. I should have the choice.