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Basic Syntax

Python syntax is designed to be readable and clean, looking very similar to the English language.

Python Indentation

In most programming languages, curly braces {} or keywords are used to define a block of code. In Python, block definition is done using indentation (whitespace at the beginning of a line).

  • You must use the same number of spaces in the same block of code, otherwise Python will throw an IndentationError.
  • The standard practice is to use 4 spaces for indentation.

Example

if 5 > 2:
    print("Five is greater than two!")

Line Continuation

In Python, a new line signifies the end of a statement. However, if a statement is long, it can be split across multiple lines.

1. Implicit Line Continuation (Preferred)

You can split statements inside parentheses (), brackets [], or braces {} without using any continuation characters. This is the preferred style in Python.

# Preferred: implicit continuation inside parentheses
total = (1 +
         2 +
         3)
print(total)  # Output: 6

2. Explicit Line Continuation

You can write a single statement across multiple lines using the backslash (\) continuation character.

total = 1 + \
        2 + \
        3
print(total)  # Output: 6

The pass Statement

The pass statement is a null operation. It does nothing when executed. It is used as a placeholder when a statement is syntactically required but you do not want to run any code yet.

# Placeholder for a function to be implemented later
def future_function():
    pass

Semicolons

Unlike languages such as C++ or Java, Python does not require a semicolon (;) at the end of statements. Semicolons are optional and can be used to write multiple statements on a single line, though this is generally discouraged for readability.

print("Hello"); print("World")

PEP 8 Style Guide

PEP 8 is the official style guide for writing Python code. It provides guidelines on formatting code to make it as readable and consistent as possible. Following PEP 8 is highly recommended for all Python developers.

Further Reading