# indent

## NAME



           indent - changes the appearance of a C program by inserting or
           deleting whitespace.
    


## SYNOPSIS



           **indent**[options] [input-files]
    
           **indent**[options] [single-input-file] [-o output-file]
    
           **indent** --version
    


## DESCRIPTION



           This man page is generated from the file _indent.texinfo_.  This is
           Edition  of "The **indent** Manual", for Indent Version , last updated
           .
    
           The **indent** program can be used to make code easier to read.  It
           can also convert from one style of writing C to another.
    
           **indent** understands a substantial amount about the syntax of C, but
           it also attempts to cope with incomplete and misformed syntax.
    
           In version 1.2 and more recent versions, the GNU style of
           indenting is the default.
    


## OPTIONS



           **-as** , **--align-with-spaces**
               If using tabs for indentation, use spaces for alignment.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-bad** , **--blank-lines-after-declarations**
               Force blank lines after the declarations.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-bap** , **--blank-lines-after-procedures**
               Force blank lines after procedure bodies.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-bbb** , **--blank-lines-before-block-comments**
               Force blank lines before block comments.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-bbo** , **--break-before-boolean-operator**
               Prefer to break long lines before boolean operators.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-bc** , **--blank-lines-after-commas**
               Force newline after comma in declaration.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-bl** , **--braces-after-if-line**
               Put braces on line after **if** , etc.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-blf** , **--braces-after-func-def-line**
               Put braces on line following function definition line.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-bli** _n_ , **--brace-indent** _n_
               Indent braces _n_ spaces.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-bls** , **--braces-after-struct-decl-line**
               Put braces on the line after **struct** declaration lines.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-br** , **--braces-on-if-line**
               Put braces on line with **if** , etc.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-brf** , **--braces-on-func-def-line**
               Put braces on function definition line.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-brs** , **--braces-on-struct-decl-line**
               Put braces on **struct** declaration line.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-bs** , **--Bill-Shannon** , **--blank-before-sizeof**
               Put a space between **sizeof** and its argument.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-c** _n_ , **--comment-indentation** _n_
               Put comments to the right of code in column _n_.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-cbi** _n_ , **--case-brace-indentation** _n_
               Indent braces after a case label N spaces.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-cd** _n_ , **--declaration-comment-column** _n_
               Put comments to the right of the declarations in column _n_.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-cdb** , **--comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines**
               Put comment delimiters on blank lines.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-cdw** , **--cuddle-do-while**
               Cuddle while of **do {} while;** and preceding ‘}’.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-ce** , **--cuddle-else**
               Cuddle else and preceding ‘}’.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-ci** _n_ , **--continuation-indentation** _n_
               Continuation indent of _n_ spaces.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-cli** _n_ , **--case-indentation** _n_
               Case label indent of _n_ spaces.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-cp** _n_ , **--else-endif-column** _n_
               Put comments to the right of **#else** and **#endif** statements in
               column _n_.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-cs** , **--space-after-cast**
               Put a space after a cast operator.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-d** _n_ , **--line-comments-indentation** _n_
               Set indentation of comments not to the right of code to _n_
               spaces.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-bfda** , **--break-function-decl-args**
               Break the line before all arguments in a declaration.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-bfde** , **--break-function-decl-args-end**
               Break the line after the last argument in a declaration.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-dj** , **--left-justify-declarations**
               If -cd 0 is used then comments after declarations are left
               justified behind the declaration.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-di** _n_ , **--declaration-indentation** _n_
               Put variables in column _n_.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-fc1** , **--format-first-column-comments**
               Format comments in the first column.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-fca** , **--format-all-comments**
               Do not disable all formatting of comments.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-fnc** , **--fix-nested-comments**
               Fix nested comments.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-gnu** , **--gnu-style**
               Use GNU coding style.  This is the default.
               See  **COMMON STYLES**.
    
           **-gts** , **--gettext-strings**
               Treat gettext **_("...")** and **N_("...")** as strings rather than as
               functions.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-hnl** , **--honour-newlines**
               Prefer to break long lines at the position of newlines in the
               input.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-i** _n_ , **--indent-level** _n_
               Set indentation level to _n_ spaces.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-il** _n_ , **--indent-label** _n_
               Set offset for labels to column _n_.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-ip** _n_ , **--parameter-indentation** _n_
               Indent parameter types in old-style function definitions by _n_
               spaces.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-kr** , **--k-and-r-style**
               Use Kernighan & Ritchie coding style.
               See  **COMMON STYLES**.
    
           **-l** _n_ , **--line-length** _n_
               Set maximum line length for non-comment lines to _n_.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-lc** _n_ , **--comment-line-length** _n_
               Set maximum line length for comment formatting to _n_.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-linux** , **--linux-style**
               Use Linux coding style.
               See  **COMMON STYLES**.
    
           **-lp** , **--continue-at-parentheses**
               Line up continued lines at parentheses.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-lps** , **--leave-preprocessor-space**
               Leave space between ‘#’ and preprocessor directive.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-nlps** , **--remove-preprocessor-space**
               Remove space between ‘#’ and preprocessor directive.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-nbad** , **--no-blank-lines-after-declarations**
               Do not force blank lines after declarations.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-nbap** , **--no-blank-lines-after-procedures**
               Do not force blank lines after procedure bodies.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-nbbo** , **--break-after-boolean-operator**
               Do not prefer to break long lines before boolean operators.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-nbc** , **--no-blank-lines-after-commas**
               Do not force newlines after commas in declarations.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-nbfda** , **--dont-break-function-decl-args**
               Don’t put each argument in a function declaration on a
               separate line.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-ncdb** , **--no-comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines**
               Do not put comment delimiters on blank lines.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-ncdw** , **--dont-cuddle-do-while**
               Do not cuddle **}** and the **while** of a **do {} while;**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-nce** , **--dont-cuddle-else**
               Do not cuddle **}** and **else**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-ncs** , **--no-space-after-casts**
               Do not put a space after cast operators.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-ndj** _n_ , **--dont-left-justify-declarations**
               Comments after declarations are treated the same as comments
               after other statements.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-nfc1** , **--dont-format-first-column-comments**
               Do not format comments in the first column as normal.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-nfca** , **--dont-format-comments**
               Do not format any comments.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-ngts** , **--no-gettext-strings**
               Treat gettext **_("...")** and **N_("...")** as normal functions.
               This is the default.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-nhnl** , **--ignore-newlines**
               Do not prefer to break long lines at the position of newlines
               in the input.
               See  **BREAKING LONG LINES**.
    
           **-nip** , **--no-parameter-indentation**
               Zero width indentation for parameters.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-nlp** , **--dont-line-up-parentheses**
               Do not line up parentheses.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-npcs** , **--no-space-after-function-call-names**
               Do not put space after the function in function calls.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-nprs** , **--no-space-after-parentheses**
               Do not put a space after every ’(’ and before every ’)’.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-npsl** , **--dont-break-procedure-type**
               Put the type of a procedure on the same line as its name.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-nsaf** , **--no-space-after-for**
               Do not put a space after every **for**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-nsai** , **--no-space-after-if**
               Do not put a space after every **if**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-nsaw** , **--no-space-after-while**
               Do not put a space after every **while**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-nsc** , **--dont-star-comments**
               Do not put the ‘*’ character at the left of comments.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-nsob** , **--leave-optional-blank-lines**
               Do not swallow optional blank lines.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-nss** , **--dont-space-special-semicolon**
               Do not force a space before the semicolon after certain
               statements.  Disables ‘-ss’.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-ntac** , **--dont-tab-align-comments**
               Do not pad comments out to the nearest tabstop.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-nut** , **--no-tabs**
               Use spaces instead of tabs.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-nv** , **--no-verbosity**
               Disable verbose mode.
               See  **MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS**.
    
           **-orig** , **--original**
               Use the original Berkeley coding style.
               See  **COMMON STYLES**.
    
           **-npro** , **--ignore-profile**
               Do not read ‘.indent.pro’ files.
               See  **INVOKING INDENT**.
    
           **-pal** , **--pointer-align-left**
               Put asterisks in pointer declarations on the left of spaces,
               next to types: ‘‘char* p’’.
    
           **-par** , **--pointer-align-right**
               Put asterisks in pointer declarations on the right of spaces,
               next to variable names: ‘‘char *p’’. This is the default
               behavior.
    
           **-pcs** , **--space-after-procedure-calls**
               Insert a space between the name of the procedure being called
               and the ‘(’.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-pi** _n_ , **--paren-indentation** _n_
               Specify the extra indentation per open parentheses ’(’ when a
               statement is broken.See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-pmt** , **--preserve-mtime**
               Preserve access and modification times on output files.See
                **MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS**.
    
           **-ppi** _n_ , **--preprocessor-indentation** _n_
               Specify the indentation for preprocessor conditional
               statements.See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-prs** , **--space-after-parentheses**
               Put a space after every ’(’ and before every ’)’.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-psl** , **--procnames-start-lines**
               Put the type of a procedure on the line before its name.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-saf** , **--space-after-for**
               Put a space after each **for**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-sai** , **--space-after-if**
               Put a space after each **if**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-sar** , **--spaces-around-initializers**
               Put a space after the ‘{’ and before the ‘}’ in initializers.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-saw** , **--space-after-while**
               Put a space after each **while**.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-sbi** _n_ , **--struct-brace-indentation** _n_
               Indent braces of a struct, union or enum N spaces.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-sc** , **--start-left-side-of-comments**
               Put the ‘*’ character at the left of comments.
               See  **COMMENTS**.
    
           **-slc** , **--single-line-conditionals**
               Allow for unbraced conditionals (**if** , **else** , etc.) to have their
               inner statement on the same line.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-sob** , **--swallow-optional-blank-lines**
               Swallow optional blank lines.
               See  **BLANK LINES**.
    
           **-ss** , **--space-special-semicolon**
               On one-line **for** and **while** statements, force a blank before the
               semicolon.
               See  **STATEMENTS**.
    
           **-st** , **--standard-output**
               Write to standard output.
               See  **INVOKING INDENT**.
    
           **-T** Tell **indent** the name of typenames.
               See  **DECLARATIONS**.
    
           **-ts** _n_ , **--tab-size** _n_
               Set tab size to _n_ spaces.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-ut** , **--use-tabs**
               Use tabs. This is the default.
               See  **INDENTATION**.
    
           **-v** , **--verbose**
               Enable verbose mode.
               See  **MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS**.
    
           **-version**
               Output the version number of **indent**.
               See  **MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS**.
    


## INVOKING INDENT



           As of version 1.3, the format of the **indent** command is:
    
                indent [_options_] [_input-files_]
    
                indent [_options_] [_single-input-file_] [-o _output-file_]
    
           This  format is different from earlier versions and other versions
           of **indent**.
    
           In the first form, one or more input files are specified.   **indent**
           makes  a  backup  copy  of  each  file,  and  the original file is
           replaced with its indented  version.   See  **BACKUP FILES** ,  for  an
           explanation of how backups are made.
    
           In  the  second  form,  only one input file is specified.  In this
           case, or when the standard input  is  used,  you  may  specify  an
           output file after the ‘-o’ option.
    
           To cause **indent** to write to standard output, use the ‘-st’ option.
           This  is  only  allowed when there is only one input file, or when
           the standard input is used.
    
           If no input files are named, the standard input is read for input.
           Also, if a filename named ‘-’  is  specified,  then  the  standard
           input is read.
    
           As  an  example,  each  of  the  following commands will input the
           program  ‘slithy_toves.c’  and  write   its   indented   text   to
           ‘slithy_toves.out’:
    
                indent slithy_toves.c -o slithy_toves.out
    
                indent -st slithy_toves.c > slithy_toves.out
    
                cat slithy_toves.c | indent -o slithy_toves.out
    
           Most  other  options to **indent** control how programs are formatted.
           As of version 1.2, **indent** also recognizes a  long  name  for  each
           option  name.  Long options are prefixed by either ‘--’ or ‘+’.  [
           ‘+’ is being superseded by ‘--’ to maintain consistency  with  the
           POSIX standard.]
            In  most  of this document, the traditional, short names are used
           for the sake of  brevity.   See  **OPTION SUMMARY** ,  for  a  list  of
           options, including both long and short names.
    
           Here is another example:
    
                indent -br test/metabolism.c -l85
    
           This  will  indent the program ‘test/metabolism.c’ using the ‘-br’
           and ‘-l85’ options, write the output back to  ‘test/metabolism.c’,
           and write the original contents of ‘test/metabolism.c’ to a backup
           file in the directory ‘test’.
    
           Equivalent  invocations  using  long option names for this example
           would be:
    
                indent --braces-on-if-line --line-length185 test/metabolism.c
    
                indent +braces-on-if-line +line-length185 test/metabolism.c
    
           If you find that you often use **indent** with the same  options,  you
           may  put  those  options  into a file named ‘.indent.pro’.  **indent**
           will look for a profile file in three places. First it will  check
           the  environment variable **INDENT_PROFILE**. If that exists its value
           is expected  to  name  the  file  that  is  to  be  used.  If  the
           environment   variable   does   not   exist,   indent   looks  for
           ‘.indent.pro’ in the current directory
            and uses that if found.  Finally **indent** will  search  your  home
           directory  for  ‘.indent.pro’  and  use  that file if it is found.
           This behaviour is different from that of other versions of **indent** ,
           which load both files if they both exist.
    
           The format of ‘.indent.pro’ is simply a list of options,  just  as
           they  would  appear  on the command line, separated by white space
           (tabs, spaces, and newlines).  Options  in  ‘.indent.pro’  may  be
           surrounded by C or C++ comments, in which case they are ignored.
    
           Command  line switches are handled _after_ processing ‘.indent.pro’.
           Options specified later override arguments specified earlier, with
           one  exception:  Explicitly  specified  options  always   override
           background  options  (See  **COMMON STYLES**).  You can prevent **indent**
           from reading an  ‘.indent.pro’  file  by  specifying  the  ‘-npro’
           option.
    


## BACKUP FILES



           As  of  version  1.3, GNU **indent** makes GNU-style backup files, the
           same way GNU  Emacs  does.   This  means  that  either  _simple_  or
           _numbered_ backup filenames may be made.
    
           Simple  backup  file  names are generated by appending a suffix to
           the original file name.  The default for this suffix is  the  one-
           character   string   ‘~’  (tilde).   Thus,  the  backup  file  for
           ‘python.c’ would be ‘python.c~’.
    
           Instead of the default, you may specify any string as a suffix  by
           setting  the  environment  variable  **SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX** to your
           preferred suffix.
    
           Numbered  backup  versions  of  a  file  ‘momeraths.c’  look  like
           ‘momeraths.c.~23~’,  where  23  is  the version of this particular
           backup.    When   making   a   numbered   backup   of   the   file
           ‘src/momeraths.c’,    the    backup    file    will    be    named
           ‘src/momeraths.c.~_V_ ~’, where _V_ is one  greater  than  the  highest
           version   currently   existing   in   the  directory  ‘src’.   The
           environment variable **VERSION_WIDTH** controls the number of  digits,
           using  left  zero  padding  when necessary.  For instance, setting
           this variable to "2" will lead to  the  backup  file  being  named
           ‘momeraths.c.~04~’.
    
           The  type  of  backup  file made is controlled by the value of the
           environment  variable  **VERSION_CONTROL**.   If  it  is  the   string
           ‘simple’,  then only simple backups will be made.  If its value is
           the string ‘numbered’, then numbered backups will be made.  If its
           value is ‘numbered-existing’, then numbered backups will  be  made
           if  there  _already_  _exist_  numbered  backups  for  the  file being
           indented; otherwise, a simple backup is made.  If  **VERSION_CONTROL**
           is  not  set,  then  **indent** assumes  the  behaviour of ‘numbered-
           existing’.
    
           Other versions of **indent** use the suffix ‘.BAK’  in  naming  backup
           files.     This    behaviour    can   be   emulated   by   setting
           **SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX** to ‘.BAK’.
    
           Note also that other  versions  of  **indent** make  backups  in  the
           current directory, rather than in the directory of the source file
           as GNU **indent** now does.
    


## COMMON STYLES



           There  are  several  common  styles  of  C code, including the GNU
           style, the Kernighan & Ritchie style, and  the  original  Berkeley
           style.   A  style may be selected with a single _background_ option,
           which specifies a set of values for all other  options.   However,
           explicitly  specified options always override options implied by a
           background option.
    
           As of version 1.2, the default style of  GNU  **indent** is  the  GNU
           style.   Thus,  it  is  no  longer necessary to specify the option
           ‘-gnu’ to obtain this format, although doing so will not cause  an
           error.  Option settings which correspond to the GNU style are:
    
                -nbad -bap -nbc -bbo -bl -bli2 -bls -ncdb -nce -cp1 -cs -di2
                -ndj -nfc1 -nfca -hnl -i2 -ip5 -lp -pcs -nprs -psl -saf -sai
                -saw -nsc -nsob
    
           The  GNU coding style is that preferred by the GNU project.  It is
           the style that the GNU Emacs C mode encourages and which  is  used
           in  the  C  portions  of GNU Emacs.  (People interested in writing
           programs for Project GNU should get a  copy  of  "The  GNU  Coding
           Standards", which also covers semantic and portability issues such
           as memory usage, the size of integers, etc.)
    
           The  Kernighan & Ritchie style is used throughout their well-known
           book "The C Programming Language".  It is enabled with  the  ‘-kr’
           option.    The  Kernighan  &  Ritchie  style  corresponds  to  the
           following set of options:
    
                -nbad -bap -bbo -nbc -br -brs -c33 -cd33 -ncdb -ce -ci4 -cli0
                -cp33 -cs -d0 -di1 -nfc1 -nfca -hnl -i4 -ip0 -l75 -lp -npcs
                -nprs -npsl -saf -sai -saw -nsc -nsob -nss -par
    
           Kernighan & Ritchie style does not put comments to  the  right  of
           code  in  the  same  column at all times (nor does it use only one
           space to the right of the code), so  for  this  style  **indent** has
           arbitrarily chosen column 33.
    
           The  style  of  the  original  Berkeley  **indent** may be obtained by
           specifying ‘-orig’ (or by specifying ‘--original’, using the  long
           option name).  This style is equivalent to the following settings:
    
                -nbad -nbap -bbo -bc -br -brs -c33 -cd33 -cdb -ce -ci4 -cli0
                -cp33 -di16 -fc1 -fca -hnl -i4 -ip4 -l75 -lp -npcs -nprs -psl
                -saf -sai -saw -sc -nsob -nss -ts8
    
           The Linux style is used in the linux kernel code and drivers. Code
           generally  has  to  follow  the Linux coding style to be accepted.
           This style is equivalent to the following settings:
    
                -nbad -bap -nbc -bbo -hnl -br -brs -c33 -cd33 -ncdb -ce -ci4
                -cli0 -d0 -di1 -nfc1 -i8 -ip0 -l80 -lp -npcs -nprs -npsl -sai
                -saf -saw -ncs -nsc -sob -nfca -cp33 -ss -ts8 -il1
    


## BLANK LINES



           Various programming styles use blank lines  in  different  places.
           **indent** has a number of options to insert or delete blank lines in
           specific places.
    
           The ‘-bad’ option causes **indent** to force a blank line after  every
           block  of  declarations.   The ‘-nbad’ option causes **indent** not to
           force such blank lines.
    
           The ‘-bap’ option forces a blank line after every procedure  body.
           The ‘-nbap’ option forces no such blank line.
    
           The  ‘-bbb’  option forces a blank line before every boxed comment
           (See **COMMENTS**.)  The ‘-nbbb’ option  does  not  force  such  blank
           lines.
    
           The  ‘-sob’  option  causes **indent** to swallow optional blank lines
           (that is, any optional blank lines present in the  input  will  be
           removed  from the output).  If the ‘-nsob’ is specified, any blank
           lines present in the input file will be copied to the output file.
    


## \--blank-lines-after-declarations



           The ‘-bad’ option  forces  a  blank  line  after  every  block  of
           declarations.   The  ‘-nbad’  option  does  not add any such blank
           lines.
    
           For example, given the input
                char *foo;
                char *bar;
                /* This separates blocks of declarations.  */
                int baz;
    
           **indent -bad** produces
    
                char *foo;
                char *bar;
    
                /* This separates blocks of declarations.  */
                int baz;
    
           and **indent -nbad** produces
    
                char *foo;
                char *bar;
                /* This separates blocks of declarations.  */
                int baz;
    


## \--blank-lines-after-procedures



           The ‘-bap’ option forces a blank line after every procedure body.
    
           For example, given the input
    
                int
                foo ()
                {
                  puts("Hi");
                }
                /* The procedure bar is even less interesting.  */
                char *
                bar ()
                {
                  puts("Hello");
                }
    
           **indent -bap** produces
    
                int
                foo ()
                {
                  puts ("Hi");
                }
    
                /* The procedure bar is even less interesting.  */
                char *
                bar ()
                {
                  puts ("Hello");
                }
    
           and **indent -nbap** produces
    
                int
                foo ()
                {
                  puts ("Hi");
                }
                /* The procedure bar is even less interesting.  */
                char *
                bar ()
                {
                  puts ("Hello");
                }
    
           No blank line will be added after the procedure **foo**.
    


## COMMENTS



           **indent** formats both C and C++ comments. C comments are begun  with
           ‘/*’,  terminated  with  ‘*/’  and may contain newline characters.
           C++ comments begin with the delimiter ‘//’ and end at the newline.
    
           **indent** handles comments differently depending upon their  context.
           **indent** attempts  to  distinguish  between  comments  which follow
           statements, comments which follow declarations, comments following
           preprocessor directives, and comments which are  not  preceded  by
           code  of any sort, i.e., they begin the text of the line (although
           not necessarily in column 1).
    
           **indent** further distinguishes between  comments  found  outside  of
           procedures  and  aggregates,  and  those  found  within  them.  In
           particular, comments beginning a line  found  within  a  procedure
           will  be  indented  to  the  column  at  which  code  is currently
           indented.  The exception to this is a  comment  beginning  in  the
           leftmost column;  such a comment is output at that column.
    
           **indent** attempts  to  leave _boxed comments_ unmodified. The general
           idea of such a comment is that it is enclosed in  a  rectangle  or
           ‘‘box’’  of  stars  or  dashes  to  visually  set  it apart.  More
           precisely, boxed comments  are  defined  as  those  in  which  the
           initial  ‘/*’  is  followed immediately by the character ‘*’, ‘=’,
           ‘_’, or ‘-’, or those in which  the  beginning  comment  delimiter
           (‘/*’)  is on a line by itself, and the following line begins with
           a ‘*’ in the same column as the star of the opening delimiter.
    
           Examples of boxed comments are:
    
                /**********************
                 * Comment in a box!! *
                 **********************/
    
                       /*
                        * A different kind of scent,
                        * for a different kind of comment.
                        */
    
           **indent** attempts to leave boxed comments exactly as they are  found
           in  the  source  file.   Thus  the  indentation  of the comment is
           unchanged, and its length is not checked in  any  way.   The  only
           alteration made is that an embedded tab character may be converted
           into the appropriate number of spaces.
    
           If the ‘-bbb’ option is specified, all such boxed comments will be
           preceded  by  a  blank  line, unless such a comment is preceded by
           code.
    
           Comments which are not boxed  comments  may  be  formatted,  which
           means  that  the  line  is broken to fit within a right margin and
           left-filled with whitespace.  Single newlines are equivalent to  a
           space,  but  blank lines (two or more newlines in a row) are taken
           to mean a paragraph break.  Formatting  of  comments  which  begin
           after  the  first  column  is  enabled with the ‘-fca’ option.  To
           format those  beginning  in  column  one,  specify  ‘-fc1’.   Such
           formatting is disabled by default.
    
           The right margin for formatting defaults to 78, but may be changed
           with the ‘-lc’ option.  If the margin specified does not allow the
           comment  to  be printed, the margin will be automatically extended
           for the duration of that comment.  The margin is not respected  if
           the comment is not being formatted.
    
           If the ‘-fnc’ option is specified, all comments with ‘/*’ embedded
           will  have that character sequence replaced by a space followed by
           the character ‘*’ thus eliminating nesting.
    
           If the comment begins a line (i.e., there is no  program  text  to
           its  left),  it  will  be  indented  to the column it was found in
           unless the comment is within a block of code.  In that case,  such
           a  comment  will  be  aligned with the indented code of that block
           (unless the comment began in the first  column).   This  alignment
           may  be  affected by the ‘-d’ option, which specifies an amount by
           which such comments are moved to the  _left_ ,  or  unindented.   For
           example, ‘-d2’ places comments two spaces to the left of code.  By
           default,  comments are aligned with code, unless they begin in the
           first column, in which case they are left there by default ---  to
           get them aligned with the code, specify ‘-fc1’.
    
           Comments to the right of code will appear by default in column 33.
           This  may be changed with one of three options.  ‘-c’ will specify
           the column for comments following code, ‘-cd’ specifies the column
           for comments  following  declarations,  and  ‘-cp’  specifies  the
           column  for  comments  following preprocessor directives **#else** and
           **#endif**. ‘-dj’  together  with  ‘-cd0’  can  be  used  to  suppress
           alignment  of  comments  to the right of declarations, causing the
           comment to follow one tabstop from the  end  of  the  declaration.
           Normally ‘-cd0’ causes ‘-c’ to become effective.
    
           If  the  code  to  the  left  of the comment exceeds the beginning
           column, the comment column will be extended to  the  next  tabstop
           column  past  the  end  of  the code, unless the ‘-ntac’ option is
           specified.  In the case of preprocessor directives,  comments  are
           extended  to  one  space  past  the  end  of  the directive.  This
           extension lasts only for the output of that particular comment.
    
           The ‘-cdb’ option places the comment delimiters  on  blank  lines.
           Thus,  a  single  line  comment  like  **/*  Loving  hug  */** can be
           transformed into:
    
                /*
                   Loving hug
                 */
    
           Stars can be placed at the beginning of multi-line  comments  with
           the  ‘-sc’  option.   Thus,  the  single-line comment above can be
           transformed (with ‘-cdb -sc’) into:
    
                /*
                 * Loving hug
                 */
    


## STATEMENTS



           The ‘-br’ or ‘-bl’ option specifies how to format braces.
    
           The ‘-br’ option formats statement braces like this:
    
                if (x > 0) {
                  x--;
                }
    
           The ‘-bl’ option formats them like this:
    
                if (x > 0)
                  {
                    x--;
                  }
    
           If you use the ‘-bl’ option, you may  also  want  to  specify  the
           ‘-bli’  option.   This  option  specifies  the number of spaces by
           which braces are indented.  ‘-bli2’, the default, gives the result
           shown above.  ‘-bli0’ results in the following:
    
                if (x > 0)
                {
                  x--;
                }
    
           If you are using the ‘-br’ option, you probably want to  also  use
           the  ‘-ce’  option.   This  causes  the  **else** in  an if-then-else
           construct to cuddle up to  the  immediately  preceding  ‘}’.   For
           example, with ‘-br -ce’ you get the following:
    
                if (x > 0) {
                  x--;
                } else {
                  fprintf (stderr, "...something wrong?\n");
                }
    
           With ‘-br -nce’ that code would appear as
    
                if (x > 0) {
                  x--;
                }
                else {
                  fprintf (stderr, "...something wrong?\n");
                }
    
           An  exception  to  the  behavior  occurs  when  there is a comment
           between the right brace and the subsequent else statement.   While
           the ‘-br’ option will cause a left brace to jump over the comment,
           the else does not jump over the comment to cuddle because it has a
           strong likelihood of changing the meaning of the comment.
    
           The ‘-cdw’ option causes the **while** in a do-while loop to cuddle up
           to  the  immediately  preceding ‘}’.  For example, with ‘-cdw’ you
           get the following:
    
                do {
                  x--;
                } while (x);
    
           With ‘-ncdw’ that code would appear as
    
                do {
                  x--;
                }
                while (x);
    
           The ‘-slc’ option allows for an unbraced conditional and its inner
           statement to appear on the same line. For example:
    
                if (x) x--;
                else x++;
    
           Without ‘-slc’ that code would appear as
    
                if (x)
                  x--;
                else
                  x++;
    
           The ‘-cli’ option specifies the number of spaces that case  labels
           should   be  indented  to  the  right  of  the  containing  **switch**
           statement.
    
           The default gives code like:
    
                switch (i)
                  {
                  case 0:
                    break;
                  case 1:
                    {
                      ++i;
                    }
                  default:
                    break;
                  }
    
           Using the ‘-cli2’ that would become:
    
                switch (i)
                  {
                    case 0:
                      break;
                    case 1:
                      {
                        ++i;
                      }
                    default:
                      break;
                  }
    
           The indentation of the  braces  below  a  case  statement  can  be
           controlled  with  the  ‘-cbi _n_ ’  option.  For example, using ‘-cli2
           -cbi0’ results in:
    
                switch (i)
                  {
                    case 0:
                      break;
                    case 1:
                    {
                      ++i;
                    }
                    default:
                      break;
                  }
    
           If a semicolon is on the same line as a **for** or  **while** statement,
           the  ‘-ss’  option  will  cause  a  space  to be placed before the
           semicolon.  This emphasizes the semicolon, making  it  clear  that
           the  body  of  the  **for** or **while** statement is an empty statement.
           ‘-nss’ disables this feature.
    
           The ‘-pcs’ option causes a space to be placed between the name  of
           the procedure being called and the ‘(’ (for example, **puts ("Hi");**.
           The ‘-npcs’ option would give **puts("Hi");**).
    
           If  the  ‘-cs’  option is specified, **indent** puts a space between a
           cast operator and the object to be cast. The ‘-ncs’  ensures  that
           there  is  no  space  between  the  cast  operator and the object.
           Remember that **indent** only knows about the standard  C  data  types
           and   so  cannot  recognise  user-defined  types  in  casts.  Thus
           **(mytype)thing** is not treated as a cast.
    
           The ‘-bs’ option ensures that there is a space between the keyword
           **sizeof** and its argument.  In some versions, this is known  as  the
           ‘Bill_Shannon’ option.
    
           The  ‘-saf’  option forces a space between a **for** and the following
           parenthesis.  This is the default.
    
           The ‘-sai’ option forces a space between a **if** and  the  following
           parenthesis.  This is the default.
    
           The ‘-saw’ option forces a space between a **while** and the following
           parenthesis.  This is the default.
    
           The  ‘-prs’  option  causes all parentheses to be separated with a
           space from whatever is between them.  For  example,  using  ‘-prs’
           results in code like:
    
                  while ( ( e_code - s_code ) < ( dec_ind - 1 ) )
                    {
                      set_buf_break ( bb_dec_ind );
                      *e_code++ = ’ ’;
                    }
    


## DECLARATIONS



           By  default  **indent** will  line  up  identifiers,  in  the  column
           specified by the ‘-di’ option.  For example, ‘-di16’ makes  things
           look like:
    
                int             foo;
                char           *bar;
    
           Using  a small value (such as one or two) for the ‘-di’ option can
           be used to cause  the  identifiers  to  be  placed  in  the  first
           available position; for example:
    
                int foo;
                char *bar;
    
           The  value  given  to the ‘-di’ option will still affect variables
           which are put on separate lines  from  their  types,  for  example
           ‘-di2’ will lead to:
    
                int
                  foo;
    
           If  the  ‘-bc’ option is specified, a newline is forced after each
           comma in a declaration.  For example,
    
                int a,
                  b,
                  c;
    
           With the ‘-nbc’ option this would look like
    
                int a, b, c;
    
           The ‘-bfda’ option causes a newline to be forced after  the  comma
           separating the arguments of a function declaration.  The arguments
           will  appear  at  one  indentation  level deeper than the function
           declaration.  This is particularly helpful for functions with long
           argument lists.  The option ‘-bfde’ causes a newline to be  forced
           before  the  closing bracket of the function declaration. For both
           options the ’n’ setting is the default: -nbfda and -nbfde.
    
           For example,
    
                void foo (int arg1, char arg2, int *arg3, long arg4, char arg5);
           With the ‘-bfda’ option this would look like
    
                void foo (
                    int arg1,
                    char arg2,
                    int *arg3,
                    long arg4,
                    char arg5);
    
           With, in addition, the ‘-bfde’ option this would look like
    
                void foo (
                    int arg1,
                    char arg2,
                    int *arg3,
                    long arg4,
                    char arg5
                    );
    
           The ‘-psl’ option causes the type of a procedure being defined  to
           be  placed  on  the  line  before the name of the procedure.  This
           style is required for the **etags** program to work correctly, as well
           as some of the **c-mode** functions of Emacs.
    
           You must use the ‘-T’ option to tell **indent** the name  of  all  the
           typenames  in  your program that are defined by **typedef**.  ‘-T’ can
           be specified more than once, and all  names  specified  are  used.
           For example, if your program contains
    
                typedef unsigned long CODE_ADDR;
                typedef enum {red, blue, green} COLOR;
    
           you would use the options ‘-T CODE_ADDR -T COLOR’.
    
           The  ‘-brs’  or  ‘-bls’  option  specifies how to format braces in
           struct declarations.  The ‘-brs’ option formats braces like this:
    
                struct foo {
                  int x;
                };
    
           The ‘-bls’ option formats them like this:
    
                struct foo
                {
                  int x;
                };
    
           Similarly to the structure brace ‘-brs’ and ‘-bls’ options,
            the function brace options ‘-brf’ or ‘-blf’ specify how to format
           the braces in function definitions.   The  ‘-brf’  option  formats
           braces like this:
    
                int one(void) {
                  return 1;
                };
    
           The ‘-blf’ option formats them like this:
    
                int one(void)
                {
                  return 1;
                };
    
           The  ‘-sar’  option  affects  how  **indent** will render initializer
           lists. Without ‘-sar’ they are formatted like this:
    
                int a[] = {1, 2, 3, 4};
    
                struct s {
                  const char *name;
                  int x;
                } a[] = {
                  {"name", 0},
                  {"a", 1}
                };
    
           With ‘-sar’ they are formatted like this, with spaces  inside  the
           braces:
    
                int a[] = { 1, 2, 3, 4 };
    
                struct s {
                  const char *name;
                  int x;
                } a[] = {
                  { "name", 0 },
                  { "a", 1 }
                };
    


## INDENTATION



           The  most  basic, and most controversial issue with regard to code
           formatting is precisely how indentation  should  be  accomplished.
           Fortunately,   **indent** supports   several   different  styles  of
           indentation.  The default is to use tabs for indentation, which is
           specified by the ‘-ut’ option. Assuming the default tab size of 8,
           the code would look like this:
    
                int a(int b)
                {
                        return b;
                |------|
                 1 tab
                }
    
           For those that prefer spaces to tabs, ‘indent’ provides the ‘-nut’
           option. The same code would look like this:
    
                int a(int b)
                {
                        return b;
                |------|
                8 spaces
                }
    
           Another issue in the formatting of  code  is  how  far  each  line
           should  be indented from the left margin.  When the beginning of a
           statement such as **if** or **for** is encountered, the indentation  level
           is  increased  by  the  value  specified  by the ‘-i’ option.  For
           example, use ‘-i8’ to specify an eight character  indentation  for
           each  level.   When  a  statement  is broken across two lines, the
           second line is indented by a number of additional spaces specified
           by the ‘-ci’ option.  ‘-ci’ defaults to 0.  However, if the  ‘-lp’
           option  is  specified,  and a line has a left parenthesis which is
           not closed on that line, then continuation lines will be lined  up
           to   start   at   the  character  position  just  after  the  left
           parenthesis.  This processing also applies to ‘[’ and  applies  to
           ‘{’  when it occurs in initialization lists.  For example, a piece
           of continued code might look like this with ‘-nlp -ci3’ in effect:
    
                  p1 = first_procedure (second_procedure (p2, p3),
                     third_procedure (p4, p5));
    
           With ‘-lp’ in effect the code looks somewhat clearer:
    
                  p1 = first_procedure (second_procedure (p2, p3),
                                        third_procedure (p4, p5));
    
           When a statement is broken in between  two  or  more  paren  pairs
           (...),   each  extra  pair  causes  the  indentation  level  extra
           indentation:
    
                if ((((i < 2 &&
                        k > 0) || p == 0) &&
                    q == 1) ||
                  n = 0)
    
           The option ‘-ip _N_ ’ can be used to set the extra offset  per  paren.
           For instance, ‘-ip0’ would format the above as:
    
                if ((((i < 2 &&
                  k > 0) || p == 0) &&
                  q == 1) ||
                  n = 0)
    
           **indent** assumes  that tabs are placed at regular intervals of both
           input and  output  character  streams.   These  intervals  are  by
           default  8 columns wide, but (as of version 1.2) may be changed by
           the ‘-ts’ option.  Tabs are treated as the  equivalent  number  of
           spaces.
    
           By default, **indent** will use tabs to indent as far as possible, and
           then  pad  with  spaces  until  the  desired  position is reached.
           However, with the ‘-as’ option, spaces will be used for  alignment
           beyond  the  current indentation level. By default, assuming ‘-lp’
           is enabled, the code would be indented  like  so  (‘t’  represents
           tabs, ‘s’ represents spaces):
    
                unsigned long really_long_proc_name(unsigned long x, unsigned long y,
                                                    int a)
                |------||-------||------||-------|__
                   t        t       t       t     ss
                {
                        p1 = first_procedure (second_procedure (p2, p3),
                                              third_procedure (p4, p5));
                |------||------||------|_____
                   t       t       t    sssss
                }
    
           This  is fine, if you assume that whoever is reading the code will
           honor your assumption of 8-space tabs. If  the  reader  was  using
           4-space tabs, it would look like this:
    
                unsigned long really_long_proc_name(unsigned long x, unsigned long y,
                                      int a)
                |---||---||---||---|__
                  t    t    t    t  ss
                {
                        p1 = first_procedure (second_procedure (p2, p3),
                                     third_procedure (p4, p5));
                |---||---||---|______
                  t    t    t  ssssss
                }
    
           The  ‘-as’  option  fixes  this  so  that  the  code  will  appear
           consistent regardless of what tab size the user uses to  read  the
           code. This looks like:
    
                unsigned long really_long_proc_name(unsigned long x, unsigned long y,
                                                    int a)
                ____________________________________
                ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
                {
                        p1 = first_procedure (second_procedure (p2, p3),
                                              third_procedure (p4, p5));
                |------|______________________
                   t    ssssssssssssssssssssss
                }
    
           The   indentation  of  type  declarations  in  old-style  function
           definitions is controlled by  the  ‘-ip’  parameter.   This  is  a
           numeric  parameter  specifying  how  many  spaces  to  indent type
           declarations.  For example, the default ‘-ip5’  makes  definitions
           look like this:
    
                char *
                create_world (x, y, scale)
                     int x;
                     int y;
                     float scale;
                {
                  . . .
                }
    
           For compatibility with other versions of indent, the option ‘-nip’
           is provided, which is equivalent to ‘-ip0’.
    
           ANSI  C  allows  white  space to be placed on preprocessor command
           lines between the character ‘#’ and the command name.  By default,
           **indent** removes  this  space,  but  specifying  the  ‘-lps’  option
           directs  **indent** to leave this space unmodified. The option ‘-ppi’
           overrides  ‘-nlps’ and  ‘-lps’.
    
           This option can be used to request that  preprocessor  conditional
           statements  can  be  indented  by  a  given  number of spaces, for
           example with the option ‘-ppi 3’
    
                #if X
                #if Y
                #define Z 1
                #else
                #define Z 0
                #endif
                #endif
           becomes
                #if X
                #   if Y
                #      define Z 1
                #   else
                #      define Z 0
                #   endif
                #endif
    
           This option sets the offset at which a label (except case  labels)
           will  be  positioned.  If  it is set to zero or a positive number,
           this indicates how far from the left margin to indent a label.  If
           it is set to a negative number, this indicates how far  back  from
           the  current indent level to place the label.  The default setting
           is -2 which matches the behaviour of earlier versions  of  indent.
           Note  that  this  parameter  does  not  affect the placing of case
           labels; see the ‘-cli’ parameter for that. For  example  with  the
           option ‘-il 1’
    
                group
                function()
                {
                    if (do_stuff1() == ERROR)
                        goto cleanup1;
    
                    if (do_stuff2() == ERROR)
                        goto cleanup2;
    
                    return SUCCESS;
    
                  cleanup2:
                    do_cleanup2();
    
                  cleanup1:
                    do_cleanup1();
    
                    return ERROR;
                }
           becomes
                group
                function()
                {
                    if (do_stuff1() == ERROR)
                        goto cleanup1;
    
                    if (do_stuff2() == ERROR)
                        goto cleanup2;
    
                    return SUCCESS;
    
                 cleanup2:
                    do_cleanup2();
    
                 cleanup1:
                    do_cleanup1();
    
                    return ERROR;
                }
    


## BREAKING LONG LINES



           With  the  option  ‘-l _n_ ’,  or  ‘--line-length _n_ ’, it is possible to
           specify the maximum length of a line  of  C  code,  not  including
           possible comments that follow it.
    
           When  lines  become  longer  than  the  specified line length, GNU
           **indent** tries to break the line at a logical place.  This is new as
           of version 2.1 however and not very intelligent or flexible yet.
    
           Currently there are three options that allow one to interfere with
           the algorithm that determines where to break a line.
    
           The ‘-bbo’ option causes GNU **indent** to prefer to break long  lines
           before the boolean operators **& & **and **||**.  The ‘-nbbo’ option causes
           GNU  **indent** not to have that preference.  For example, the default
           option ‘-bbo’  (together  with  ‘--line-length60’  and  ‘--ignore-
           newlines’) makes code look like this:
    
                  if (mask
                      && ((mask[0] == ’\0’)
                          || (mask[1] == ’\0’
                              && ((mask[0] == ’0’) || (mask[0] == ’*’)))))
    
           Using the option ‘-nbbo’ will make it look like this:
    
                  if (mask &&
                      ((mask[0] == ’\0’) ||
                       (mask[1] == ’\0’ &&
                        ((mask[0] == ’0’) || (mask[0] == ’*’)))))
    
           The default ‘-hnl’, however, honours newlines in the input file by
           giving  them the highest possible priority to break lines at.  For
           example, when the input file looks like this:
    
                  if (mask
                      && ((mask[0] == ’\0’)
                      || (mask[1] == ’\0’ && ((mask[0] == ’0’) || (mask[0] == ’*’)))))
    
           then using the option  ‘-hnl’,  or  ‘--honour-newlines’,  together
           with  the previously mentioned ‘-nbbo’ and ‘--line-length60’, will
           cause the output not to be what is given in the last  example  but
           instead  will  prefer to break at the positions where the code was
           broken in the input file:
    
                  if (mask
                      && ((mask[0] == ’\0’)
                          || (mask[1] == ’\0’ &&
                              ((mask[0] == ’0’) || (mask[0] == ’*’)))))
    
           The idea behind this option is that lines which are too long,  but
           are  already broken up, will not be touched by GNU **indent**.  Really
           messy code should be run through **indent** at least  once  using  the
           ‘--ignore-newlines’ option though.
    
           The  ‘-gts’ option affects how the gettext standard macros **_()** and
           **N_()** are treated.  The default behavior (or the  use  of  ‘-ngts’)
           causes  indent to treat them as it does other functions, so that a
           long string is broken like the following example.
    
                  if (mask)
                    {
                      warning (_
                               ("This is a long string that stays together."));
                    }
    
           With the ‘-gts’ option, the underscore is treated as a part of the
           string, keeping it tied to the string,  and  respecting  the  fact
           that  gettext is unobtrusively providing a localized string.  This
           only works if **_("** is together as a unit at the  beginning  of  the
           string and **")** is together as a unit at the end.
    
                  if (mask)
                    {
                      warning
                        (_("This is a long string that stays together."));
                    }
    


## DISABLING FORMATTING



           Formatting  of C code may be disabled for portions of a program by
           embedding special _control comments_ in the program.   To  turn  off
           formatting for a section of a program, place the disabling control
           comment  **/*  *INDENT-OFF*  */** on a line by itself just before that
           section.  Program text  scanned  after  this  control  comment  is
           output   precisely  as  input  with  no  modifications  until  the
           corresponding enabling comment is scanned on  a  line  by  itself.
           The  enabling  control  comment is **/* *INDENT-ON* */** , and any text
           following the comment on the  line  is  also  output  unformatted.
           Formatting begins again with the input line following the enabling
           control comment.
    
           More  precisely,  **indent** does  not  attempt to verify the closing
           delimiter (***/**) for these C comments, and  any  whitespace  on  the
           line is totally transparent.
    
           These  control comments also function in their C++ formats, namely
           **// *INDENT-OFF*** and **// *INDENT-ON***.
    
           It should be noted that  the  internal  state  of  **indent** remains
           unchanged  over  the course of the unformatted section.  Thus, for
           example, turning off formatting in the middle of  a  function  and
           continuing  it  after  the end of the function may lead to bizarre
           results.  It is therefore wise to be somewhat modular in selecting
           code to be left unformatted.
    
           As a historical note, some earlier  versions  of  **indent** produced
           error messages beginning with ***INDENT****.  These versions of **indent**
           were  written to ignore any input text lines which began with such
           error messages.  I have removed this incestuous feature  from  GNU
           **indent**.
    


## MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS



           To  find  out  what  version  of  **indent** you have, use the command
           **indent -version**. This will report the version  number  of  **indent** ,
           without doing any of the normal processing.
    
           The  ‘-v’  option  can  be  used to turn on verbose mode.  When in
           verbose mode, **indent** reports when it splits one line of input into
           two more more lines of output, and gives some size  statistics  at
           completion.
    
           The  ‘-pmt’  option  causes  **indent** to  preserve  the  access and
           modification times on the output files.  Using this option has the
           advantage that running indent on all source and header files in  a
           project  won’t  cause **make** to rebuild all targets.  This option is
           only available on Operating Systems that have the  POSIX  utime(2)
           function.
    


## BUGS



           Please report any bugs to bug-indent@gnu.org.
    
           When  **indent** is  run  twice  on a file, with the same profile, it
           should _never_ change that file the second time.  With  the  current
           design  of **indent** , this can not be guaranteed, and it has not been
           extensively tested.
    
           **indent** does not understand C. In some  cases  this  leads  to  the
           inability  to  join  lines.   The  result  is  that running a file
           through **indent** is _irreversible_ , even if the used  input  file  was
           the result of running **indent** with a given profile (‘.indent.pro’).
    
           While  an  attempt was made to get **indent** working for C++, it will
           not do a good job on any C++ source except the very simplest.
    
           **indent** does not look at  the  given  ‘--line-length’  option  when
           writing  comments  to  the  output  file.   This  results often in
           comments being put far to the right.  In order to prohibit  **indent**
           from  joining  a  broken  line that has a comment at the end, make
           sure that the comments start on the first line of the break.
    
           **indent** does not count lines and comments  (see  the  ‘-v’  option)
           when **indent** is turned off with **/* *INDENT-OFF* */**.
    
           Comments of the form **/*UPPERCASE*/** are not treated as comments but
           as identifiers, causing them to be joined with the next line. This
           renders comments of this type useless, unless they are embedded in
           the code to begin with.
    


## Options’ Cross Key



           Here is a list of options alphabetized by long option, to help you
           find the corresponding short option.
    
                --align-with-spaces                             -as
                --blank-lines-after-commas                      -bc
                --blank-lines-after-declarations                -bad
                --blank-lines-after-procedures                  -bap
                --blank-lines-before-block-comments             -bbb
                --braces-after-if-line                          -bl
                --braces-after-func-def-line                    -blf
                --brace-indent                                  -bli
                --braces-after-struct-decl-line                 -bls
                --braces-on-if-line                             -br
                --braces-on-func-def-line                       -brf
                --braces-on-struct-decl-line                    -brs
                --break-after-boolean-operator                  -nbbo
                --break-before-boolean-operator                 -bbo
                --break-function-decl-args                      -bfda
                --break-function-decl-args-end                  -bfde
                --case-indentation                              -cli _n_
                --case-brace-indentation                        -cbi _n_
                --comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines             -cdb
                --comment-indentation                           -c _n_
                --continuation-indentation                      -ci _n_
                --continue-at-parentheses                       -lp
                --cuddle-do-while                               -cdw
                --cuddle-else                                   -ce
                --declaration-comment-column                    -cd _n_
                --declaration-indentation                       -di _n_
                --dont-break-function-decl-args                 -nbfda
                --dont-break-function-decl-args-end             -nbfde
                --dont-break-procedure-type                     -npsl
                --dont-cuddle-do-while                          -ncdw
                --dont-cuddle-else                              -nce
                --dont-format-comments                          -nfca
                --dont-format-first-column-comments             -nfc1
                --dont-line-up-parentheses                      -nlp
                --dont-left-justify-declarations                -ndj
                --dont-space-special-semicolon                  -nss
                --dont-star-comments                            -nsc
                --dont-tab-align-comments                       -ntac
                --else-endif-column                             -cp _n_
                --format-all-comments                           -fca
                --format-first-column-comments                  -fc1
                --gnu-style                                     -gnu
                --honour-newlines                               -hnl
                --ignore-newlines                               -nhnl
                --ignore-profile                                -npro
                --indent-label                                  -il _n_
                --indent-level                                  -i _n_
                --k-and-r-style                                 -kr
                --leave-optional-blank-lines                    -nsob
                --leave-preprocessor-space                      -lps
                --left-justify-declarations                     -dj
                --line-comments-indentation                     -d _n_
                --line-length                                   -l _n_
                --linux-style                                   -linux
                --no-blank-lines-after-commas                   -nbc
                --no-blank-lines-after-declarations             -nbad
                --no-blank-lines-after-procedures               -nbap
                --no-blank-lines-before-block-comments          -nbbb
                --no-comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines          -ncdb
                --no-space-after-casts                          -ncs
                --no-parameter-indentation                      -nip
                --no-space-after-for                    -nsaf
                --no-space-after-function-call-names            -npcs
                --no-space-after-if                -nsai
                --no-space-after-parentheses                    -nprs
                --no-space-after-while                  -nsaw
                --no-tabs                                       -nut
                --no-verbosity                                  -nv
                --original                                      -orig
                --parameter-indentation                         -ip _n_
                --paren-indentation                             -pi _n_
                --preserve-mtime                   -pmt
                --preprocessor-indentation                      -ppi _n_
                --procnames-start-lines                         -psl
                --remove-preprocessor-space                     -nlps
                --single-line-conditionals                      -slc
                --space-after-cast                              -cs
                --space-after-for                  -saf
                --space-after-if                   -sai
                --space-after-parentheses                       -prs
                --space-after-procedure-calls                   -pcs
                --space-after-while                -saw
                --space-special-semicolon                       -ss
                --spaces-around-initializers                    -sar
                --standard-output                               -st
                --start-left-side-of-comments                   -sc
                --struct-brace-indentation                      -sbi _n_
                --swallow-optional-blank-lines                  -sob
                --tab-size                                      -ts _n_
                --use-tabs                                      -ut
                --verbose                                       -v
    


## RETURN VALUE



           • 0 means no errors or warnings were found during a successful
             invocation of the program.
    
           • 2 is returned if errors occur during formatting which do not
             prevent completion of the formatting, but which appear to be
             manifested by incorrect code (i.e. code which wouldn't compile).
    
           • 3 is returned if formatting of a file is halted because of an
             error with the file which prevents completion of formatting. If
             more than one input file was specified, indent continues to the
             next file.
    
           • 4 is returned if a serious internal problem occurs and the
             entire indent process is terminated, even if all specified files
             have not been processed.
    
           • 64 is returned if an invocation problem (like an incorrect
             option) prevents any formatting to occur.
    


## FILES



           _$HOME/.indent.pro_   holds default options for indent.
    


## COPYING



           Copyright (C) 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2014, 2015 Free
           Software Foundation, Inc.  Copyright (C) 1995, 1996 Joseph
           Arceneaux.  Copyright (C) 1999 Carlo Wood.  Copyright (C) 2001
           David Ingamells.  Copyright (C) 2013 Łukasz Stelmach.  Copyright
           (C) 2015 Tim Hentenaar.
    
           Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
           this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission
           notice are preserved on all copies.
    


* * *