As you all know, there are two ways to format blocks of code, four leading spaces in every line vs. three backticks around the code. Many new users know about the first method, but not the second. When I edit a posting due to a spelling error or some other issue (which I frequently do), I often surround a block of code with ``` as well.
As @moewe pointed out to me, this can leave four leading spaces in each line of code (unless there was no code formatting in the first place at all). Are we supposed to remove those spaces? Is there a policy? Does it matter?
{}
icon provided with both the question and answer boxes; that produces the four leading spaces.{}
button again). Otherwise the code will display with the four spaces and will be copied-and-pasted with the four spaces, which makes it more awkward to handle. But then I would not change the code markup method in a post unless there is a compelling reason for it (for one it might confuse the OP if there are only familiar with the other method).```
if it is already a code block, what purpose would that have? At best it wastes 4 spaces of white space in the output, and at worst it invalidates the code.