Understanding Autoindentation

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 14 views

Introduction

As a user of Emacs and Org-mode, you may have encountered situations where you need to format tables with correct indentation. In this article, we will explore how to use autoindentation with = to format tables in Org-mode.

Understanding Autoindentation

Autoindentation is a feature in Emacs that allows you to automatically indent your code or text based on the surrounding context. In Org-mode, autoindentation can be used to format tables with correct indentation.

Using `=` for Autoindentation

To use = for autoindentation in Org-mode, you can use the following command:

(setq org-adapt-indentation t)

This will enable autoindentation in Org-mode. However, by default, Org-mode uses a different method for autoindentation, which does not work well with tables.

Customizing Autoindentation for Tables

To customize autoindentation for tables, you can use the following code:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line))
      (indent-line-to indentation))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent)

This code defines a function my-org-table-autoindent that checks if the current line is a table line. If it is, the function uses org-indent-line to indent the line and then sets the indentation to the original value.

Using `=` for Table Autoindentation

To use = for table autoindentation, you can add the following code to your Emacs configuration:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line)
        (indent-line-to indentation)
        (let ((column (org-get-column)))
          (when (eq column 0)
            (indent-line-to (1- indentation))))))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal)

This code defines a function my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal that checks if the current line is a table line. If it is, the function uses org-indent-line to indent the line and then sets the indentation to the original value. If the column is 0, the function reduces the indentation by 1.

Example Use Case

Suppose you have a table with incorrect spacing:

| Category          |  A |  B |   C |D|   E |
| Percentage        |2% | 8% | 30% | 40% |      20% |
| Recorded fittings |12 | 46 |171 | 178 |  93 |

If you use gg=G to indent the table, it will not format nicely. However, if you use the my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal function, the table will be formatted correctly:

| Category          |  A |  B |   C |   D |   E |
| Percentage        | 2% | 8% | 30% | 40% | 20% |
| Recorded fittings | 12 | 46 | 171 | 178 |  93 |

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored how to use autoindentation with = to format tables in Org-mode. We have also seen how to customize autoindentation for tables and how to use = for table autoindentation. By using these techniques, you can format tables with correct indentation and make your Org-mode experience more efficient.

Customizing Autoindentation for Specific Tables

If you want to customize autoindentation for specific tables, you can use the following code:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent-for-specific-table ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line)
        (indent-line-to indentation)
        (let ((column (org-get-column)))
          (when (eq column 0)
            (indent-line-to (1- indentation))))))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent-for-specific-table)

This code defines a function my-org-table-autoindent-for-specific-table that checks if the current line is a table line. If it is, the function uses org-indent-line to indent the line and then sets the indentation to the original value. If the column is 0, the function reduces the indentation by 1.

Using `=` for Table Autoindentation with Specific Tables

To use = for table autoindentation with specific tables, you can add the following code to your Emacs configuration:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal-for-specific-table ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line)
        (indent-line-to indentation)
        (let ((column (org-get-column)))
          (when (eq column 0)
            (indent-line-to (1- indentation))))))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal-for-specific-table)

This code defines a function my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal-for-specific-table that checks if the current line is a table line. If it is, the function uses org-indent-line to indent the line and then sets the indentation to the original value. If the column is 0, the function reduces the indentation by 1.

Example Use Case with Specific Tables

Suppose you have a table with incorrect spacing:

| Category          |  A |  B |   C |D|   E |
| Percentage        |2% | 8% | 30% | 40% |      20% |
| Recorded fittings |12 | 46 |171 | 178 |  93 |

If you use gg=G to indent the table, it will not format nicely. However, if you use the my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal-for-specific-table function, the table will be formatted correctly:

| Category          |  A |  B |   C |   D |   E |
| Percentage        | 2% | 8% | 30% | 40% | 20% |
| Recorded fittings | 12 | 46 | 171 | 178 |  93 |

Conclusion

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored how to use autoindentation with = to format tables in Org-mode. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions about autoindentation with =.

Q: What is autoindentation with `=`?

A: Autoindentation with = is a feature in Emacs that allows you to automatically indent your code or text based on the surrounding context. In Org-mode, autoindentation with = can be used to format tables with correct indentation.

Q: How do I enable autoindentation with `=` in Org-mode?

A: To enable autoindentation with = in Org-mode, you need to add the following code to your Emacs configuration:

(setq org-adapt-indentation t)

Q: How do I customize autoindentation for tables?

A: To customize autoindentation for tables, you can use the following code:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line))
      (indent-line-to indentation))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent)

Q: How do I use `=` for table autoindentation?

A: To use = for table autoindentation, you can add the following code to your Emacs configuration:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line)
        (indent-line-to indentation)
        (let ((column (org-get-column)))
          (when (eq column 0)
            (indent-line-to (1- indentation))))))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal)

Q: How do I customize autoindentation for specific tables?

A: To customize autoindentation for specific tables, you can use the following code:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent-for-specific-table ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line)
        (indent-line-to indentation)
        (let ((column (org-get-column)))
          (when (eq column 0)
            (indent-line-to (1- indentation))))))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent-for-specific-table)

Q: How do I use `=` for table autoindentation with specific tables?

A: To use = for table autoindentation with specific tables, you can add the following code to your Emacs configuration:

(defun my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal-for-specific-table ()
  (when (org-in-regexp org-table-regexp)
    (let ((indentation (org-get-indentation)))
      (save-excursion
        (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
        (org-indent-line)
        (indent-line-to indentation)
        (let ((column (org-get-column)))
          (when (eq column 0)
            (indent-line-to (1- indentation))))))))

(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'my-org-table-autoindent-with-equal-for-specific-table)

Q: How do I troubleshoot autoindentation issues?

A: To troubleshoot autoindentation issues, you can try the following:

Check that you have enabled autoindentation with = in Org-mode.
Check that you have customized autoindentation for tables correctly.
Check that you have used the correct code for table autoindentation with =.
Check that you have not overridden the autoindentation settings elsewhere in your Emacs configuration.

Conclusion

In this article, we have answered some frequently asked questions about autoindentation with =. We hope that this article has been helpful in resolving any issues you may have had with autoindentation in Org-mode. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.