Tabtype

Tabtype is a term used in software configuration to describe how tabulation is represented in a document, file, or interface. Its exact meaning varies by project, but it generally refers to whether indentation or column delimitation relies on actual tab characters or on spaces, and how mixed or ambiguous cases are handled. Tabtype can appear as a setting or metadata attribute in editors, viewers, or data processors.

Common values include:

- spaces (soft tab): indentation is achieved with spaces, often governed by a tab width or indent width setting to determine how many spaces a tab would represent.

- tabs (hard tab): indentation uses the tab character (0x09). Editors may render a tab as a fixed number of columns.

- mixed: a combination where some sections use tabs and others use spaces; may require conversion to a uniform tabtype for consistency.

In practice:

- Editors or IDEs may expose tabtype to influence rendering, auto-indentation, and commands for converting between spaces and tabs.

- Tabulated data formats that rely on delimiters, such as tab-delimited files, may include tabtype-like metadata to indicate whether delimiters are literal tabs or textual representations.

Implementation notes:

- Consistency is important for alignment and diffs; tools should provide clear conversion paths between tabtypes.

- When exchanging data, agreeing on a canonical tabtype helps prevent misinterpretation across systems.

Limitations:

- Tabtype is not a universal standard; its meaning is context-dependent. Users should consult the specific project documentation to understand how tabtype is defined and applied.