Microsoft/vscode

Option to not replace aligning spaces during indentation by Tab

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#277764 opened on Nov 17, 2025

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 (0 comments) (0 reactions) (2 assignees)TypeScript (74,848 stars) (10,221 forks)batch import
editor-corefeature-requesthelp wanted

Description

Image

Intent here is to adjust Tab indentation of a block and to not break aligning spaces. Shown behaviors are:

  • line/multiline Tab, Backspace - ok
  • line/multiline Shift+Tab - breaks
  • selection Tab/Shift+Tab - breaks

So only option now is multiline cursor + Tab/Backspace, which fiddly to setup and Backspace removes empty lines, if there are some.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
tooling
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
TypeScript knowledgeunderstanding of VSCode editor architecture
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
Investigate how VSCode handles tab indentation and aligning spaces. Look into the editor's core indentation logic and the settings schema for editor options. Check if there are any existing issues or discussions about preserving aligning spaces. The implementation likely involves modifying the editor's Tab and Shift+Tab behavior to detect and preserve spaces used for alignment.