This is indent.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.2 from
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START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* GNU Indent: (indent).		C code formatter.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY











   This is Edition 2.2.8 of `The `indent' Manual', for Indent Version
2.2.8, last updated 21 March 2002.

   Copyright (C) 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.  Copyright (C) 1995, 1996 Joseph Arceneaux.  Copyright
(C) 1999 Carlo Wood.  Copyright (C) 2001 David Ingamells.

   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.


File: indent.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Indent Program,  Prev: (dir),  Up: (dir)

`indent':  Indent and Format C Program Source
*********************************************

   The `indent' program changes the appearance of a C program by
inserting or deleting whitespace.

   This is Edition 2.2.8, 21 March 2002, of `The `indent' Manual', for
Indent Version 2.2.8.

* Menu:

* Indent Program::              The `indent' Program
* Option Summary::              Option Summary
* Index::                       Index


File: indent.info,  Node: Indent Program,  Next: Option Summary,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

The `indent' Program
********************

   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.

* Menu:

* Invoking indent::             Invoking `indent'
* Backup files::                Backup Files
* Common styles::               Common styles
* Blank lines::                 Blank lines
* Comments::                    Comments
* Statements::                  Statements
* Declarations::                Declarations
* Indentation::                 Indentation
* Breaking long lines::         Breaking long lines
* Disabling Formatting::        Disabling Formatting
* Miscellaneous options::       Miscellaneous options
* Bugs::                 	Bugs
* Copyright::                   Copyright


File: indent.info,  Node: Invoking indent,  Next: Backup files,  Up: Indent Program

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.  *Note 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 `+'.  (1)  In most
of this document, the traditional, short names are used for the sake of
brevity.  *Note 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 use 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 (*note Common styles::).  You can prevent `indent' from reading
an `.indent.pro' file by specifying the `-npro' option.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1)  `+' is being superseded by `--' to maintain consistency with
the POSIX standard.


File: indent.info,  Node: Backup files,  Next: Common styles,  Prev: Invoking indent,  Up: Indent Program

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.


File: indent.info,  Node: Common styles,  Next: Blank lines,  Prev: Backup files,  Up: Indent Program

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

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


File: indent.info,  Node: Blank lines,  Next: Comments,  Prev: Common styles,  Up: Indent Program

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
(*Note 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.

* Menu:

* -bad::                        More on the `-bad' option.
* -bap::                        More on the `-bap' option.


File: indent.info,  Node: -bad,  Next: -bap,  Up: Blank lines

-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;


File: indent.info,  Node: -bap,  Prev: -bad,  Up: Blank lines

-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'.


File: indent.info,  Node: Comments,  Next: Statements,  Prev: Blank lines,  Up: Indent Program

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
neccessarily 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 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 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'.

   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, or in the case of preprocessor directives, 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
      */


File: indent.info,  Node: Statements,  Next: Declarations,  Prev: Comments,  Up: Indent Program

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");
     }

   This 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 `-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 `-cbiN' 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 after a cast
operator.

   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 an `for' and the following
parenthesis.  This is the default.

   The `-sai' option forces a space between an `if' and the following
parenthesis.  This is the default.

   The `-saw' option forces a space between an `while' and the
following parenthesis.  This is the default.

   The `-prs' option causes all parentheses to be seperated with a
space from the what 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++ = ' ';
         }


File: indent.info,  Node: Declarations,  Next: Indentation,  Prev: Statements,  Up: Indent Program

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 the current indention level matching the opening paren.  This
is particularly helpful for functions with long argument lists.   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);

   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;
     };


File: indent.info,  Node: Indentation,  Next: Breaking long lines,  Prev: Declarations,  Up: Indent Program

Indentation
===========

   One 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 `-ipN' 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.

   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.


File: indent.info,  Node: Breaking long lines,  Next: Disabling Formatting,  Prev: Indentation,  Up: Indent Program

Breaking long lines
===================

   With the option `-lN', or `--line-lengthN', 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 then 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 two options that allows 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 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.


File: indent.info,  Node: Disabling Formatting,  Next: Miscellaneous options,  Prev: Breaking long lines,  Up: Indent Program

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 disabling 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'.


File: indent.info,  Node: Miscellaneous options,  Next: Bugs,  Prev: Disabling Formatting,  Up: Indent Program

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.


File: indent.info,  Node: Bugs,  Next: Copyright,  Prev: Miscellaneous options,  Up: Indent Program

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 comment but
as an identifier, 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.


File: indent.info,  Node: Copyright,  Prev: Bugs,  Up: Indent Program

Copyright
=========

   The following copyright notice applies to the `indent' program.  The
copyright and copying permissions for this manual appear near the
beginning of `indent.texinfo' and `indent.info', and near the end of
`indent.1'.

     Copyright (C) 2001 David Ingamells.
     Copyright (C) 1999 Carlo Wood.
     Copyright (C) 1995, 1996 Joseph Arceneaux.
     Copyright (C) 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Free Software Foundation
     Copyright (C) 1985 Sun Microsystems, Inc.
     Copyright (C) 1980 The Regents of the University of California.
     Copyright (C) 1976 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
     All rights reserved.
     
     Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted
     provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
     duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation,
     advertising materials, and other materials related to such
     distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed
     by the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Illinois,
     Urbana, and Sun Microsystems, Inc.  The name of either University
     or Sun Microsystems may not be used to endorse or promote products
     derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
     THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR
     IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED
     WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
     PURPOSE.


File: indent.info,  Node: Option Summary,  Next: Index,  Prev: Indent Program,  Up: Top

Option Summary
**************

   Here is a list of all the options for `indent', alphabetized by
short option.  It is followed by a cross key alphabetized by long
option.

`-bad'
`--blank-lines-after-declarations'
     Force blank lines after the declarations.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-bap'
`--blank-lines-after-procedures'
     Force blank lines after procedure bodies.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-bbb'
`--blank-lines-before-block-comments'
     Force blank lines before block comments.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-bbo'
`--break-before-boolean-operator'
     Prefer to break long lines before boolean operators.
     *Note Breaking long lines::.

`-bc'
`--blank-lines-after-commas'
     Force newline after comma in declaration.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-bl'
`--braces-after-if-line'
     Put braces on line after `if', etc.
     *Note Statements::.

`-bliN'
`--brace-indentN'
     Indent braces N spaces.
     *Note Statements::.

`-bls'
`--braces-after-struct-decl-line'
     Put braces on the line after `struct' declaration lines.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-br'
`--braces-on-if-line'
     Put braces on line with `if', etc.
     *Note Statements::.

`-brs'
`--braces-on-struct-decl-line'
     Put braces on `struct' declaration line.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-bs'
`--Bill-Shannon'
`--blank-before-sizeof'
     Put a space between `sizeof' and its argument.
     *Note Statements::.

`-cN'
`--comment-indentationN'
     Put comments to the right of code in column N.
     *Note Comments::.

`-cbiN'
`--case-brace-indentationN'
     Indent braces after a case label N spaces.
     *Note Statements::.

`-cdN'
`--declaration-comment-columnN'
     Put comments to the right of the declarations in column N.
     *Note Comments::.

`-cdb'
`--comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines'
     Put comment delimiters on blank lines.
     *Note Comments::.

`-cdw'
`--cuddle-do-while'
     Cuddle while of `do {} while;' and preceeding `}'.
     *Note Comments::.

`-ce'
`--cuddle-else'
     Cuddle else and preceeding `}'.
     *Note Comments::.

`-ciN'
`--continuation-indentationN'
     Continuation indent of N spaces.
     *Note Statements::.

`-cliN'
`--case-indentationN'
     Case label indent of N spaces.
     *Note Statements::.

`-cpN'
`--else-endif-columnN'
     Put comments to the right of `#else' and `#endif' statements in
     column N.
     *Note Comments::.

`-cs'
`--space-after-cast'
     Put a space after a cast operator.
     *Note Statements::.

`-dN'
`--line-comments-indentationN'
     Set indentation of comments not to the right of code to N spaces.
     *Note Comments::.

`-bfda'
`--break-function-decl-args'
     Align all arguments in a declaration with opening paren.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-diN'
`--declaration-indentationN'
     Put variables in column N.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-fc1'
`--format-first-column-comments'
     Format comments in the first column.
     *Note Comments::.

`-fca'
`--format-all-comments'
     Do not disable all formatting of comments.
     *Note Comments::.

`-gnu'
`--gnu-style'
     Use GNU coding style.  This is the default.
     *Note Common styles::.

`-hnl'
`--honour-newlines'
     Prefer to break long lines at the position of newlines in the
     input.
     *Note Breaking long lines::.

`-iN'
`--indent-levelN'
     Set indentation level to N spaces.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-ipN'
`--parameter-indentationN'
     Indent parameter types in old-style function definitions by N
     spaces.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-kr'
`--k-and-r-style'
     Use Kernighan & Ritchie coding style.
     *Note Common styles::.

`-lN'
`--line-lengthN'
     Set maximum line length for non-comment lines to N.
     *Note Breaking long lines::.

`-lcN'
`--comment-line-lengthN'
     Set maximum line length for comment formatting to N.
     *Note Comments::.

`-lp'
`--continue-at-parentheses'
     Line up continued lines at parentheses.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-lps'
`--leave-preprocessor-space'
     Leave space between `#' and preprocessor directive.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-nbad'
`--no-blank-lines-after-declarations'
     Do not force blank lines after declarations.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-nbap'
`--no-blank-lines-after-procedures'
     Do not force blank lines after procedure bodies.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-nbbo'
`--break-after-boolean-operator'
     Do not prefer to break long lines before boolean operators.
     *Note Breaking long lines::.

`-nbc'
`--no-blank-lines-after-commas'
     Do not force newlines after commas in declarations.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-nbfda'
`--dont-break-function-decl-args'
     Don't put each argument in a function declaration on a seperate
     line.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-ncdb'
`--no-comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines'
     Do not put comment delimiters on blank lines.
     *Note Comments::.

`-ncdw'
`--dont-cuddle-do-while'
     Do not cuddle `}' and the `while' of a `do {} while;'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nce'
`--dont-cuddle-else'
     Do not cuddle `}' and `else'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-ncs'
`--no-space-after-casts'
     Do not put a space after cast operators.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nfc1'
`--dont-format-first-column-comments'
     Do not format comments in the first column as normal.
     *Note Comments::.

`-nfca'
`--dont-format-comments'
     Do not format any comments.
     *Note Comments::.

`-nhnl'
`--ignore-newlines'
     Do not prefer to break long lines at the position of newlines in
     the input.
     *Note Breaking long lines::.

`-nip'
`--no-parameter-indentation'
     Zero width indentation for parameters.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-nlp'
`--dont-line-up-parentheses'
     Do not line up parentheses.
     *Note Statements::.

`-npcs'
`--no-space-after-function-call-names'
     Do not put space after the function in function calls.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nprs'
`--no-space-after-parentheses'
     Do not put a space after every '(' and before every ')'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-npsl'
`--dont-break-procedure-type'
     Put the type of a procedure on the same line as its name.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-nsaf'
`--no-space-after-for'
     Do not put a space after every `for'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nsai'
`--no-space-after-if'
     Do not put a space after every `if'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nsaw'
`--no-space-after-while'
     Do not put a space after every `while'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nsc'
`--dont-star-comments'
     Do not put the `*' character at the left of comments.
     *Note Comments::.

`-nsob'
`--leave-optional-blank-lines'
     Do not swallow optional blank lines.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-nss'
`--dont-space-special-semicolon'
     Do not force a space before the semicolon after certain statements.
     Disables `-ss'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-nut'
`--no-tabs'
     Use spaces instead of tabs.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-nv'
`--no-verbosity'
     Disable verbose mode.
     *Note Miscellaneous options::.

`-orig'
`--original'
     Use the original Berkeley coding style.
     *Note Common styles::.

`-npro'
`--ignore-profile'
     Do not read `.indent.pro' files.
     *Note Invoking indent::.

`-pcs'
`--space-after-procedure-calls'
     Insert a space between the name of the procedure being called and
     the `('.
     *Note Statements::.

`-piN'
`--paren-indentationN'
     Specify the extra indentation per open parentheses '(' when a
     statement is broken.  *Note Statements::.

`-pmt'
`--preserve-mtime'
     Preserve access and modification times on output files.  *Note
     Miscellaneous options::.

`-prs'
`--space-after-parentheses'
     Put a space after every '(' and before every ')'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-psl'
`--procnames-start-lines'
     Put the type of a procedure on the line before its name.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-saf'
`--space-after-for'
     Put a space after each `for'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-sai'
`--space-after-if'
     Put a space after each `if'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-saw'
`--space-after-while'
     Put a space after each `while'.
     *Note Statements::.

`-sbiN'
`--struct-brace-indentationN'
     Indent braces of a struct, union or enum N spaces.
     *Note Statements::.

`-sc'
`--start-left-side-of-comments'
     Put the `*' character at the left of comments.
     *Note Comments::.

`-sob'
`--swallow-optional-blank-lines'
     Swallow optional blank lines.
     *Note Blank lines::.

`-ss'
`--space-special-semicolon'
     On one-line `for' and `while' statments, force a blank before the
     semicolon.
     *Note Statements::.

`-st'
`--standard-output'
     Write to standard output.
     *Note Invoking indent::.

`-T'
     Tell `indent' the name of typenames.
     *Note Declarations::.

`-tsN'
`--tab-sizeN'
     Set tab size to N spaces.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-ut'
`--use-tabs'
     Use tabs. This is the default.
     *Note Indentation::.

`-v'
`--verbose'
     Enable verbose mode.
     *Note Miscellaneous options::.

`-version'
     Output the version number of `indent'.
     *Note Miscellaneous options::.

Options' Cross Key
------------------

   Here is a list of options alphabetized by long option, to help you
find the corresponding short option.

     --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
     --brace-indent                                  -bli
     --braces-after-struct-decl-line                 -bls
     --braces-on-if-line                             -br
     --braces-on-struct-decl-line                    -brs
     --break-after-boolean-operator                  -nbbo
     --break-before-boolean-operator                 -bbo
     --break-function-decl-args                      -bfda
     --case-indentation                              -cliN
     --case-brace-indentation                        -cbiN
     --comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines             -cdb
     --comment-indentation                           -cN
     --continuation-indentation                      -ciN
     --continue-at-parentheses                       -lp
     --cuddle-do-while                               -cdw
     --cuddle-else                                   -ce
     --declaration-comment-column                    -cdN
     --declaration-indentation                       -diN
     --dont-break-function-decl-args                 -nbfda
     --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-space-special-semicolon                  -nss
     --dont-star-comments                            -nsc
     --else-endif-column                             -cpN
     --format-all-comments                           -fca
     --format-first-column-comments                  -fc1
     --gnu-style                                     -gnu
     --honour-newlines                               -hnl
     --ignore-newlines                               -nhnl
     --ignore-profile                                -npro
     --indent-level                                  -iN
     --k-and-r-style                                 -kr
     --leave-optional-blank-lines                    -nsob
     --leave-preprocessor-space                      -lps
     --line-comments-indentation                     -dN
     --line-length                                   -lN
     --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                         -ipN
     --paren-indentation                             -piN
     --preserve-mtime				-pmt
     --procnames-start-lines                         -psl
     --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
     --standard-output                               -st
     --start-left-side-of-comments                   -sc
     --struct-brace-indentation                      -sbiN
     --swallow-optional-blank-lines                  -sob
     --tab-size                                      -tsN
     --use-tabs                                      -ut
     --verbose                                       -v


File: indent.info,  Node: Index,  Prev: Option Summary,  Up: Top

Index
*****

* Menu:

* --blank-after-sizeof:                  Statements.
* --blank-lines-after-commas:            Declarations.
* --blank-lines-after-declarations:      -bad.
* --blank-lines-after-procedures:        -bap.
* --blank-lines-before-block-comments:   Blank lines.
* --brace-indentN:                       Statements.
* --braces-after-if-line:                Statements.
* --braces-on-if-line:                   Statements.
* --break-after-boolean-operator:        Breaking long lines.
* --break-before-boolean-operator:       Breaking long lines.
* --break-function-decl-args:            Declarations.
* --case-brace-indentationN:             Statements.
* --case-indentationN:                   Statements.
* --comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines:   Comments.
* --comment-indentationN:                Comments.
* --continuation-indentationN:           Indentation.
* --continue-at-parentheses:             Indentation.
* --cuddle-do-while:                     Statements.
* --cuddle-else:                         Statements.
* --declaration-comment-columnN:         Comments.
* --declaration-indentationN:            Declarations.
* --dont-break-function-decl-args:       Declarations.
* --dont-break-procedure-type:           Declarations.
* --dont-cuddle-do-while:                Statements.
* --dont-cuddle-else:                    Statements.
* --dont-format-comments:                Comments.
* --dont-format-first-column-comments:   Comments.
* --dont-line-up-parentheses:            Indentation.
* --dont-space-special-semicolon:        Statements.
* --dont-star-comments:                  Comments.
* --else-endif-columnN:                  Comments.
* --format-all-comments:                 Comments.
* --format-first-column-comments:        Comments.
* --gnu-style:                           Common styles.
* --honour-newlines:                     Breaking long lines.
* --ignore-newlines:                     Breaking long lines.
* --ignore-profile:                      Invoking indent.
* --indent-levelN:                       Indentation.
* --k-and-r-style:                       Common styles.
* --leave-optional-blank-lines:          Blank lines.
* --leave-preprocessor-space:            Indentation.
* --line-comments-indentationN:          Comments.
* --line-lengthN:                        Breaking long lines.
* --no-blank-lines-after-commas:         Declarations.
* --no-blank-lines-after-declarations:   -bad.
* --no-blank-lines-after-procedures:     -bap.
* --no-blank-lines-before-block-comments: Blank lines.
* --no-comment-delimiters-on-blank-lines: Comments.
* --no-parameter-indentation:            Indentation.
* --no-space-after-casts:                Statements.
* --no-space-after-for:                  Statements.
* --no-space-after-function-call-names:  Statements.
* --no-space-after-if:                   Statements.
* --no-space-after-while:                Statements.
* --no-verbosity:                        Miscellaneous options.
* --original:                            Common styles.
* --output-file:                         Invoking indent.
* --parameter-indentationN:              Indentation.
* --preserve-mtime:                      Miscellaneous options.
* --procnames-start-lines:               Declarations.
* --remove-preprocessor-space:           Indentation.
* --space-after-cast:                    Statements.
* --space-after-for:                     Statements.
* --space-after-if:                      Statements.
* --space-after-parentheses:             Statements.
* --space-after-procedure-calls:         Statements.
* --space-after-while:                   Statements.
* --space-special-semicolon:             Statements.
* --standard-output:                     Invoking indent.
* --star-left-side-of-comments:          Comments.
* --swallow-optional-blank-lines:        Blank lines.
* --tab-sizeN:                           Indentation.
* --verbose:                             Miscellaneous options.
* -bad:                                  -bad.
* -bap:                                  -bap.
* -bbb:                                  Blank lines.
* -bbo:                                  Breaking long lines.
* -bc:                                   Declarations.
* -bfda:                                 Declarations.
* -bl:                                   Statements.
* -bliN:                                 Statements.
* -br:                                   Statements.
* -bs:                                   Statements.
* -cbiN:                                 Statements.
* -cdb:                                  Comments.
* -cdN:                                  Comments.
* -cdw:                                  Statements.
* -ce:                                   Statements.
* -ciN:                                  Indentation.
* -cliN:                                 Statements.
* -cN:                                   Comments.
* -cpN:                                  Comments.
* -cs:                                   Statements.
* -dce:                                  Statements.
* -diN:                                  Declarations.
* -dN:                                   Comments.
* -fc1:                                  Comments.
* -fca:                                  Comments.
* -gnu:                                  Common styles.
* -hnl:                                  Breaking long lines.
* -iN:                                   Indentation.
* -ipN:                                  Indentation.
* -kr:                                   Common styles.
* -lN:                                   Breaking long lines.
* -lp:                                   Indentation.
* -lps:                                  Indentation.
* -nbad:                                 -bad.
* -nbap:                                 -bap.
* -nbbb:                                 Blank lines.
* -nbbo:                                 Breaking long lines.
* -nbc:                                  Declarations.
* -nbfda:                                Declarations.
* -ncdb:                                 Comments.
* -ncdw:                                 Statements.
* -ncs:                                  Statements.
* -nfc1:                                 Comments.
* -nfca:                                 Comments.
* -nhnl:                                 Breaking long lines.
* -nip:                                  Indentation.
* -nlp:                                  Indentation.
* -nlps:                                 Indentation.
* -npcs:                                 Statements.
* -npmt:                                 Miscellaneous options.
* -npro:                                 Invoking indent.
* -npsl:                                 Declarations.
* -nsaf:                                 Statements.
* -nsai:                                 Statements.
* -nsaw:                                 Statements.
* -nsc:                                  Comments.
* -nsob:                                 Blank lines.
* -nss:                                  Statements.
* -nv:                                   Miscellaneous options.
* -o:                                    Invoking indent.
* -orig:                                 Common styles.
* -pcs:                                  Statements.
* -pmt:                                  Miscellaneous options.
* -prs:                                  Statements.
* -psl:                                  Declarations.
* -saf:                                  Statements.
* -sai:                                  Statements.
* -saw:                                  Statements.
* -sc:                                   Comments.
* -sob:                                  Blank lines.
* -ss:                                   Statements.
* -st:                                   Invoking indent.
* -T:                                    Declarations.
* -tsN:                                  Indentation.
* -v:                                    Miscellaneous options.
* -version:                              Miscellaneous options.
* .indent.pro file:                      Invoking indent.
* backup files:                          Backup files.
* Beginning indent:                      Invoking indent.
* Berkeley style:                        Common styles.
* Blank lines:                           Blank lines.
* Comments:                              Comments.
* etags requires -psl:                   Declarations.
* GNU style:                             Common styles.
* Initialization file:                   Invoking indent.
* Invoking indent:                       Invoking indent.
* Kernighan & Ritchie style:             Common styles.
* Long options, use of:                  Invoking indent.
* Original Berkeley style:               Common styles.
* Output File Specification:             Invoking indent.
* Standard Output:                       Invoking indent.
* Starting indent:                       Invoking indent.
* typedef:                               Declarations.
* Typenames:                             Declarations.
* Using Standard Input:                  Invoking indent.



Tag Table:
Node: Top678
Node: Indent Program1195
Node: Invoking indent2278
Ref: Invoking indent-Footnote-15854
Node: Backup files5944
Node: Common styles8023
Node: Blank lines10284
Node: -bad11378
Node: -bap12025
Node: Comments12886
Node: Statements17670
Node: Declarations21267
Node: Indentation23581
Node: Breaking long lines26324
Node: Disabling Formatting28605
Node: Miscellaneous options30352
Node: Bugs31245
Node: Copyright32709
Node: Option Summary34291
Node: Index47890

End Tag Table
