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Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why?

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On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 9:58 AM, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> wrote:
> But let's also remember that sometimes you cannot be bothered with *best*
> practice, and "good enough for now" practice is fine.
>
> Need to comment out a large block of code in a hurry while using a basic
> editor that doesn't offer a "Comment" and "Uncomment" command? Best
> practice says I should use a better editor, and that's fine, but right this
> instant I'm using the tools I have, not the tools I want, and the easiest
> way to fix this is to surround the block of code with triple-quotes. I can
> always come back and fix it later. Famous last words, I know, but who among
> us can truthfully say they have *never* taken a quick and dirty short-cut
> while programming?

There are three broad types of comments:

1) Single-line or to-end-of-line comments, started with a # or a // or
something. Python supports these, they're easy to work with and
recognize. No problem.
2) Block comments, consisting of a number of entire lines of either
text or commented-out code.
3) Partial-line comments - /* comment */ in C-like languages.

You can abuse triple-quoted strings to do #2, but not #3. For
instance, in C, you can legally do something like this:

if (condition1 /* && condition2 */) do_stuff();

In terms of "quick and dirty short-cuts", that's one that I miss
having a mechanic for in Python. And yes, you can decry it as a bad
practice, but just as with Steven's example, it's always with the plan
to fix it later (usually by making the code more flexible in some
way), and yet does sometimes stay in the code for a rather long time,
for the same reason that several of my Alice posters are currently
lying face down on the Alice Shelf instead of being up on the wall -
there's nothing more permanent than a temporary solution.

(There's also technically a fourth use of slash-star comments -
beginning part way into one line and ending part way into another
line:

code code /* blah blah
blah blah
blah */ more code

But if you do this on a regular basis, I think we are justified in
throwing rotten fruit at you.)

ChrisA

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A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Aditya Raj Bhatt <adityarajbhatt@gmail.com> - 2015-03-18 10:46 -0700
  Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Laurent Pointal <laurent.pointal@laposte.net> - 2015-03-18 19:04 +0100
    Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Laurent Pointal <laurent.pointal@laposte.net> - 2015-03-18 19:06 +0100
      Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-18 20:53 +0100
        Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-18 20:56 +0100
        Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-03-18 17:47 -0400
        Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-03-19 09:58 +1100
          Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-03-19 10:23 +1100
    Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Aditya Raj Bhatt <adityarajbhatt@gmail.com> - 2015-03-18 11:23 -0700
      Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Igor Korot <ikorot01@gmail.com> - 2015-03-18 14:45 -0400
      Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Laurent Pointal <laurent.pointal@laposte.net> - 2015-03-18 20:08 +0100
      Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Tim Roberts <timr@probo.com> - 2015-03-28 16:34 -0700
  Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-18 21:21 +0100
  Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-03-18 13:15 -0500
  Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2015-03-19 11:06 +1100
  Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2015-03-19 00:53 +0000
    Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-22 04:14 +0100
      Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-03-22 14:36 +1100
        Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-22 04:49 +0100
          Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-03-22 15:11 +1100
            Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-26 05:35 +0100
              Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-25 23:09 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-26 17:45 +0100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-26 12:29 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-26 19:54 +0100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-26 17:27 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-28 19:20 +0100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-29 01:56 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-29 12:41 +0200
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-31 01:23 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? sohcahtoa82@gmail.com - 2015-03-31 16:10 -0700
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-04-01 10:36 +1100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-31 17:43 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-04-02 23:31 +0200
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? sohcahtoa82@gmail.com - 2015-04-02 15:26 -0700
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-04-02 18:21 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-04-03 16:40 +1100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-04-03 16:57 +1100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-04-03 10:13 +0300
                r"\"" ??? (was A simple single line, triple-quoted comment) Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-04-03 05:52 -0700
                Re: r"\"" ??? (was A simple single line, triple-quoted comment) Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-04-04 01:40 +1100
                Re: r"\"" ??? (was A simple single line, triple-quoted comment) Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-04-03 08:14 -0700
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-04-03 09:25 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-04-03 00:40 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax   error. Why? Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2015-03-27 11:43 +1300
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-28 19:06 +0100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-26 12:32 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-26 19:56 +0100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-03-27 10:15 +1100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-03-26 18:47 -0500
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-03-26 19:38 -0600
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-03-27 07:34 +0200
              Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2015-03-26 01:23 -0400
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-26 18:25 +0100
                Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2015-03-26 18:30 +0100
          Re: A simple single line, triple-quoted comment is giving syntax error. Why? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-03-22 12:00 +0200

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