Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now!

References	<280841b8-8674-4c1d-9a82-28982340a4b8@v24g2000yqk.googlegroups.com> <b2ced8f0-81af-44be-9cea-b6257c84d284@p13g2000yqd.googlegroups.com>
Date	2011-12-28 18:47 +1100
Subject	Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now!
From	Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Message-ID	<mailman.4176.1325058468.27778.python-list@python.org> (permalink)

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On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 4:34 PM, Rick Johnson
<rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am also thinking that ANY quote char is a bad choice for string
> literal delimiters. Why? Well because it is often necessary to embed
> single or double quotes into a string literal.

Postgres allows dollar-delimited strings, which get around this issue somewhat.

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/sql-syntax-lexical.html#SQL-SYNTAX-DOLLAR-QUOTING

But for most strings, it simply makes sense to use a quote character.
Most strings don't need both ' and " in them.

You cannot pick one character to be your ultimate delimiter, because
there will always be occasion to embed it. (If nothing else, what
happens when you emit code?) You want the delimiter to be easily typed
and recognized, and that guarantees that it'll be something that's
going to want to be emitted. It's necessary to have multiple options,
or escaping.

ChrisA

Thread

Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2011-12-27 19:49 -0800
  Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-12-28 15:17 +1100
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2011-12-27 20:36 -0800
  Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-12-28 04:20 +0000
  Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2011-12-27 21:34 -0800
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-12-28 06:58 +0000
      Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2011-12-28 11:36 -0800
        Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Dominic Binks <dbinks@codeaurora.org> - 2011-12-28 12:10 -0800
        Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Lie Ryan <lie.1296@gmail.com> - 2011-12-29 07:13 +1100
        Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-12-28 13:52 -0700
        Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-12-28 22:54 +0000
          Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-12-29 10:08 +1100
          Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Dan Sommers <dan@tombstonezero.net> - 2011-12-29 01:44 +0000
          Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Lie Ryan <lie.1296@gmail.com> - 2011-12-30 10:19 +1100
          Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-12-30 10:24 +1100
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-12-28 18:47 +1100
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Lie Ryan <lie.1296@gmail.com> - 2011-12-29 07:53 +1100
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! python@bdurham.com - 2011-12-28 16:03 -0500
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Nathan Rice <nathan.alexander.rice@gmail.com> - 2011-12-28 16:24 -0500
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-12-29 08:42 +1100
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Nathan Rice <nathan.alexander.rice@gmail.com> - 2011-12-28 17:24 -0500
    Re: Py-dea: Streamline string literals now! Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2011-12-29 00:00 -0500

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