---
layout: "functions"
page_title: "indent - Functions - Configuration Language"
sidebar_current: "docs-funcs-string-indent"
description: |-
  The indent function adds a number of spaces to the beginnings of all but the
  first line of a given multi-line string.
---

# `indent` Function

-> **Note:** This page is about Terraform 0.12 and later. For Terraform 0.11 and
earlier, see
[0.11 Configuration Language: Interpolation Syntax](../../configuration-0-11/interpolation.html).

`indent` adds a given number of spaces to the beginnings of all but the first
line in a given multi-line string.

```hcl
indent(num_spaces, string)
```

## Examples

This function is useful for inserting a multi-line string into an
already-indented context in another string:

```
> "  items: %{indent(2, "[\n  foo,\n  bar,\n]\n")}"
  items: [
    foo,
    bar,
  ]
```

The first line of the string is not indented so that, as above, it can be
placed after an introduction sequence that has already begun the line.

---
layout: "functions"
page_title: "indent - Functions - Configuration Language"
sidebar_current: "docs-funcs-string-indent"
description: |-
  The indent function adds a number of spaces to the beginnings of all but the
  first line of a given multi-line string.
---

# `indent` Function

-> **Note:** This page is about Terraform 0.12 and later. For Terraform 0.11 and
earlier, see
[0.11 Configuration Language: Interpolation Syntax](../../configuration-0-11/interpolation.html).

`indent` adds a given number of spaces to the beginnings of all but the first
line in a given multi-line string.

```hcl
indent(num_spaces, string)
```

## Examples

This function is useful for inserting a multi-line string into an
already-indented context in another string:

```
> "  items: ${indent(2, "[\n  foo,\n  bar,\n]\n")}"
  items: [
    foo,
    bar,
  ]
```

The first line of the string is not indented so that, as above, it can be
placed after an introduction sequence that has already begun the line.

Fix documentation example for the indent function
Fix documentation example for the indent function

We must use interpolation, using the %{} directive will trigger the following error  "indent" is not a valid template control keyword