[Python-ideas] Multi-line strings that respect indentation

[Daniel da Silva]

Thanks for all of your replies. I did not know about the dedent() function.
I will use it for now on. If anyone else desires to push this, feel free,
but I am satisfied.

Daniel

On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 9:23 PM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:

> Daniel da Silva wrote:
>
>> On several occasions I have run into code that will do something like the
>> following with a multiline string:
>>
> [...]
>
>  To me, this is rather ugly because it messes up the indentation of
>> some_func(). Suppose we could have a multiline string, that when started
>> on
>> a line indented four spaces, ignores the first four spaces on each line of
>> the literal when creating the actual string?
>>
>> In this example, I will use four quotes to start such a string.
>>
>
> Please no. Three quotes is large enough. Also, four quotes currently is
> legal: it is a triple-quoted string that begins with a quotation mark. You
> would be changing that behaviour and likely breaking code.
>
> I don't think we need syntax for this, but if we do, I'd prefer to add a
> prefix similar to the r"" or u"" syntax. Perhaps w"" to normalise
> whitespace?
>
> But as I said, I don't think we need syntax for this. I'd be happy if
> textwrap.dedent() became a built-in string method.
>
>
> def some_func():
>    x, y = process_something()
>    val = """
>    <xml>
>      <myThing>
>        <val>%s</val>
>        <otherVal>%s</otherVal>
>      </myThing>
>    </xml>
>    """.dedent() % (x, y)
>    return val
>
>
>
> --
> Steven
>
>
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