Crystal: Formatter: Allow empty line in case expression (between `when` blocks)

[bew]

Given:

case something
when Int32
  do_something_with_int something

when Bool
  do_something_with_bool something
  do_something_else_for_bool

when String
  do_something_with_str something
end

Currently, a case expression is formatted without spaces:

case something
when Int32
  do_something_with_int something
when Bool
  do_something_with_bool something
  do_something_else_for_bool
when String
  do_something_with_str something
end

I think the original form is more readable. The no-spaces version should stay the default, but I think we should allow to have (one) empty line between when blocks.

WDYT?

[drosehn]

This is something I'd also like to see. For me it does not seem helpful for code where each when section is only a line or two, but I like to do it in code where each section is longer, and the length varies between sections. So in code where you have a single case statement where the whens vary between 10 and 25 lines long.

I don't feel too strongly about this, but I thought I'd mention the situations where I do like to use blank lines. I don't use them in all case statements, just some of them.

[mverzilli]

It was my understanding that the formatter was not supposed to modify vertical space, just indentation, so while I don't personally think the first option is better, probably the formatter should leave it as is.

[RX14]

The formatter should modify vertical space, and does in many places. The options for vertical space here should be either 1 line or 0. And the formatter should enforce that. I'm always in favour of a strong formatter like gofmt.

[bew]

Strong formatter is not a bad idea, & help to have uniform code across multiple codebase, but we shouldn't sacrifize readability over uniformity... And I strongly support readability.

[RX14]

@bew For sure. Gofmt would probably enforce 0 spaces, I only propose enforcing 0 or 1 (the choice being the programmers, maybe I wasn't clear on that).

[asterite]

I think this should be fixed (an empty line should be allowed in this case)

[Fryguy]

So is the suggestion to hard force 1 line or 0 line for everyone, or is it that if the developer has 2 or more blank lines, the formatter would shrink that to 1 line, but if the developer had 0 lines, it would leave 0 lines?

[asterite]

The formatter lets you leave empty lines. Here the formatter will leave an empty line if you had one, and leave none if you didn't have any.

[asterite]

Actually, right now the formatter removes empty lines in some cases. For example this:

class Foo

  def foo
  end

end

is formatted to:

class Foo
  def foo
  end
end

Same goes with if, unless, and pretty much every construct in the language. And I wouldn't like to allow empty lines there. The same applies for case. The formatter is opinionated, so closing.