Vim documentation: indent
main help file
*indent.txt* For Vim version 6.0. Last change: 2001 Sep 12
VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
This file is about indenting C programs and other files.
1. Indenting C programs |C-indenting|
2. Indenting by expression |indent-expression|
==============================================================================
1. Indenting C programs *C-indenting*
The basics for C indenting are explained in section |30.2| of the user manual.
Vim has options for automatically indenting C program files. These options
affect only the indent and do not perform other formatting. For comment
formatting, see |format-comments|.
Note that this will not work when the |+smartindent| or |+cindent| features
have been disabled at compile time.
There are in fact four methods available for indentation:
'autoindent' uses the indent from the previous line.
'smartindent' is like 'autoindent' but also recognizes some C syntax to
increase/reduce the indent where appropriate.
'cindent' Works more cleverly than the other two and is configurable to
different indenting styles.
'indentexpr' The most flexible of all: Evaluates an expression to compute
the indent of a line. When non-empty this method overrides
the other ones. See |indent-expression|.
The rest of this section describes the 'cindent' option.
Note that 'cindent' indenting does not work for every code scenario. Vim
is not a C compiler: it does not recognize all syntax.
These four options control C program indenting:
'cindent' Enables Vim to perform C program indenting automatically.
'cinkeys' Specifies which keys trigger reindenting in insert mode.
'cinoptions' Sets your preferred indent style.
'cinwords' Defines keywords that start an extra indent in the next line.
If 'lisp' is not on and 'equalprg' is empty, the "=" operator indents using
Vim's built-in algorithm rather than calling an external program.
See |autocommand| for how to set the 'cindent' option automatically for C code
files and reset it for others.
*cinkeys-format* *indentkeys-format*
The 'cinkeys' option is a string that controls Vim's indenting in response to
typing certain characters or commands in certain contexts. Note that this not
only triggers C-indenting. When 'indentexpr' is not empty 'indentkeys' is
used instead. The format of 'cinkeys' and 'indentkeys' is equal.
The default is "0{,0},0),:,0#,!^F,o,O,e" which specifies that indenting occurs
as follows:
"0{" if you type '{' as the first character in a line
"0}" if you type '}' as the first character in a line
"0)" if you type ')' as the first character in a line
":" if you type ':' after a label or case statement
"0#" if you type '#' as the first character in a line
"!^F" if you type CTRL-F (which is not inserted)
"o" if you type a <CR> anywhere or use the "o" command (not in
insert mode!)
"O" if you use the "O" command (not in insert mode!)
"e" if you type the second 'e' for an "else" at the start of a
line
Characters that can precede each key:
! When a '!' precedes the key, Vim will not insert the key but will
instead reindent the current line. This allows you to define a
command key for reindenting the current line. CTRL-F is the default
key for this. Be careful if you define CTRL-I for this because CTRL-I
is the ASCII code for <Tab>.
* When a '*' precedes the key, Vim will reindent the line before
inserting the key. If 'cinkeys' contains "*<Return>", Vim reindents
the current line before opening a new line.
0 When a zero precedes the key (but appears after '!' or '*') Vim will
reindent the line only if the key is the first character you type in
the line. When used before "=" Vim will only reindent the line if
there is only white space before the word.
When neither '!' nor '*' precedes the key, Vim reindents the line after you
type the key. So ';' sets the indentation of a line which includes the ';'.
Special key names:
<> Angle brackets mean spelled-out names of keys. For example: "<Up>",
"<Ins>" (see |key-notation|).
^ Letters preceded by a caret (^) are control characters. For example:
"^F" is CTRL-F.
o Reindent a line when you use the "o" command or when Vim opens a new
line below the current one (e.g., when you type <Enter> in insert
mode).
O Reindent a line when you use the "O" command.
e Reindent a line that starts with "else" when you type the second 'e'.
: Reindent a line when a ':' is typed which is after a label or case
statement. Don't reindent for a ":" in "class::method" for C++. To
Reindent for any ":", use "<:>".
=word Reindent when typing the last character of "word". "word" may
actually be part of another word. Thus "=end" would cause reindenting
when typing the "d" in "endif" or "endwhile". But not when typing
"bend". Also reindent when completion produces a word that starts
with "word". "0=word" reindents when there is only white space before
the word.
=~word Like =word, but ignore case.
If you really want to reindent when you type 'o', 'O', 'e', '0', '<', '>',
'*', ':' or '!', use "<o>", "<O>", "<e>", "<0>", "<<>", "<>>", "<*>", "<:>" or
"<!>", respectively, for those keys.
For an emacs-style indent mode where lines aren't indented every time you
press Enter but only if you press Tab, I suggest:
:set cinkeys=0{,0},:,0#,!<Tab>,!^F
You might also want to switch off 'autoindent' then.
Note: If you change the current line's indentation manually, Vim ignores the
cindent settings for that line. This prevents vim from reindenting after you
have changed the indent by typing <BS>, <Tab>, or <Space> in the indent or
used CTRL-T or CTRL-D.
*cinoptions-values*
The 'cinoptions' option sets how Vim performs indentation. In the list below,
"N" represents a number of your choice (the number can be negative). When
there is an 's' after the number, Vim multiplies the number by 'shiftwidth':
"1s" is 'shiftwidth', "2s" is two times 'shiftwidth', etc. You can use a
decimal point, too: "-0.5s" is minus half a 'shiftwidth'. The examples below
assume a 'shiftwidth' of 4.
>N Amount added for "normal" indent. Used after a line that should
increase the indent (lines starting with "if", an opening brace,
etc.). (default 'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=>2 cino=>2s
if (cond) if (cond) if (cond)
{ { {
foo; foo; foo;
} } }
eN Add N to the prevailing indent inside a set of braces if the
opening brace at the End of the line (more precise: is not the
first character in a line). This is useful if you want a
different indent when the '{' is at the start of the line from
when '{' is at the end of the line. (default 0).
cino= cino=e2 cino=e-2
if (cond) { if (cond) { if (cond) {
foo; foo; foo;
} } }
else else else
{ { {
bar; bar; bar;
} } }
nN Add N to the prevailing indent for a statement after an "if",
"while", etc., if it is NOT inside a set of braces. This is
useful if you want a different indent when there is no '{'
before the statement from when there is a '{' before it.
(default 0).
cino= cino=n2 cino=n-2
if (cond) if (cond) if (cond)
foo; foo; foo;
else else else
{ { {
bar; bar; bar;
} } }
fN Place the first opening brace of a function or other block in
column N. This applies only for an opening brace that is not
inside other braces and is at the start of the line. What comes
after the brace is put relative to this brace. (default 0).
cino= cino=f.5s cino=f1s
func() func() func()
{ { {
int foo; int foo; int foo;
{N Place opening braces N characters from the prevailing indent.
This applies only for opening braces that are inside other
braces. (default 0).
cino= cino={.5s cino={1s
if (cond) if (cond) if (cond)
{ { {
foo; foo; foo;
}N Place closing braces N characters from the matching opening
brace. (default 0).
cino= cino={2,}-0.5s cino=}2
if (cond) if (cond) if (cond)
{ { {
foo; foo; foo;
} } }
^N Add N to the prevailing indent inside a set of braces if the
opening brace is in column 0. This can specify a different
indent for whole of a function (some may like to set it to a
negative number). (default 0).
cino= cino=^-2 cino=^-s
func() func() func()
{ { {
if (cond) if (cond) if (cond)
{ { {
a = b; a = b; a = b;
} } }
} } }
:N Place case labels N characters from the indent of the switch().
(default 'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=:0
switch (x) switch(x)
{ {
case 1: case 1:
a = b; a = b;
default: default:
} }
=N Place statements occurring after a case label N characters from
the indent of the label. (default 'shiftwidth').
cino= cino==10
case 11: case 11: a = a + 1;
a = a + 1; b = b + 1;
lN If N != 0 Vim will align with a case label instead of the
statement after it.
cino= cino=l1
switch (a) { switch (a) {
case 1: { case 1: {
break; break;
} }
gN Place C++ scope declarations N characters from the indent of the
block they are in. (default 'shiftwidth'). A scope declaration
can be "public:", "protected:" or "private:".
cino= cino=g0
{ {
public: public:
a = b; a = b;
private: private:
} }
hN Place statements occurring after a C++ scope declaration N
characters from the indent of the label. (default
'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=h10
public: public: a = a + 1;
a = a + 1; b = b + 1;
pN Parameter declarations for K&R-style function declarations will
be indented N characters from the margin. (default
'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=p0 cino=p2s
func(a, b) func(a, b) func(a, b)
int a; int a; int a;
char b; char b; char b;
tN Indent a function return type declaration N characters from the
margin. (default 'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=t0 cino=t7
int int int
func() func() func()
+N Indent a continuation line (a line that spills onto the next) N
additional characters. (default 'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=+10
a = b + 9 * a = b + 9 *
c; c;
cN Indent comment lines after the comment opener, when there is no
other text with which to align, N characters from the comment
opener. (default 3). See also |format-comments|.
cino= cino=c5
/* /*
text. text.
*/ */
CN When N is non-zero, indent comment lines by the amount specified
with the c flag above even if there is other text behind the
comment opener. (default 0).
cino=c0 cino=c0,C1
/******** /********
text. text.
********/ ********/
(Example uses ":set comments& comments-=s1:/* comments^=s0:/*")
(N When in unclosed parentheses, indent N characters from the line
with the unclosed parentheses. Add a 'shiftwidth' for every
unclosed parentheses. When N is 0 or the unclosed parentheses
is the first non-white character in its line, line up with the
next non-white character after the unclosed parentheses.
(default 'shiftwidth' * 2).
cino= cino=(0
if (c1 && (c2 || if (c1 && (c2 ||
c3)) c3))
foo; foo;
if (c1 && if (c1 &&
(c2 || c3)) (c2 || c3))
{ {
uN Same as (N, but for one level deeper. (default 'shiftwidth').
cino= cino=u2
if (c123456789 if (c123456789
&& (c22345 && (c22345
|| c3)) || c3))
UN When N is non-zero, do not ignore the indenting specified by
( or u in case that the unclosed parentheses is the first
non-white character in its line. (default 0).
cino= or cino=(s cino=(s,U1
c = c1 && c = c1 &&
( (
c2 || c2 ||
c3 c3
) && c4; ) && c4;
wN When in unclosed parentheses and N is non-zero and either
using "(0" or "u0", respectively, or using "U0" and the unclosed
parentheses is the first non-white character in its line, line
up with the character immediately after the unclosed parentheses
rather than the first non-white character. (default 0).
cino=(0 cino=(0,w1
if ( c1 if ( c1
&& ( c2 && ( c2
|| c3)) || c3))
foo; foo;
mN When N is non-zero, line up a line starting with a closing
parentheses with the first character of the line with the
matching opening parentheses. (default 0).
cino=(s cino=(s,m1
c = c1 && ( c = c1 && (
c2 || c2 ||
c3 c3
) && c4; ) && c4;
if ( if (
c1 && c2 c1 && c2
) )
foo; foo;
*java-cinoptions* *java-indenting*
jN Indent java anonymous classes correctly. The value 'N' is
currently unused but must be non-zero (e.g. 'j1'). 'j1' will
indent for example the following code snippet correctly:
object.add(new ChangeListener() {
public void stateChanged(ChangeEvent e) {
do_something();
}
});
)N Vim searches for unclosed parentheses at most N lines away.
This limits the time needed to search for parentheses. (default
20 lines).
*N Vim searches for unclosed comments at most N lines away. This
limits the time needed to search for the start of a comment.
(default 30 lines).
The defaults, spelled out in full, are:
cinoptions=>s,e0,n0,f0,{0,}0,^0,:s,=s,l0,gs,hs,ps,ts,+s,c3,C0,(2s,us,
\U0,w0,m0,j0,)20,*30
Vim puts a line in column 1 if:
- It starts with '#' (preprocessor directives), if 'cinkeys' contains '#'.
- It starts with a label (a keyword followed by ':', other than "case" and
"default").
- Any combination of indentations causes the line to have less than 0
indentation.
==============================================================================
2. Indenting by expression *indent-expression*
The basics for using flexible indenting are explained in section |30.3| of the
user manual.
If you want to write your own indent file, it must set the 'indentexpr'
option. Setting the 'indentkeys' option is often useful. See the
$VIMRUNTIME/indent directory for examples.
REMARKS ABOUT SPECIFIC INDENT FILES
FORTRAN *fortran-indent*
Block if, select case, and where constructs are indented. Comments, labelled
statements and continuation lines are indented if the Fortran is in free
source form, whereas they are not indented if the Fortran is in fixed source
form because of the left margin requirements. Hence manual indent corrections
will be necessary for labelled statements and continuation lines when fixed
source form is being used. For further discussion of the method used for the
detection of source format see |fortran-syntax|.
Do loops
All do loops are left unindented by default. Do loops can be unstructured in
Fortran with (possibly multiple) loops ending on a labelled executable
statement of almost arbitrary type. Correct indentation requires
compiler-quality parsing. Old code with do loops ending on labelled statements
of arbitrary type can be indented with elaborate programs such as Tidy
http://www.unb.ca/chem/ajit/f_tidy.htm. Structured do/continue loops are
also left unindented because continue statements are also used for purposes
other than ending a do loop. Programs such as Tidy can convert structured
do/continue loops to the do/enddo form. Do loops of the do/enddo variety can
be indented. If you use only structured loops of the do/enddo form, you should
declare this by setting the fortran_do_enddo variable in your .vimrc as
follows
let fortran_do_enddo=1
in which case do loops will be indented. If all your loops are of do/enddo
type only in, say, .f90 files, then you should set a buffer flag with an
autocommand such as
au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.f90 let b:fortran_do_enddo=1
to get do loops indented in .f90 files and left alone in Fortran files with
other extensions such as .for.
VERILOG *verilog-indent*
General block statements such as if, for, case, always, initial, function,
specify and begin, etc., are indented. The module block statements (first
level blocks) are not indented by default. you can turn on the indent with
setting a variable in the .vimrc as follows:
let b:verilog_indent_modules = 1
then the module blocks will be indented. To stop this, remove the variable:
:unlet b:verilog_indent_modules
To set the variable only for Verilog file. The following statements can be
used:
au BufReadPost * if exists("b:current_syntax")
au BufReadPost * if b:current_syntax == "verilog"
au BufReadPost * let b:verilog_indent_modules = 1
au BufReadPost * endif
au BufReadPost * endif
Furthermore, setting the variable b:verilog_indent_width to change the
indenting width (default is 'shiftwidth'):
let b:verilog_indent_width = 4
let b:verilog_indent_width = &sw * 2
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