what is syntax in python

1 year ago 95
Nature

In Python, syntax refers to the set of rules that define how a Python program should be written and interpreted by both the runtime system and human readers. Pythons syntax is known for its simplicity and readability, often described as "executable pseudocode". Some key aspects of Python syntax include:

  • Indentation: Python uses indentation to indicate a block of code, such as a loop or a function. The number of spaces used for indentation is up to the programmer, but it must be consistent within the same block of code. This is in contrast to other programming languages that use braces ({}) or keywords to delimit code blocks.

  • Lines and Statements: A Python program is divided into logical lines, and each logical line is terminated by the token NEWLINE. A physical line is a sequence of characters terminated by an end-of-line sequence (CR LF in Windows, LF in Unix). Each line in a Python script is a statement, and statements can be joined using the backslash character () to span multiple lines.

  • Comments: Comments in Python are used to explain the code and are ignored by the interpreter. Single-line comments start with the hash (#) character, and multi-line comments can be created using triple quotes (''' ''').

  • Identifiers: Identifiers are names given to variables, functions, classes, modules, and packages in a Python program. They must follow certain rules, such as starting with a letter or an underscore and consisting of letters, digits, and underscores.

  • Whitespace: Python uses whitespace, such as spaces and tabs, to define program blocks. Other languages, like C and C++, use braces ({}) for this purpose.

Here's an example of a simple Python program that demonstrates these syntax elements:...