http://www.intellij.net/tracker/idea/viewSCR?publicId=12597 I like to have my XML and Java code to have different indentation levels. For Java I like to have four (4) spaces at each indentation level. It works because Java usually doesn't go beyond a certain number of indentations. XML, on the other hand, can nest much more deeply than Java. Because of that I like to have two (2) spaces at each indentation. It keeps the XML readable, and minimizes the chance of wrapping. For XML formatting, things I would like to see are these: Indentation Style: Tabs or Spaces Indentation Depth: number of spaces Align Attributes When Wrapped: check box Indent Free Text: check box Collapse Elements: check box The three check boxes would treat XML code like this: Align Attributes When Wrapped: No [pre] <big-long-element with="lot's of attributes" and="another" foo="bar"/> [/pre] Align Attributes When Wrapped: Yes [pre] <big-long-element with="lot's of attributes" and="another" foo="bar"/> [/pre] Indent Free Text: No [pre] <element> <child> This is my free text that is a child of the child element. </child> <child> <![CDATA[ This is CDATA encapsulated text. Spacing is important, so it should never be reformatted. ]]> </child> </element> [/pre] Indent Free Text: Yes [pre] <element> <child> This is my free text that is a child of the child element. </child> <child> <![CDATA[ This is CDATA encapsulated text. Spacing is important, so it should never be reformatted. ]]> </child> </element> [/pre] Collapse Elements: No [pre] <ol> <li> This is some long text that will wrap lines. It will never be collapsed. </li> <li> Collapsable short text </li> </ol> [/pre] Collapse Elements: Yes [pre] <ol> <li> This is some long text that will wrap lines. It will never be collapsed. </li> <li>Collapsable short text</li> </ol> [/pre] I am shure there are other options for XML formatting, but that is my short list.