Java Smart Indent

A VS Code extension that replaces the built-in Java auto-indent with Eclipse JDT-style bracket-aware indentation.

The Problem

VS Code's built-in editor.autoIndent for Java copies the previous line's indentation level regardless of bracket context. This causes incorrect indentation when pressing Enter after lines like:

public void doSomething(String param,
                        int value) {  // ← cursor here, press Enter
    // VS Code puts you at the `int` column; Eclipse/this extension puts you here (inside the block)

What This Extension Does

Implements Eclipse JDT's JavaAutoIndentStrategy heuristics:

• Enter after { → indent one level deeper
• Enter after ; → stay at the same indent as the previous statement (sibling)
• } on empty line → re-aligns to match the opening {'s indent
• {|} expansion → when cursor is between { and }, Enter produces three lines with the caret in the middle
• else/catch/finally → aligns with matching if/try
• case/default → aligns with switch + one level

Setup

1. Install the extension (.vsix file via Extensions: Install from VSIX…)
2. Add to your settings.json:

"editor.autoIndent": "none",
"javaSmartIndent.enabled": true

Setting autoIndent to "none" prevents VS Code's built-in indentation from fighting with this extension.

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
javaSmartIndent.enabled	true	Enable/disable the extension
javaSmartIndent.autoCloseBrace	true	Insert closing } when unclosed brace detected

Building from Source

npm install
npm run bundle
npm run package  # produces java-smart-indent-0.1.0.vsix