CSS Formatter

This code beautification utility restructures cascading style sheets by applying consistent indentation, spacing, and line break patterns that transform minified or inconsistently styled CSS into human-readable formats. The formatter parses CSS syntax trees, reorganizes selector groupings, aligns property declarations, and standardizes comment placement while preserving functional equivalents and specificity hierarchies essential for cascade behavior.

Processing executes through configurable rule engines supporting multiple formatting conventions: two-space versus four-space indentation, single-line versus multi-line selector formats, property sorting alphabetically or by logical grouping (positioning, box model, typography, visual effects), and whitespace preferences around operators and delimiters. The tool handles modern CSS features including custom properties, nested rules from preprocessors, media query organization, and @-rule structures, maintaining functional integrity while improving code organization. Advanced parsers recognize vendor prefixes, gracefully manage malformed syntax through error recovery algorithms, and detect redundant declarations or override patterns that indicate maintenance issues.

Common applications include preparing minified production CSS for debugging, enforcing team coding standards through pre-commit formatting hooks, improving readability before code reviews, or restructuring legacy stylesheets for refactoring projects. Educational users study formatted examples to understand cascade mechanics and selector composition patterns. The formatter outputs standardized code compatible with linting tools, version control diff optimization, and documentation generation systems that extract design tokens from stylesheet comments.