Indentation uses horizontal spacing to make source-code structure visible. In pretty printing, it helps readers follow nesting while competing with line width and vertical compactness. section 9.1
A pretty printer treats indentation as part of a wider layout policy:
- Keep lines within a chosen width, commonly 80 or 100 characters, unless breaking is impractical. section 9.1
- Insert line breaks where expressions can separate, then indent the material following a break. section 9.4.2
- Balance readable structure against fewer line breaks and less vertical scrolling; these goals can conflict. section 9.1
Indenting a call argument list
A call that exceeds an 80-character limit can place each argument on a new line and indent the list. Nested expressions may receive further indentation, producing a layout such as Frobozz.Frobulator.Frobulate( followed by indented arguments and a closing parenthesis. section 9.4.2
Frobozz.Frobulator.Frobulate(
(Blob.Width + Cob.Width) * Glob.Length,
Qbert.Quux.Qix)
Shows indentation in a generated C#-style call, including a nested expression aligned beneath its argument list. section 9.4.2
