When comparing GNU style vs Whitesmiths style, the Slant community recommends Whitesmiths style for most people. In the question“What is the best indentation style in C?” Whitesmiths style is ranked 3rd while GNU style is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Whitesmiths style is:
Like the Allman style, with the Witesmiths style the blocks are clearly set apart from the control statements.
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Pros
Pro Comments are written in English
The GNU coding standard requires that programmers write their comments in English because English is the most widely known language by programmers all over the world. This makes programs written in GNU style easy to understand internationally.
Pro Blocks are set apart from control statements
Like the Allman style, with the Witesmiths style the blocks are clearly set apart from the control statements.
Pro Indenting the braces makes them feel that they are subordinate to the control statement
Indenting the braces makes them feel that they are subordinate to the control statements. Which helps the reader understand which block belongs to which control statement.
Pro Easy to see how blocks of code belong together.
The fact that the code lines up up with the braces makes this by far and away the easiest style to read. The code flows much more naturally, there is zero doubt about which block the codes belongs to, your eyes are quickly drawn to what belongs where.
Pro Makes a clear divider on multi line control statements
Sometimes a control statement can take a lot of arguments and go over many lines. It frees your mind from doing the work to separate arguments and code block.
Pro Indenting Braces removes noise from the vertical line
When scanning vertically through large sections of code to review the code execution flow, having the braces indented means less noise to filter out. The execution flow statements stand alone on the vertical line and are thus far more quickly picked out by the eye.
Cons
Con Harder to understand which statement the ending brace belongs to
Since braces are in a newline and indented by two spaces, it may be hard to understand what statement the ending brace belongs to.
Con May be confusing to the eye
The braces confuse the focus of the reader's eye and this causes the reader to look longer at the line right after the opening brace and at the line right before the closing brace.
Con The closing brace does not line up with the corresponding statement
The closing brace does not line up with the statement it belongs to.