Starting to program in Python, I see some scripts with comments using # and """ comments """.
What is the difference between these two ways to comment?
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1single line or multiple lines. suggestion: python.org/dev/peps/pep-0257Kir Chou– Kir Chou2016-11-05 19:25:10 +00:00Commented Nov 5, 2016 at 19:25
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5 Answers
The best thing would be to read PEP 8 -- Style Guide for Python Code, but since it is longish, here is a three-liner:
- Comments start with # and are not part of the code.
- String (delimited by """ """) is actually called a
docstringand is used on special places for defined purposes (briefly: the first thing in a module or function describing the module or function) and is actually accessible in the code (so it is a part of the program; it is not a comment).
Comments
Triple quotes is a way to create a multi-line string and or comment:
"""
Descriptive text here
"""
Without assigning to a variable is a none operation that some versions of Python will completely ignore. PEP 8 suggests when to use block comment/strings, and I personally follow a format like this:
Comments
The string at the start of a module, class or function is a docstring:
that can be accessed with some_obj.__doc__ and is used in help(...). Whether you use "Returns 42" or """Returns 42""" is a matter of style, and using the latter one is more common, even for single-line documentation.
A # comment is just that, a comment. It cannot be accessed at runtime.
Comments
The # means the whole line is used for a comment while whatever is in between the two """ quotes is used as comments so you can write comments on multiple lines.
Comments
As the user in a previous answer stated, the triple quotes are used to comment multiple lines of code while the # only comments one line.
Look out though, because you can use the triple quotes for docstrings and such.