---
title: "Indent generated content"
description: "Indent a block of generated content to match the code around it."
source: "https://jostraca.org/how-to/indent-generated-content/"
---

# Indent generated content

Indent a block of generated content to match the code around it.

Rendered from [`docs/how-to/indent-generated-content.md`](https://github.com/jostraca/jostraca/blob/master/docs/how-to/indent-generated-content.md) in the generator repository — where a correction belongs, and where the test suite runs every example on this page or states why it does not.

Generated code that lands at column zero inside a nested block is correct and unreadable. `Content`, `Line` and `Fragment` all take an `indent` prop: a number of spaces, or a literal prefix string.

```js
import { Jostraca, Project, File, Content } from 'jostraca'

const body = 'const a = 1\nconst b = 2\n'

await Jostraca().generate({ folder: './out' }, () => {
  Project({}, () => {
    File({ name: 'fn.js' }, () => {
      Content('export function go() {\n')
      Content({ src: body, indent: 2 })
      Content('}\n')
    })
  })
})
```

The generated `fn.js`:

```js
export function go() {
  const a = 1
  const b = 2
}
```

`indent` applies to every line start in the block, so a multi-line string arrives already aligned. A string value is used verbatim, which covers tabs and comment prefixes: `indent: '\t'`, or `indent: '// '` to comment a block out.

Two edges to know:

-   **A blank line inside the block is indented too**, which leaves trailing whitespace on it. Strip it afterwards if your linter cares.
-   **A trailing newline gets nothing appended after it**, so the block ends cleanly rather than with a stray indent.

Inside a `List`, `indent` is passed to each child rather than applied by the list itself. The child has to forward it:

```js
import { Jostraca, Project, File, Content, List } from 'jostraca'

const items = [{ name: 'alpha' }, { name: 'beta' }]

await Jostraca().generate({ folder: './out' }, () => {
  Project({}, () => {
    File({ name: 'list.txt' }, () => {
      List({ item: items, indent: 2, line: false }, ({ replace, indent }) => {
        Content({ src: '{item.name}\n', replace, indent })
      })
    })
  })
})
```

The generated `list.txt`:

```text
  alpha
  beta
```

## See also

-   [Utilities reference](https://jostraca.org/docs/reference-utilities#indent) for the standalone `indent` function.