How To Do Line Continuation in Python

Using Backslash (\) Operator

We can use \ operator for line continuation in string and number expression as follows.

Line Continuation in String

To do line continuation in Python Strings:

• Use the backslash operator to do line continuation for writing strings in Python.

A backslash (\) is an explicit line break operator in Python that indicates that a line should continue.

It makes the code easier to read by breaking it into smaller chunks. It can help make debugging easier by allowing errors to be more easily identified and corrected. We can use it inside a string enclosed in single, double, and triple quotation marks.

We can use the operator in conditions, and loops, but not in comments. We used the backslash (\) operator inside three strings: string1, string2, and string3 enclosed in single, double, and triple quotation marks respectively.

All the strings were printed on the same single line on the console.

Line Continuation in Number Expression

To do line continuation in Python Numeric expressions:

• Use the \ operator to explicitly split lines in the number expressions.

We have already discussed the backslash operator while learning its use in Line Continuation in String.

In this program, we explained the line continuation in a number expression. Using two expressions, we added 2.5 to 5, subtracted 1 from the result, and stored the final results in the number1 and number2 i.e., with and without line continuation.

On the execution, both techniques displayed the same output, but the line continuation made the code easier to understand.

Using Parentheses ()

We can use () for line continuation in string and number expression as follows.

Line Continuation in String

• Use the parentheses to do line continuation in Strings in Python.

Parentheses is an implicit line continuation operator in Python that automatically inserts a line break and indentation when it is encountered. It is useful for writing long expressions, as in mathematics.

We used parentheses to make my_string easily readable by breaking it into chunks. On printing, it displayed whole string on a single line on the console.

Line Continuation in Number Expression

• Use the parentheses to implicitly split lines in the Python number expressions.

We covered the parentheses while explaining the code snippet for line continuation in string using parentheses. We solved a mathematical expression using parentheses (as we solved using the backslash (\) operator).

That’s all about how to do line continuation in Python.