Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gumby.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!uwvax!gumby!g-chapma
From: g-chapma@gumby.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Indentation Survey
Message-ID: <356@gumby.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Apr-85 16:37:51 EST
Article-I.D.: gumby.356
Posted: Thu Apr 25 16:37:51 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Apr-85 03:09:16 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 22

Apropos to this discussion is the report of a study at the University of 
Maryland on "Program Indentation and Comprehensibility" which ran as a 
technical note in the category of Human Aspects of Computing in the November 
1983 issue of Communications of the ACM.  Here's the abstract:

	The consensus in the progrsmming community is that indentation
	aids program comprehension, although many studies do not back
	this up.  We tested program comprehension on a Pascal program.
	Two styles of indentation were used--blocked and nonblocked--
	in addition to four possible levels of indentation (0, 2, 4, 6
	spaces).  Both experienced and novice subjects were used.  
	Although the blocking style made no difference, the level of
	indentation had a significant effect on program comprehension. 
	(2-4 spaces had the highest mean score for program comprehension.)
	We recommend that a moderate level of indentation be used to 
	increase program comprehension and user satisfaction.

Definitions from the article:  "Blocked structures are defined as begin-end
blocks of code with inner statements starting in the same column as the begin
and end.  Non-blocked structures are defined as begin-end blocks of code with
inner statements starting at least one level (2, 4, 6 spaces) of indentation
to the right of the begin and end."