[Python-mode] compile problem in emacs

[Peter Otten]

vissen at gmx.net wrote:

> i am new to Linux and Python.

Welcome to both!

> 
> I get a syntax error for this  line of code.
> .....
> def fib(n):    # write Fibonacci series up to n
> ........
> 
> used Emacs as the editor on a Redhat ver8.0 OS. (This example is included
> as part of tutorial/documentation in Python docs)
> any suggestions /ideas are useful.
> thanks for reading.

The code snippet is correct. Here's what your code *could* look like 

<syntaxerror.py>
def test(

def fib(n):    # write Fibonacci series up to n
    """Print a Fibonacci series up to n."""
    a, b = 0, 1
    while b < n:
        print b,
        a, b = b, a+b
</syntaxerror.py>

This will show the following slightly misleading syntax error:

  File "<stdin>", line 3
    def fib(n):    # write Fibonacci series up to n
      ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

but I cannot be sure, because your post doesn't provide enough context. 
In the future, please give a small but _complete_ example that shows the
erroneous/undesired behaviour and the _actual_ traceback (cut and paste
from emacs or the command line).

Peter