2.4 Function print and an Intro to Single-and-Double-Quoted Strings

  • The built-in print function displays its argument(s) as a line of text
In [1]:
print('Welcome to Python!')

Welcome to Python!
  • May enclose a string in double quotes (").
In [2]:
print("Welcome to Python!")

Welcome to Python!
  • Python programmers generally prefer single quotes.
  • When print completes its task, it positions the screen cursor at the beginning of the next line.

Printing a Comma-Separated List of Items

In [3]:
print('Welcome', 'to', 'Python!')

Welcome to Python!
  • Displays each argument separated from the next by a space.

Printing Many Lines of Text with One Statement

  • A backslash (\) in a string is the escape character.
  • The backslash and the character immediately following it form an escape sequence.
  • \n represents the newline character escape sequence, which tells print to move the output cursor to the next line.
In [4]:
print('Welcome\nto\n\nPython!')

Welcome
to

Python!

Other Escape Sequences

Escape sequence Description
\n Insert a newline character in a string. When the string is displayed, for each newline, move the screen cursor to the beginning of the next line.
\t Insert a horizontal tab. When the string is displayed, for each tab, move the screen cursor to the next tab stop.
\\ Insert a backslash character in a string.
\" Insert a double quote character in a string.
\' Insert a single quote character in a string.

Ignoring a Line Break in a Long String

  • Can split a long string (or a long statement) over several lines by using the \ continuation character as the last character on a line to ignore the line break.
In [5]:
print('this is a longer string, so we \
split it over two lines')

this is a longer string, so we split it over two lines
  • In this case, \ is not the escape character because another character does not follow it.

Printing the Value of an Expression

In [6]:
print('Sum is', 7 + 3)

Sum is 10

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