[Freeciv-Dev] Re: coding standard patch

[Jason Short <jdorje@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Per I. Mathisen wrote:
> Please read and criticize.
> Index: doc/CodingStyle
> ===================================================================
> RCS file: /home/freeciv/CVS/freeciv/doc/CodingStyle,v
> retrieving revision 1.2
> diff -u -r1.2 CodingStyle
> --- doc/CodingStyle     2002/08/12 17:14:21     1.2
> +++ doc/CodingStyle     2002/08/28 18:12:36
> @@ -14,8 +14,11 @@
>  
>  - An empty line should be placed between two separate blocks of code.
>  
> -- Spaces should go before and after operators, and after commas:
> +- Do not use tabs. Indentation should be by two spaces for each level
> +  of code nesting.
>  
> +- Spaces should go before and after operators, expressions and commas:
> +
>  int a,b,c;   /* bad */
>  int i, j, k; /* good */
Call me crazy, but I'm a big fan of tabs.

I can see how FreeCiv doesn't make good use of them, though.  The ideal 
use for tabs is as a single level of indentation - that way if someone 
prefers a different level of indentation they can just change their tab 
width.  But with an indentation level of 2 and a tab width of 8 this 
doesn't work - it just serves to make sure that people have to use a tab 
width of 8.

---side note---

To carry things a little farther, emacs and indent will automatically 
indent using tabs (or automatically strip tabs).  But under the system 
of indentation I describe above, not *all* spaces should be replaced by 
tabs.  Consider:
int foo(void)
{
\tint x;

\tcall_some_function(x, y
\t                   z);
}

Here I have written \t instead of a two-space tab.  The above is the 
"proper" indentation: no matter how you change the tab/indentation width 
it will always look correct (although it may flow off the screen).  But 
emacs and indent will give you this:
\tcall_some_function(x, y
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t z);

which will again only work with a tab width of 2.

Does anyone know how to get the first behavior instead of the second (in 
emacs or indent)?
jason