Code Formatters vs Manual Formatting

Developers should use code formatters to improve code readability, maintainability, and collaboration by ensuring a uniform style, which is especially valuable in team environments or large projects meets developers should use manual formatting when working in environments where automated formatting tools are unavailable, restricted, or when fine-grained control over code presentation is necessary, such as in legacy systems or specific project requirements. Here's our take.

Code Formatters

Nice Pick

Developers should use code formatters to improve code readability, maintainability, and collaboration by ensuring a uniform style, which is especially valuable in team environments or large projects

Pros

• They save time by automating formatting tasks, reduce errors from inconsistent syntax, and integrate into development workflows via pre-commit hooks or CI/CD pipelines
• Related to: prettier, eslint

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Manual Formatting

Developers should use manual formatting when working in environments where automated formatting tools are unavailable, restricted, or when fine-grained control over code presentation is necessary, such as in legacy systems or specific project requirements

Pros

• It is also useful for learning coding standards and developing good habits, as it forces awareness of style conventions
• Related to: code-style-guides, code-readability

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Code Formatters is a tool while Manual Formatting is a methodology. We picked Code Formatters based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Code Formatters wins

Based on overall popularity. Code Formatters is more widely used, but Manual Formatting excels in its own space.