# Checks for whitespace

## EmptyForInitializerPad

#### Description

Checks the padding of an empty for initializer; that is whether white space is required at an empty for initializer, or such white space is forbidden. No check occurs if there is a line wrap at the initializer, as in

    for (
          ; i < j; i++, j--)

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
option | policy on how to pad an empty for iterator | pad policy | nospace

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="EmptyForInitializerPad"/>

To configure the check to require white space at an empty for iterator:

    <module name="EmptyForInitializerPad">
        <property name="option" value="space"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## EmptyForIteratorPad

#### Description

Checks the padding of an empty for iterator; that is whether white space is required at an empty for iterator, or such white space is forbidden. No check occurs if there is a line wrap at the iterator, as in

    for (Iterator foo = very.long.line.iterator();
          foo.hasNext();
         )

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
option | policy on how to pad an empty for iterator | pad policy | nospace

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="EmptyForIteratorPad"/>

To configure the check to require white space at an empty for iterator:

    <module name="EmptyForIteratorPad">
        <property name="option" value="space"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## MethodParamPad

#### Description

Checks the padding between the identifier of a method definition, constructor definition, method call, or constructor invocation; and the left parenthesis of the parameter list. That is, if the identifier and left parenthesis are on the same line, checks whether a space is required immediately after the identifier or such a space is forbidden. If they are not on the same line, reports an error, unless configured to allow line breaks. To allow linebreaks after the identifier, set property allowLineBreaks to true.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
allowLineBreaks | whether a line break between the identifier and left parenthesis is allowed | boolean | false
tokens | tokens to check | subset of tokens CTOR_DEF, LITERAL_NEW, METHOD_CALL, METHOD_DEF, SUPER_CTOR_CALL | CTOR_DEF, LITERAL_NEW, METHOD_CALL, METHOD_DEF, SUPER_CTOR_CALL

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="MethodParamPad"/>

To configure the check to require a space after the identifier of a method definition, except if the left parenthesis occurs on a new line:

    <module name="MethodParamPad">
        <property name="tokens" value="METHOD_DEF"/>
        <property name="option" value="space"/>
        <property name="allowLineBreaks" value="true"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## NoWhitespaceAfter

#### Description

Checks that there is no whitespace after a token. More specifically, it checks that it is not followed by whitespace, or (if linebreaks are allowed) all characters on the line after are whitespace. To forbid linebreaks after a token, set property allowLineBreaks to false.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
allowLineBreaks | whether whitespace is allowed if the token is at a linebreak | boolean | true
tokens | tokens to check | subset of tokens ARRAY_INIT, BNOT, DEC, DOT, INC, LNOT, UNARY_MINUS, UNARY_PLUS | ARRAY_INIT, BNOT, DEC, DOT, INC, LNOT, UNARY_MINUS, UNARY_PLUS

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="NoWhitespaceAfter"/>

To configure the check to forbid linebreaks after a DOT token:

    <module name="NoWhitespaceAfter">
        <property name="tokens" value="DOT"/>
        <property name="allowLineBreaks" value="false"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## NoWhitespaceBefore

#### Description

Checks that there is no whitespace before a token. More specifically, it checks that it is not preceded with whitespace, or (if linebreaks are allowed) all characters on the line before are whitespace. To allow linebreaks before a token, set property allowLineBreaks to true.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
allowLineBreaks | whether whitespace is allowed if the token is at a linebreak | boolean | false
tokens | tokens to check | subset of tokens SEMI, DOT, POST_DEC, POST_INC | SEMI, POST_DEC, POST_INC

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="NoWhitespaceBefore"/>

To configure the check to allow linebreaks before a DOT token:

    <module name="NoWhitespaceBefore">
        <property name="tokens" value="DOT"/>
        <property name="allowLineBreaks" value="true"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## OperatorWrap

#### Description

Checks the policy on how to wrap lines on operators.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
option | policy on how to wrap lines | wrap operator policy | nl

tokens

tokens to check

subset of tokens ASSIGN, BAND, BAND_ASSIGN, BOR, BOR_ASSIGN, BSR, BSR_ASSIGN, BXOR, BXOR_ASSIGN, COLON, DIV, DIV_ASSIGN, EQUAL, GE, GT, LAND, LE, LITERAL_INSTANCEOF, LOR, LT, MINUS, MINUS_ASSIGN, MOD, MOD_ASSIGN, NOT_EQUAL, PLUS, PLUS_ASSIGN, QUESTION, SL, SL_ASSIGN, SR, SR_ASSIGN, STAR, STAR_ASSIGN

BAND, BOR, BSR, BXOR, COLON, DIV, EQUAL, GE, GT, LAND, LE, LITERAL_INSTANCEOF, LOR, LT, MINUS, MOD, NOT_EQUAL, PLUS, QUESTION, SL, SR, STAR (all tokens except assignment operators)

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="OperatorWrap"/>

To configure the check for the assignment operator, =, at the end of a line:

    <module name="OperatorWrap">
        <property name="tokens" value="ASSIGN"/>
        <property name="option" value="eol"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## ParenPad

#### Description

Checks the policy on the padding of parentheses; i.e. whether a space is required after a left parenthesis and before a right parenthesis, or such spaces are forbidden.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
option | policy on how to pad parentheses | pad policy | nospace
tokens | tokens to check | subset of tokens CTOR_CALL, LPAREN, METHOD_CALL, RPAREN, SUPER_CTOR_CALL | CTOR_CALL, LPAREN, METHOD_CALL, RPAREN, SUPER_CTOR_CALL

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="ParenPad"/>

To configure the check to require spaces for the parentheses of constructor, method, and super constructor calls:

    <module name="ParenPad">
        <property name="tokens" value="CTOR_CALL, METHOD_CALL,
        SUPER_CTOR_CALL"/>
        <property name="option" value="space"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## TypecastParenPad

#### Description

Checks the policy on the padding of parentheses for typecasts. That is, whether a space is required after a left parenthesis and before a right parenthesis, or such spaces are forbidden.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
option | policy on how to pad parentheses | pad policy | nospace
tokens | tokens to check | Must have tokens TYPECAST, RPAREN | TYPECAST, RPAREN

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="TypecastParenPad"/>

To configure the check to require spaces:

    <module name="TypecastParenPad">
        <property name="option" value="space"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## TabCharacter

#### Description

Checks that there are no tab characters ('\t') in the source code.

Rationale:

- Developers should not need to configure the tab width of their text editors in order to be able to read source code.
- From the Apache jakarta coding standards: In a distributed development environment, when the cvs commit messages get sent to a mailing list, they are almost impossible to read if you use tabs.

#### Example

To configure the check:

    <module name="TabCharacter"/>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## WhitespaceAfter

#### Description

Checks that a token is followed by whitespace.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---
tokens | tokens to check | subset of tokens COMMA, SEMI, TYPECAST | COMMA, SEMI, TYPECAST

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="WhitespaceAfter"/>

To configure the check for whitespace only after COMMA and SEMI tokens:

    <module name="WhitespaceAfter">
        <property name="tokens" value="COMMA, SEMI"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

## WhitespaceAround

#### Description

Checks that a token is surrounded by whitespace.

#### Properties

name | description | type | default value
--- | --- | --- | ---

tokens

tokens to check

subset of tokens ASSIGN, BAND, BAND_ASSIGN, BOR, BOR_ASSIGN, BSR, BSR_ASSIGN, BXOR, BXOR_ASSIGN, COLON, DIV, DIV_ASSIGN, EQUAL, GE, GT, LAND, LCURLY, LE, LITERAL_ASSERT, LITERAL_CATCH, LITERAL_DO, LITERAL_ELSE, LITERAL_FINALLY, LITERAL_FOR, LITERAL_IF, LITERAL_RETURN, LITERAL_SYNCHRONIZED, LITERAL_TRY, LITERAL_WHILE, LOR, LT, MINUS, MINUS_ASSIGN, MOD, MOD_ASSIGN, NOT_EQUAL, PLUS, PLUS_ASSIGN, QUESTION, RCURLY, SL, SLIST, SL_ASSIGN, SR, SR_ASSIGN, STAR, STAR_ASSIGN

all tokens

#### Examples

To configure the check:

    <module name="WhitespaceAround"/>

To configure the check for whitespace around the assignment operator, =:

    <module name="WhitespaceAround">
        <property name="tokens" value="ASSIGN"/>
    </module>

#### Package

com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.whitespace

#### Parent Module

TreeWalker

Back to the Checkstyle Home Page

Copyright © 2002-2003 Oliver Burn. All rights Reserved.