r prefix bug ... or my lack of understanding?

[Bill Sneddon]

Below is from python 2.3.3 on windows.
I have tryed on Pythonwin and Idle and on
a Solaris unix build 2.2.2.

I know there are work arounds but the behavior
seems a bit strange to me.

c:\data

Traceback ( File "<interactive input>", line 1
path = r'c:\data\'
^
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning single-quoted string
c:\data\\

 

[James Henderson]

Below is from python 2.3.3 on windows.
I have tryed on Pythonwin and Idle and on
a Solaris unix build 2.2.2.

I know there are work arounds but the behavior
seems a bit strange to me.


Traceback ( File "<interactive input>", line 1
path = r'c:\data\'
^
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning single-quoted string

Your second backslash is escaping the closing quotation mark.

c:\data\\

Try this (with no "r":
c:\data\

James

 

[James Henderson]

Below is from python 2.3.3 on windows.
I have tryed on Pythonwin and Idle and on
a Solaris unix build 2.2.2.

I know there are work arounds but the behavior
seems a bit strange to me.


Traceback ( File "<interactive input>", line 1
path = r'c:\data\'
^
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning single-quoted string


c:\data\\

Fuether to my last post the full details are at:

http://www.python.org/doc/current/ref/strings.html

From which I quote:

r"\" is not a valid string literal (even a raw string cannot end in an odd
number of backslashes). Specifically, a raw string cannot end in a single
backslash (since the backslash would escape the following quote character)

J.

 

[David Goodger]

It's a FAQ:
http://www.python.org/doc/faq/general.html#why-can-t-raw-strings-r-strings-end-with-a-backslash
(or question 4.24 of http://www.python.org/doc/faq/general.html).

-- David Goodger

 

[Bill Sneddon]

It's a FAQ:
http://www.python.org/doc/faq/general.html#why-can-t-raw-strings-r-strings-end-with-a-backslash

(or question 4.24 of http://www.python.org/doc/faq/general.html).

-- David Goodger

Thanks I looked at faqs.org did not see it.
It does not seem to be kept up to date. I will check python.org in
the future.

Bill

 

[Skip Montanaro]

Bill> Thanks I looked at faqs.org did not see it.

That's because the Python FAQ is not posted to this list/newsgroup. It's
only available on the web. I think faqs.org just culls FAQs from postings.

Skip

 

[Terry Reedy]

Below is from python 2.3.3 on windows.
I have tryed on Pythonwin and Idle and on
a Solaris unix build 2.2.2.

I know there are work arounds but the behavior
seems a bit strange to me.

Traceback ( File "<interactive input>", line 1
path = r'c:\data\'
^
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning single-quoted string

c:\data\\

Behaves as per manual.

Note: for almost all usages, even on windows, normal Unix-style forward
slashes works as directory terminators and avoids backslash problems
entirely.

path = 'C:/data/'

Terry J. Reedy