Matching the style that's already used in a file is certainly timeless advice. Still, if a particular project or group has stringent opinions about code format

Matching the style that's already used in a file is certainly timeless advice. Still, if a particular project or group has stringent opinions about code formatting, but at the same time can't be bothered to work out how to get a tool to apply most or all of that formatting, it's a bit of a bozo situation. Automation is what computers are for, after all.