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

[Daniel da Silva]

On several occasions I have run into code that will do something like the
following with a multiline string:


def some_func():
>     x, y = process_something()
>
>     val = """
> <xml>
>   <myThing>
>     <val>%s</val>
>     <otherVal>%s</otherVal>
>   </myThing>
>
</xml>
> """ % (x, y)
>
>     return val
>

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. I think the
syntax for this could vary though. It would be something like this:

def some_func():
>     x, y = process_something()
>
>     val = """"
>     <xml>
>       <myThing>
>         <val>%s</val>
>         <otherVal>%s</otherVal>
>       </myThing>
>     </xml>
>     """" % (x, y)
>
>     return val
>

That way, the indentation in the function would be preserved, making
everything easy to scan, and the indentation in the output would not suffer.


What do you all think?
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