Tabbing/Spaces

[Robert L Hicks]

So what is the answer then? Can't anything get a simple answer! :-)

Bob

> From: "Tim Peters" <tim.one at home.com>
> Organization: Baymountain
> Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
> Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 23:22:41 -0500
> To: <python-list at python.org>
> Subject: RE: Tabbing/Spaces
> 
> [Robert L Hicks]
>> ...
>> While reading the reference manual it denotes that 8
>> spaces is that standard for indentation.
> 
> [Tim]
>> Where?  The Python compiler deals with a tab character by
>> moving to the next multiple-of-8 column, but that's just
>> a (hardcoded) fact.
> 
> [Emile van Sebille]
>> From the Reference Manual:
>> 
>> 2.1.7 Indentation
>> Leading whitespace (spaces and tabs) at the beginning of a
>> logical line is used to compute the indentation level of the
>> line, which in turn is used to determine the grouping of
>> statements.
>> 
>> First, tabs are replaced (from left to right) by one to
>> eight spaces such that the total number of characters up to
>> and including the replacement is a multiple of eight (this
>> is intended to be the same rule as used by Unix). The total
>> number of spaces preceding the first non-blank character
>> then determines the line's indentation. Indentation cannot
>> be split over multiple physical lines using backslashes; the
>> whitespace up to the first backslash determines the
>> indentation.
> 
> As I said, that merely defines what the Python compiler *does* with a tab
> character, which is just a fact.  It doesn't say anything about 8 columns
> being "[a] standard for indentation" (which indeed it is not, but AFAIK the
> Ref Man is silent on that issue).  So Robert is thinking of something else,
> or neither of you knows how to read Dutch <wink>.
> 
>