Install hindent with Homebrew, MacPorts, pacman, apt

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• hindent

Project history

The repository history begins on 2014-08-24 with a first commit and rapid follow-up commits for printer structure, expression constructors, pattern support, declarations, where clauses, and a basic executable. The first visible tag, 1.0, followed on 2014-08-30, and the project iterated quickly through 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x tags in late 2014.

Hackage describes hindent as an extensible Haskell pretty printer, both a library and an executable, and points users to the GitHub repository for usage. Over time the package continued through 5.x and 6.x releases while tracking parser and language-extension needs in the Haskell ecosystem.

Adoption history

hindent's adoption is tied to Haskell editor and build workflows. Its README documents use in pipeline style, Emacs `hindent-mode`, Vim `formatprg`, a Vim plugin, and JetBrains File Watchers. Hackage lists the package under development, library, and program tags, which reflects its dual role as code and executable.

The package appears in Homebrew, MacPorts, Arch, Ubuntu, Hackage, and Stackage contexts, making it familiar to developers who expect language formatters to be installable from their OS or language package manager.

How it is used

The basic usage model is `cat path/to/sourcefile.hs | hindent` or passing filenames to the CLI. Options cover line length, indent or tab size, import sorting, trailing newline behavior, validation, and GHC language extensions.

The README documents project- or home-level `.hindent.yaml` customization with indentation, line length, import sorting, line breaks, and extensions. Editor integrations use the same CLI, so the package works without a separate daemon or language-server dependency.

Why package nerds care

hindent matters to package nerds because it is a classic formatter package: tiny surface area, editor-friendly, pipeline-friendly, and available in multiple package systems. It represents the era when language communities standardized formatting through standalone executables before formatter support was expected inside every language server.

It is also a useful Haskell packaging specimen because it lives simultaneously on Hackage and GitHub, depends on parser libraries, and must follow language evolution as GHC syntax grows.

Timeline

• 2014-08-24: Repository history begins with the first commit.
• 2014-08-30: 1.0 is tagged.
• 2014-09: 2.x and 3.x releases are tagged during rapid early development.
• 2014-11: 4.0 is tagged.
• 2026-01-24: Hackage records upload of hindent 6.3.0.

Related projects

• Hackage and Stackage are the package registry and curated package-set surfaces where many Haskell developers encounter hindent.
• Editor integrations include the repository's Emacs mode, Vim `formatprg`, vim-hindent, and JetBrains File Watchers.
• Related Haskell formatting tools include stylish-haskell, ormolu, fourmolu, and brittany, though hindent's official materials focus on its own formatter and editor integrations.

Sources

• Hackage package page for package description, versions, maintainer, upload, source repo, license, and distribution context.
• Official Git repository tags and commits for early timeline.
• Official README for usage, editor integration, and customization.