---
description: Use whitespaces
ms.date: 06/28/2023
ms.topic: reference
title: UseConsistentWhitespace
---
# UseConsistentWhitespace

**Severity Level: Warning**

## Description

This rule is not enabled by default. The user needs to enable it through settings.

## Configuration

```powershell
Rules = @{
    PSUseConsistentWhitespace  = @{
        Enable                          = $true
        CheckInnerBrace                 = $true
        CheckOpenBrace                  = $true
        CheckOpenParen                  = $true
        CheckOperator                   = $true
        CheckPipe                       = $true
        CheckPipeForRedundantWhitespace = $false
        CheckSeparator                  = $true
        CheckParameter                  = $false
        IgnoreAssignmentOperatorInsideHashTable = $false
    }
}
```

### Enable: bool (Default value is `$false`)

Enable or disable the rule during ScriptAnalyzer invocation.

### CheckInnerBrace: bool (Default value is `$true`)

Checks if there is a space after the opening brace and a space before the closing brace. E.g.
`if ($true) { foo }` instead of `if ($true) {bar}`.

### CheckOpenBrace: bool (Default value is `$true`)

Checks if there is a space between a keyword and its corresponding open brace. E.g. `foo { }`
instead of `foo{ }`. If an open brace is preceded by an open parenthesis, then no space is required.

### CheckOpenParen: bool (Default value is `$true`)

Checks if there is space between a keyword and its corresponding open parenthesis. E.g. `if (true)`
instead of `if(true)`.

### CheckOperator: bool (Default value is `$true`)

Checks if a binary or unary operator is surrounded on both sides by a space. E.g. `$x = 1` instead
of `$x=1`.

### CheckSeparator: bool (Default value is `$true`)

Checks if a comma or a semicolon is followed by a space. E.g. `@(1, 2, 3)` or `@{a = 1; b = 2}`
instead of `@(1,2,3)` or `@{a = 1;b = 2}`.

### CheckPipe: bool (Default value is `$true`)

Checks if a pipe is surrounded on both sides by a space but ignores redundant whitespace. E.g.
`foo | bar` instead of `foo|bar`.

### CheckPipeForRedundantWhitespace : bool (Default value is `$false`)

Checks if a pipe is surrounded by redundant whitespace (i.e. more than 1 whitespace). E.g.
`foo | bar` instead of `foo    |    bar`.

### CheckParameter: bool (Default value is `$false` at the moment due to the setting being new)

Checks if there is more than one space between parameters and values. E.g. `foo -bar $baz -bat`
instead of `foo   -bar   $baz   -bat`. This eliminates redundant whitespace that was probably added
unintentionally. The rule does not check for whitespace between parameter and value when the colon
syntax `-ParameterName:$ParameterValue` is used as some users prefer either 0 or 1 whitespace in
this case.

### IgnoreAssignmentOperatorInsideHashTable: bool (Default value is `$false`)

When `CheckOperator` is set, ignore whitespace around assignment operators within multi-line hash
tables. Set this option to use the `AlignAssignmentStatement` rule and still check whitespace around
operators everywhere else.
