[Tex/LaTex] Indenting not working (MikTeX/XeLaTeX)

Question

I'm trying to use LaTeX, fresh install of MiKTeX and TeXworks, and so far looking this issue up I get:

• "Use double spaces after paragraphs", which I'm already doing.

• \parindent parameter must be set, which I put

  \setlength{\parindent}{24 pt}
  

in the preamble, and still there's no indent.

• Put

  \usepackage{indentfirst}
  

in the preamble, and no indents.

• Use \indent (which doesn't do anything either)

I've been using Wikibooks as a reference. I've been at this for a while, and my document has it's images and other formatting, but one of the only things that's making it incomplete is the lack of indents.

If it helps, my preamble looks like:

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage[margin=0.5in]{geometry}
\usepackage{xcolor}  % different font colors.
\usepackage{fontspec}% use system installed fonts.
\usepackage{graphicx}% import images.
\usepackage{multirow}% tables with nonuniform row:columns.
\usepackage{multicol}% dual column for text body.
\usepackage{indentfirst}
\usepackage[bookmarks]{hyperref}%
% suppress section numbering
% this is so bookmarks appear from hyperref
% and still have no numbering.
\makeatletter
\renewcommand\@seccntformat[1]{}
\makeatother
% for indenting
% default is 15pt.
\setlength{\parindent}{24 pt}
\setmainfont{Times New Roman}
\graphicspath{{images/}}

Minimal example:

\documentclass{report}  
\usepackage[margin=0.5in]{geometry}  
\usepackage{xcolor}  
\usepackage{multicol}  
\usepackage{indentfirst}  
\setlength{\parindent}{24 pt}  

\begin{document}
\pagecolor[rgb]{0,0,0}
\color{white}
\raggedright

\begin{multicols}{2}

    first filler paragraph filler   filler  filler  filler  filler  filler  filler  filler.


    second filler paragraph filler  filler  filler  filler  filler  filler  filler  filler.


    third filler paragraph filler filler    filler  filler  filler  filler  filler  filler.


\end{multicols}
\end{document}

Looks like

Answer 1

Use the ragged2e package: it allows for some hyphenation, and defines a \RaggedRightParindent length (0pt by default):

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage[margin=0.5in]{geometry}
\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{indentfirst}
\usepackage{ragged2e}
\RaggedRightParindent = 24 pt

\begin{document}

\RaggedRight
\begin{multicols}{2}

   First filler paragraph filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler.

    Second filler paragraph filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler.

   Third filler paragraph filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler.

\end{multicols}

\end{document}