diff --git a/scripts/tabs.pl b/scripts/tabs.pl
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..bf58359ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/tabs.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl
+# warn if there are tabs in string constants, it can have surprising effects.
+# example usage:
+#     scripts/tabs.pl lib/checkstl.cpp
+
+sub checkfile
+{
+    my $filename = $_[0];
+
+    # parse file
+    open(FILE, $filename);
+    my @lines = <FILE>;
+    close(FILE);
+
+    # check comments..
+    my $linenr = 0;
+    foreach $line (@lines)
+    {
+        $linenr = $linenr + 1;
+
+        # is there a tab in a string
+        if ($line =~ /".*\t.*"/)
+        {
+                print "[$filename:$linenr] tab inside string constant\n";
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+
+foreach $filename (@ARGV)
+{
+    checkfile($filename)
+}
+
+
diff --git a/test/testclass.cpp b/test/testclass.cpp
index a8cb213e1..fd284f8fb 100644
--- a/test/testclass.cpp
+++ b/test/testclass.cpp
@@ -488,11 +488,11 @@ private:
             "    UString& operator=( const UString& s );\n"
             "};\n"
             "UString& UString::assign( const char* c_str ) {\n"
-            "	std::string tmp( c_str );\n"
-            "	return assign( tmp );\n"
+            "    std::string tmp( c_str );\n"
+            "    return assign( tmp );\n"
             "}\n"
             "UString& UString::operator=( const UString& s ) {\n"
-            "	return assign( s );\n"
+            "    return assign( s );\n"
             "}\n");
     }
 
@@ -2723,7 +2723,7 @@ private:
                        "    A()\n"
                        "    {\n"
                        "        init();\n"
-                       "	}\n"
+                       "    }\n"
                        "\n"
                        "    void init() { init(0); }\n"
                        "\n"
@@ -5452,12 +5452,12 @@ private:
         checkConst("template<template<class> class E,class D> class C : E<D>\n"
                    "{\n"
                    "public:\n"
-                   "	int f();\n"
+                   "    int f();\n"
                    "};\n"
                    "class E : C<D,int>\n"
                    "{\n"
                    "public:\n"
-                   "	int f() { return C< ::D,int>::f(); }\n"
+                   "    int f() { return C< ::D,int>::f(); }\n"
                    "};\n");
 
         ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
diff --git a/test/testmathlib.cpp b/test/testmathlib.cpp
index f05a029bc..cd3637da3 100644
--- a/test/testmathlib.cpp
+++ b/test/testmathlib.cpp
@@ -66,20 +66,20 @@ private:
         ASSERT_EQUALS("3000"            , MathLib::multiply("1.0E3", "3"));
         ASSERT_EQUALS("-3000"           , MathLib::multiply("-1.0E3", "3"));
         ASSERT_EQUALS("-3000"           , MathLib::multiply("-1.0E+3", "3"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("0" 	            , MathLib::multiply("-1.0E+3", "0"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("0" 	            , MathLib::multiply("+1.0E+3", "0"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("2147483648" ,      MathLib::multiply("2","1073741824"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("536870912"  , MathLib::multiply("512","1048576"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("0"               , MathLib::multiply("-1.0E+3", "0"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("0"               , MathLib::multiply("+1.0E+3", "0"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("2147483648"      , MathLib::multiply("2","1073741824"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("536870912"       , MathLib::multiply("512","1048576"));
 
         // divide
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("1"	, MathLib::divide("1", "1"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("0"	, MathLib::divide("0", "1"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("5"	, MathLib::divide("-10", "-2"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("1"   , MathLib::divide("1", "1"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("0"   , MathLib::divide("0", "1"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("5"   , MathLib::divide("-10", "-2"));
         ASSERT_EQUALS("-2.5", MathLib::divide("-10.", "4"));
         ASSERT_EQUALS("2.5" , MathLib::divide("-10.", "-4"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("5"	, MathLib::divide("25.5", "5.1"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("7"	, MathLib::divide("21.", "3"));
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("1"	, MathLib::divide("3", "2"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("5"   , MathLib::divide("25.5", "5.1"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("7"   , MathLib::divide("21.", "3"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("1"   , MathLib::divide("3", "2"));
 
     }
 
diff --git a/test/testnullpointer.cpp b/test/testnullpointer.cpp
index 0c9e09a1f..35b239974 100644
--- a/test/testnullpointer.cpp
+++ b/test/testnullpointer.cpp
@@ -668,7 +668,7 @@ private:
         check("void f(int a) {\n"
               "    const char *p = 0;\n"
               "    if (a) {\n"
-              "    	 p = \"abcd\";\n"
+              "        p = \"abcd\";\n"
               "    }\n"
               "    for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {\n"
               "        if (a && (p[i] == '1'));\n"
diff --git a/test/testuninitvar.cpp b/test/testuninitvar.cpp
index 9c24fe6a5..3dc598f83 100644
--- a/test/testuninitvar.cpp
+++ b/test/testuninitvar.cpp
@@ -736,9 +736,9 @@ private:
         checkUninitVar("enum ABCD { A, B, C, D };\n"
                        "\n"
                        "static void f(char *str ) {\n"
-                       "	enum ABCD i;\n"
-                       "	for (i = 0; i < D; i++) {\n"
-                       "		str[i] = 0;\n"
+                       "    enum ABCD i;\n"
+                       "    for (i = 0; i < D; i++) {\n"
+                       "        str[i] = 0;\n"
                        "    }\n"
                        "}\n");
         ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());