Tabs vs Spaces — Makefiles in C

The tabs vs spaces debate among developers revolves around the preferred method for indentation in code. ‘Tabs’ advocates argue that tabs are semantically correct for indentation, customizable, and more accessible, especially for those with visual impairments. They suggest using tabs for indentation and spaces for alignment. ‘Spaces’ advocates emphasize consistency, as spaces ensure that code formatting appears the same across different editors and platforms, avoiding issues with variable tab sizes. This approach is often preferred in team environments to maintain uniform code appearance.

But if you are programming in the C language and need to use Makefiles, there is no choice — you must use ‘Tabs’.

The requirement for tabs in Makefiles originates from Stuart Feldman, Unix developer and the creator of the ‘make’ utility. Feldman chose tabs to help in distinguishing between commands and other text in the Makefile. Specifically, the Lex parser used in the early implementation of ‘make’ had difficulties distinguishing between tabs and spaces, leading to the mandate for tabs. Although Feldman has acknowledged this as a suboptimal decision, the convention has persisted.

The above screenshot, shows a Makefile. This example is using the ‘show symbol’ feature in notepad — with it you are able to clearly distinguish between tabs and spaces — the arrows indicate that tabs are used on lines 8, 12 and 16. If you indent those lines using spaces instead of tabs, the program will not run — you’ll receive an error:

Makefile:line_number: *** missing separator. Stop.

So, whether you prefer tabs or spaces when you program is up to you. But if you’re working with Makefiles in C, Stuart has left you no choice.

If you haven’t seen the Silicon Valley episode above (S3 Ep6) — give it a watch, as with the entire series, it’s a lot of fun.

Ben Santora — October

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