# Auto-close Syntax Containers

**URL:** <https://talk.observablehq.com/t/auto-close-syntax-containers/958>\
**Category:** Feedback\
**Created:** [July 9, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/auto-close-syntax-containers/958 "2018-07-09T18:08:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tjfwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@tjfwalker](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/tjfwalker)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/auto-close-syntax-containers/958/1 "2018-07-09T18:08:19Z")

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For each of `[`,`{`,`(`,`'`,`"`,```, _et cetera_, it’d be great to have the corresponding character automatically entered to close the container. Additionally, if pressing `enter` within an empty syntax container, like `{<cursor here>}` moved the closing character two lines down and put it at the same level of indentation as the original line while moving the cursor down one line and making its indentation level +1, that’d be swell, I think.

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**Author:** ![tom](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/tom/32/2262_2.png) [@tom](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/tom)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/auto-close-syntax-containers/958/2 "2018-10-15T21:36:44Z")

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Good news folks, who use this editor setting! You can now choose to `Auto-close pairs` on your user settings page.

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**Author:** ![jrus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jrus/32/586_2.png) [@jrus](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jrus)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/auto-close-syntax-containers/958/3 "2018-10-29T19:44:57Z")

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Great! It even properly skips over the character when you explicitly type the closing bracket. Very useful feature. I recommend everyone turn this one on.

(I believe this was originally a TextMate feature… but even if it originated earlier, I’m now quite used to it after a decade+ as a TextMate user.)

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**Author:** ![tau](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/tau/32/1038_2.png) [@tau](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/tau)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/auto-close-syntax-containers/958/4 "2019-01-26T22:03:55Z")

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Found the setting just now, it is awesome 🙂