indentertype

Indentertype is a conceptual term used in software documentation to refer to the method by which indentation is represented in a text document or source code. It specifies the symbol or unit used to create a new indentation level and is commonly categorized as spaces, tabs, or mixed indentation.

Spaces refer to indentation achieved by a fixed number of space characters per level, often 2, 4, or 8. Tabs use a single tab character for each level, with the effective width of a tab typically configured in editors. Mixed indentation describes documents where both spaces and tabs are used to indent, sometimes in different blocks or files; this can lead to alignment issues and inconsistent rendering across tools.

In practice, indentertype appears as a setting in code formatters and editors, influencing how code is stored and displayed, as well as how diffs are generated. The choice can affect portability across environments with differing tab widths and can influence automated checks for style compliance. Some tools may automatically convert to a chosen indentertype on save or during a formatting pass.

Best practices emphasize consistency: select one indentertype for a project and document it in a style guide. Languages vary: some communities favor spaces, while others used to rely on tabs. Certain legacy codebases or environments may restrict indentation methods due to tooling or display constraints. When using multiple collaborators, aligning on indentertype helps reduce unnecessary churn in version control diffs and improves readability across editors.

See also: indentation, whitespace, code styling, formatting tools.