[Tutor] Learning Regular Expressions

[boB Stepp]

On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 5:08 PM, Terry--gmail <terry.kemmerer at gmail.com> wrote:
> Running Linux Mint
> The YouTube Sentdex Video tutor I am following.
> He is working in Python3.4 and I am running Python3.4.3
>
> He's demonstrating some Regular Expressions which I wanted to test out. On
> these test scripts, for future referrence, I have been putting my notes in
> Tripple Quotes and naming the scripts descriptively to be able to find them
> again, when I need to review. However, this time, when  I copied in a simple
> script below my RE notes, and ran it from IDLE (and from Console) I got the
> following error:
>
> SyntaxError:  EOF while scanning triple-quoted string literal
>
> Now, there was also a tripple-quoted string I had set a variable to in my
> script...so I thought it was the active part of the script! But eventually,
> through the process of elimination, I discovered the scripted worked great
> without the notes!  I'd like to know what it is in the below Tripple-Quoted
> section that is causing me this problem...if anyone recognizes. In IDLE's
> script file..._it's all colored green_, which I thought meant Python was
> going to ignore everything between the tripple-quotes! But if I run just the
> below portion of the script in it's own file, I get the same While Scanning
> Tripple-Quotes error.

I do not know the exact point of error in your code, but even if you
use triple-quoted strings, escape sequences still work.  I do not have
a Python 3 installation handy, but in the Python 2.7.8 that I do have
handy:

Python 2.7.8 (default, Jun 30 2014, 16:03:49) [MSC v.1500 32 bit
(Intel)] on win32
Type "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information.
>>> print '''
\tTab character!!!
'''

        Tab character!!!

>>>

Note:  I had to simulate with spaces what I see in IDLE as my Gmail
refuses to accurately copy my IDLE result.

I suspect that your multiple backslash instances are generating what
you are observing.  Doesn't your full traceback target the exact line
of your code on which this occurs?

HTH,
boB