Code Formatter: Beautify & Format Code in Multiple Languages
Format and beautify code with a single click. This tool supports multiple programming languages including JavaScript, Python, HTML, CSS, Java, C/C++, and more. Simply paste your code, select a language, and get properly formatted results instantly.
Code Formatter
Format your code with a single click. Select a language, paste your code, and get it properly formatted.
How to Use:
- Select your programming language from the dropdown.
- Paste your unformatted code in the input area.
- Click the 'Format Code' button.
- Copy the formatted result from the output area.
Documentation
Code Formatter: Beautify Your Code in Seconds
Introduction to Code Formatting
Code formatting is the process of structuring your source code to improve readability and maintainability. Our Code Formatter tool allows you to instantly transform messy, unformatted code into clean, properly indented, and consistently styled code with just a single click. Whether you're a professional developer, a student learning to code, or someone who needs to quickly clean up code snippets, this free online code formatter supports multiple programming languages and follows industry-standard style guidelines.
Properly formatted code isn't just aesthetically pleasing—it's essential for collaboration, debugging, and maintaining code quality. With our tool, you can save time and ensure your code adheres to best practices without manually adjusting indentation, spacing, and line breaks.
How Code Formatting Works
Code formatting is powered by language-specific parsers and style rules that analyze your code's structure and apply consistent formatting. Here's how our code formatter processes your input:
- Parsing: The formatter first parses your code to understand its structure and syntax
- AST Generation: It creates an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) representing your code's logical structure
- Style Application: The formatter applies language-specific style rules to the AST
- Code Generation: Finally, it generates properly formatted code based on the styled AST
Our formatter maintains the functionality of your code while improving its structure and appearance. It handles various formatting aspects including:
- Consistent indentation (spaces or tabs)
- Proper line breaks and spacing
- Bracket placement and alignment
- Comment formatting and alignment
- Statement and expression spacing
Supported Programming Languages
Our Code Formatter supports a wide range of programming languages commonly used in software development, web development, data science, and other technical fields:
| Language | File Extensions | Key Formatting Features |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript | .js, .jsx | Proper indentation, semicolon placement, bracket style |
| TypeScript | .ts, .tsx | Type annotations, interface formatting, generics alignment |
| HTML | .html, .htm | Tag indentation, attribute alignment, self-closing tags |
| CSS | .css, .scss, .less | Property alignment, selector formatting, nesting structure |
| Python | .py | PEP 8 compliance, proper indentation, import organization |
| Java | .java | Bracket placement, method spacing, annotation formatting |
| C/C++ | .c, .cpp, .h | Pointer alignment, preprocessor directives, template formatting |
| C# | .cs | Lambda expressions, LINQ queries, attribute formatting |
| SQL | .sql | Keyword capitalization, query indentation, join alignment |
| JSON | .json | Property alignment, array formatting, nested structure |
| XML | .xml | Tag indentation, attribute alignment, namespace formatting |
| PHP | .php | PHP tag spacing, function declarations, array syntax |
Each language formatter follows established style guides and best practices for that specific language, ensuring your code not only looks good but also adheres to community standards.
How to Use the Code Formatter
Using our Code Formatter tool is straightforward and requires just a few simple steps:
Step 1: Select Your Programming Language
From the dropdown menu, select the programming language of your code. This ensures the formatter applies the correct syntax rules and style guidelines specific to that language.
Step 2: Input Your Code
Paste your unformatted code into the input text area. You can input code of any length, though extremely large files may take longer to process.
Step 3: Click "Format Code"
Click the "Format Code" button to initiate the formatting process. The tool will analyze your code and apply the appropriate formatting rules.
Step 4: Review and Copy the Formatted Code
The formatted code will appear in the output area. Review the changes to ensure they meet your expectations, then use the "Copy" button to copy the formatted code to your clipboard for use in your project.
Code Formatting Examples
JavaScript Before and After
Before Formatting:
1function calculateSum(a,b){
2if(typeof a!=='number'||typeof b!=='number'){return null;}
3var result=a+b;
4return result;
5}
6const numbers=[1,2,3,4,5];
7const doubled=numbers.map(function(num){return num*2;});
8console.log(doubled);
9After Formatting:
1function calculateSum(a, b) {
2 if (typeof a !== 'number' || typeof b !== 'number') {
3 return null;
4 }
5 var result = a + b;
6 return result;
7}
8
9const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
10const doubled = numbers.map(function(num) {
11 return num * 2;
12});
13console.log(doubled);
14Python Before and After
Before Formatting:
1def calculate_average(numbers):
2 if len(numbers)==0:return 0
3 total=sum(numbers)
4 average=total/len(numbers)
5 return average
6# Test the function
7test_scores=[85,90,78,92,88]
8avg=calculate_average(test_scores)
9print(f"The average score is: {avg}")
10After Formatting:
1def calculate_average(numbers):
2 if len(numbers) == 0:
3 return 0
4 total = sum(numbers)
5 average = total / len(numbers)
6 return average
7
8# Test the function
9test_scores = [85, 90, 78, 92, 88]
10avg = calculate_average(test_scores)
11print(f"The average score is: {avg}")
12HTML Before and After
Before Formatting:
1<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title>My Page</title><style>body{font-family:Arial;margin:0;padding:20px;}</style></head><body><div class="container"><h1>Welcome</h1><p>This is a paragraph with <a href="https://example.com">a link</a> inside it.</p><ul><li>Item 1</li><li>Item 2</li><li>Item 3</li></ul></div></body></html>
2After Formatting:
1<!DOCTYPE html>
2<html>
3 <head>
4 <title>My Page</title>
5 <style>
6 body {
7 font-family: Arial;
8 margin: 0;
9 padding: 20px;
10 }
11 </style>
12 </head>
13 <body>
14 <div class="container">
15 <h1>Welcome</h1>
16 <p>This is a paragraph with <a href="https://example.com">a link</a> inside it.</p>
17 <ul>
18 <li>Item 1</li>
19 <li>Item 2</li>
20 <li>Item 3</li>
21 </ul>
22 </div>
23 </body>
24</html>
25Benefits of Using a Code Formatter
1. Improved Code Readability
Well-formatted code is significantly easier to read and understand, which is crucial when working on complex projects or collaborating with other developers. Consistent indentation, proper spacing, and logical line breaks make code structure more apparent.
2. Enhanced Productivity
By automating the formatting process, developers can focus on writing functional code rather than spending time on manual formatting. This leads to faster development cycles and more efficient workflows.
3. Easier Debugging
Clean, well-formatted code makes it easier to spot errors and bugs. When code is properly structured, logical issues become more visible, and debugging becomes less time-consuming.
4. Better Collaboration
When everyone on a team uses the same formatting standards, code reviews become more effective, and merging code from different contributors becomes smoother. Consistent formatting eliminates unnecessary discussions about style preferences.
5. Adherence to Best Practices
Our formatter follows industry-standard style guides for each programming language, ensuring your code adheres to established best practices and conventions.
Use Cases for Code Formatting
For Professional Developers
Professional developers often use code formatters as part of their development workflow to maintain consistency across large codebases. Integrating formatting into continuous integration pipelines ensures all committed code follows the same style guidelines.
For Students and Educators
Students learning to code can use our formatter to understand proper code structure and style conventions. Educators can use it to ensure consistent formatting in assignments and examples, making code easier to evaluate and discuss.
For Technical Writers
Technical writers creating documentation, tutorials, or blog posts can use our formatter to ensure code examples are properly formatted and easy to understand for readers.
For Code Reviews
During code reviews, properly formatted code allows reviewers to focus on logic and functionality rather than style issues. This leads to more productive reviews and higher quality feedback.
For Legacy Code Maintenance
When working with legacy codebases that may have inconsistent formatting, our tool can quickly standardize the code style, making the codebase more maintainable going forward.
Handling Special Cases
Minified Code
Our formatter can effectively handle minified code, restoring it to a readable format with proper indentation and line breaks. This is particularly useful when working with production JavaScript or CSS files that have been compressed for performance.
Large Files
While our online tool works well for most code snippets and files, extremely large files (over 1MB) may experience slower processing times. For very large codebases, consider using a local formatting tool or breaking the code into smaller chunks.
Custom Syntax
Some frameworks or languages may use custom syntax extensions. Our formatter handles most common extensions, but highly specialized or proprietary syntax might not format optimally. In such cases, you may need to make minor adjustments after formatting.
Comments and Documentation
Our formatter preserves comments and documentation strings while ensuring they're properly aligned with the surrounding code. This maintains important context and explanations within your codebase.
Alternatives to Online Code Formatting
While our online code formatter is convenient for quick formatting tasks, there are other approaches to maintaining code style:
IDE Extensions and Plugins
Most modern integrated development environments (IDEs) offer formatting extensions or built-in formatters. Popular options include:
- Prettier for VS Code, WebStorm, and other editors
- Black for Python in various IDEs
- ESLint with formatting rules for JavaScript
- ReSharper for C# in Visual Studio
Command-Line Formatters
Command-line tools can be integrated into build processes and git hooks:
- Prettier (JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML)
- Black (Python)
- gofmt (Go)
- rustfmt (Rust)
- clang-format (C/C++)
Git Hooks
Pre-commit hooks can automatically format code before it's committed to a repository, ensuring all committed code follows consistent style guidelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does formatting change my code's functionality?
No, proper code formatting only changes the appearance of your code, not its functionality. The logical structure and behavior remain identical.
Can I customize the formatting rules?
Our online tool uses standard formatting rules for each language. For customized formatting, consider using local tools like Prettier or ESLint that allow configuration files.
Is my code secure when using this formatter?
Yes, all code processing happens in your browser. Your code is never sent to our servers or stored anywhere, ensuring complete privacy and security.
Why is consistent code formatting important?
Consistent formatting makes code easier to read, understand, and maintain. It reduces cognitive load when switching between files and helps teams collaborate more effectively.
How does the formatter handle different indentation preferences?
The formatter follows language-specific conventions for indentation. For most languages, it uses spaces (typically 2 or 4 depending on the language), as this is the most common standard.
Can I format only a portion of my code?
Currently, our tool formats the entire code snippet you provide. For partial formatting, you may need to extract the specific section, format it, and then reintegrate it.
What if the formatter produces unexpected results?
If you encounter unexpected formatting results, it may be due to syntax errors in your original code. Try fixing any syntax issues and formatting again.
Does the formatter work offline?
Once the page has loaded, the formatting functionality works entirely in your browser and doesn't require an internet connection for subsequent formatting operations.
How does the formatter handle different line ending styles?
The formatter normalizes line endings to the standard format for the selected language and platform, typically using LF (Line Feed) for most languages.
Can I integrate this formatter with my development workflow?
While our online tool is designed for manual use, we recommend using dedicated formatting tools like Prettier, ESLint, or Black for integration with development workflows.
Best Practices for Code Formatting
1. Format Early and Often
Don't wait until a project is complete to format your code. Regular formatting throughout development prevents the accumulation of inconsistencies.
2. Use Consistent Rules Across Projects
Maintain the same formatting rules across related projects to ensure developers can easily switch between codebases without adjusting to different styles.
3. Document Your Formatting Standards
For team projects, document the formatting standards and tools used to ensure everyone follows the same guidelines.
4. Automate Formatting When Possible
Integrate formatting into your development workflow through IDE settings, pre-commit hooks, or continuous integration pipelines.
5. Don't Mix Formatting Styles
Avoid mixing different formatting styles within the same file or project, as this creates confusing and inconsistent code.
References and Resources
- Google Style Guides: https://google.github.io/styleguide/
- PEP 8 -- Style Guide for Python Code: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/
- JavaScript Standard Style: https://standardjs.com/
- Airbnb JavaScript Style Guide: https://github.com/airbnb/javascript
- Microsoft C# Coding Conventions: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/fundamentals/coding-style/coding-conventions
Try Our Code Formatter Today!
Ready to clean up your code? Paste your unformatted code into our tool, select your programming language, and click "Format Code" to instantly transform it into clean, readable, and properly structured code. Save time, improve collaboration, and maintain code quality with our free online Code Formatter.
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