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--- vim:config:indentation:indentation_options [2022/10/08 14:15] – created peter
+++ vim:config:indentation:indentation_options [2022/10/08 14:21] (current) – peter
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== VIM - Config - Indentation - Indentation Options ======
+===== expandtab =====
+**expandtab** affects what happens when you press the **<TAB>** key.
+  * If **expandtab** is set, pressing the **<TAB>** key will always insert **softtabstop** amount of space characters.
+  * Otherwise, the amount of spaces inserted is minimized by using TAB characters.
+----
+===== shiftwidth =====
+**shiftwidth** affects what happens when you press **>>**, **<<** or **==**.
+  * It also affects how automatic indentation works.
+----
+===== smarttab =====
+**smarttab** affects how <TAB> key presses are interpreted depending on where the cursor is.
+  * If **smarttab** is on, a <TAB> key inserts indentation according to **shiftwidth** at the beginning of the line, whereas **tabstop** and **softtabstop** are used elsewhere.
+  * There is seldom any need to set this option, unless it is necessary to use hard TAB characters in body text or code.
+----
+===== softtabstop =====
+**softtabstop** affects what happens when you press the **<TAB>** or **<BS>** keys.
+  * Its default value is the same as the value of **tabstop**, but when using indentation without hard tabs or mixed indentation, you want to set it to the same value as **shiftwidth**.
+  * If **expandtab** is unset, and **tabstop** is different from **softtabstop**, the **<TAB>** key will minimize the amount of spaces inserted by using multiples of TAB characters.
+    * For instance, if **tabstop** is 8, and the amount of consecutive space inserted is 20, two TAB characters and four spaces will be used.
+----
+===== tabstop =====
+**tabstop** changes the width of the TAB character, plain and simple.
+<WRAP info>
+**NOTE:**  Considerations:
+  * Using a **tabstop** value other than the default (8 spaces), will result in your file having a different appearance when using tools such as cat (type on Windows), which cannot use a custom width tab character.
+    * On the other hand, using hard tabs for indentation, allows others to view your code with the amount of indentation they prefer.
+    * Which of these considerations should have priority, is a matter of personal preference (and company policy).
+</WRAP>
+----