Python: Set the indentation of the first line

Last update on June 12 2025 12:43:28 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Set first line indentation.

Write a Python program to set the indentation of the first line.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Import the 'textwrap' module, which provides text formatting capabilities.
import textwrap

# Define a multi-line string 'sample_text' with text content.
sample_text ='''
Python is a widely used high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic
programming language. Its design philosophy emphasizes code readability,
and its syntax allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of
code than possible in languages such as C++ or Java.
    '''

# Use 'textwrap.dedent' to remove common leading whitespace and 'strip' to remove any trailing whitespace.
text1 = textwrap.dedent(sample_text).strip()

# Print an empty line for spacing.
print()

# Use 'textwrap.fill' to format and wrap the 'text1' string to a line width of 80 characters.
# The 'initial_indent' and 'subsequent_indent' parameters control the indentation, which is adjusted here.
print(textwrap.fill(text1,
                    initial_indent='',
                    subsequent_indent=' ' * 4,
                    width=80,
                    ))

# Print an empty line for spacing.
print() 

Sample Output:

Python is a widely used high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic                                     
    programming language. Its design philosophy emphasizes code readability, and                              
    its syntax allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code                                  
    than possible in languages such as C++ or Java.
	

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Python program to indent only the first line of a multi-line string by a specified number of spaces.
• Write a Python program to add a custom indentation to the first line of text while leaving subsequent lines unchanged.
• Write a Python program to use string concatenation to apply a prefix of spaces to the first line of a paragraph.
• Write a Python program to implement a function that sets the first line indentation based on user input.

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Python Code Editor:

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