Triple quotes in Python are primarily used for two main purposes: multi-line strings and docstrings. Here's a breakdown of when you might use them:
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Multi-line strings: Triple quotes allow you to define strings that span multiple lines without needing to use escape characters for newlines. This is useful when you want to include long text, such as messages or formatted content, directly in your code.
long_string = """This is a string that spans multiple lines in Python. It can be used wherever regular strings are used."""
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Docstrings: Triple quotes are commonly used to write docstrings, which are special comments that describe the purpose and usage of a module, function, class, or method. Docstrings can be accessed programmatically and are typically the first statement in a function, method, class, or module.
def example_function(): """This is a docstring that describes the purpose of the function.""" pass
In classes:
class ExampleClass: """This class does something interesting.""" def __init__(self): """Initialize the instance of ExampleClass.""" pass
To summarize, you are likely to use triple quotes in Python programs when:
- You need to create multi-line strings.
- You want to write docstrings to document your code (e.g., for classes, methods, or functions).
So, in the context of your choices (object-oriented design, creating a class, creating an object, describing), triple quotes are most relevant when describing (i.e., using them in docstrings for classes and methods).