Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!westmark!mole-end!mat
From: mat@mole-end.UUCP (Mark A Terribile)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Standard Indentation etc.
Summary: Always?
Message-ID: <116@mole-end.UUCP>
Date: 16 Dec 88 07:38:04 GMT
References: <663@htsa.uucp>
Organization: mole-end--private system.  admin: mole-end!newtnews
Lines: 38

> Except the placing of the {} and the if-else I agree with this. The else
> is *absolutely* not equally important as the if; it is only one of the
> two alternatives (see my example with the switch-statement). Placing the
> {} my way uses the same amount of vertical space and is more correct:
> 
>   while (1)         while (1){
>     { first;                first;
>       second();             second();
>       etc;                  etc;
>     }               }
> 
> How do you like this alternative, Gerald Hawkins ?

It's a disaster.  You can't do line manipulation, (either with a line editor
(horrors) or editing by moving lines) without having to worry about your
braces.

My own preference is the ``brace-over-brace'' convention, but the most
important thing in my mind is the consistent and *simple* arrangement of
indentation.  I see only two justifications for fractional-tab indents:

	In the switch(), it seems to help to put two spaces before each
	case.

	In a few large functions that are deeply nested, putting the last
	four or five indents at 4 spaces instead of a natural tab can help.

The second case should be a fourth resort.  The first resort is to get a
clearer picture of the problem so that you can code it with fewer indents;
the second is to arrange your solution in the most linear way possible
(a vine rather than a bushy tree--see Kernighan & Plauger for details) using
early exits where appropriate, and the third is to find a simple way to break
the routine up.  When those fail, go *consistently* to fractional indents for
the *last few* levels ONLY.
-- 

(This man's opinions are his own.)
From mole-end				Mark Terribile