Raw Newbie: What's the "<?" tag and how can I learn more about it?

[KEVIN ZEMBOWER]

I'm just now beginning my learning about python, and have to modify a system written in python, the ezmlm-browse system, which allows ezmlm mailing lists to be accessed via a web interface.

I've found templates which look like this:
    <? if body is None ?>
      <hr><strong>["%(type)s" not shown]</strong>
    <? else ?>
      <hr><table width="640">
      <tr><td>%(markup_urls(html(body)))s</td></tr>
      </table>
    <? end ?>

Obviously, this is python code embedded in HTML, very similar to php in HTML, with which I am more familiar. However, I can't find any references to the "<?" tag system on the python.org web site. I also can't find any references to it in my Learning Python or Programming Python books. I suspect that this is that I just don't know the proper terms to search for. Where can I learn more about this aspect of python?

The specific problem I'm working on involves the line '<hr><table width="640">'. I'd like to change the width to "100%", but the percent sign must be interpreted as a special character. It causes strange errors. I've tried escaping it with 'width="100\%"', but this doesn't seem to work, either. Any help on this small problem?

Thanks for your suggestions and help and patience with what I suspect is a very newbie question.

-Kevin Zembower

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E. Kevin Zembower
Unix Administrator
Johns Hopkins University/Center for Communications Programs
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD  21202
410-659-6139