Well - I seem to have inadvertantly started a fire storm.
Didn't mean to do that.
Let me mention a couple of things, and then I'll (mostly) give you the last word.
I have been writing software professionally for 25 years,
and personally, I have no use for indentation.
Nor would I want my adapter to speak the indent level of each line;
that would really slow me down.
I do put a comment on each right brace, describing the block
or function that is being closed off.
I suppose it's a verbal type of indent.
I also have the B command in edbrowse, for balancing braces,
to go to the "other" brace.
Now that I'm use to this feature, I don't know what I'd do without it.
On the other hand, it's clear to me how indenting helps the sighted community.
I can't deny it.
(I could see a long time ago.)
So a compromise is called for.
After some investigation I believe code can be automatically
indented in a way that does not hinder the blind, and is still acceptable
to the sighted.
By "acceptable" I'm using the coding standards set forth in the linux kernel.
I don't want to waste extra lines on braces, and neither does Linus.
So you indent like this
if(x) {
stuff;
} else {
more stuff;
}
Similar formatting applies for struct/enum definitions.
The function is the only time we invest an entire line in a single open brace.
int
foo(int x, int y)
{
function stuff;
} /* foo */
Indent can be told to format in precisely this way.
The following .indent.pro file seems to do a pretty good job for all parties,
and I will probably apply it to my edbrowse code in the next few days.
// leave blanklines alone!
-nsob
-ncdb
-nbad
-nbap
-nbbb
// Measure levels of indenting - I prefer 4 spaces, rather than 2.
// But 8 would force the tab indenting.
-i4
-bli4
-cbi4
-lp
-ci0
-pi0
-cli0
-di2
// Braces are set by the coding standards of the linux kernel
-br
-brs
-cdw
-ce
-nbs
// Breaking long lines?
-l80
-hnl
-psl
-nbbo
// Inserting spaces - usually I don't want it
-nprs
-npcs
-ncs
-nsaf
-nsai
-nsaw
-ss
Any thoughts on these settings, from a blind or sighted perspective?
Karl Dahlke