Escape Characters and Raw Strings in Python Code
Escape Characters in Python
Escape characters are special characters that are preceded by a backslash (\). They are used to represent certain whitespace characters, such as tabs (\t), newlines (\n), and quotes (\" or \'), which would otherwise be difficult to include in a string.
Here's a list of commonly used escape characters:
\\ : Backslash
\' : Single quote
\" : Double quote
\n : Newline
\t : Tab
\r : Carriage return
\b : Backspace
\f : Form feed
\v : Vertical tab
Examples
Python Code
print('Hello\nWorld') # Output: Hello (new line) World
print('It\'s a beautiful day') # Output: It's a beautiful day
print("He said, \"Hello!\"") # Output: He said, "Hello!"
Raw Strings in Python
Raw strings treat backslashes (\) as literal characters and do not interpret them as escape characters. This is useful for regular expressions, file paths, and any string where you want to include a lot of backslashes without them being interpreted as escape characters.
To create a raw string, prefix the string with an r or R.
Examples
Python Code
# Regular string
print("C:\\Users\\Suchat\\Documents") # Output: C:\Users\Suchat\Documents
# Raw string
print(r"C:\Users\Suchat\Documents") # Output: C:\Users\Suchat\Documents
# Regular expression example
import re
pattern = r"\d+" # Matches one or more digits
text = "There are 123 apples"
match = re.search(pattern, text)
print(match.group()) # Output: 123
Differences and Usage
Escape Characters: Use when you need to include special characters in strings that cannot be typed directly.
Raw Strings: Use when working with file paths, regular expressions, or any other scenario where you need to include a lot of backslashes without them being interpreted as escape sequences.
Understanding these concepts is crucial for effectively handling strings in Python, especially when dealing with file paths, regular expressions, and formatted outputs.
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