The Python Newline character is a special Python character that produces line breaks. It is made up of a backslash and the letter n (\n). All characters in a string that appear after the newline character will be printed on a new line Because of those special characteristics, it can also be called a line-break character. You can call it either way, but in this post, we’ll use its most popular name: Python newline character.
When working with the console, we might sometimes want certain characters printed on the next line to the characters preceding them. That’s where the Python new line character is most commonly used.
In this post, we are going to talk about what the Python newline character looks like, its alternatives, and most importantly how to use it properly to print characters on a new line with detailed explanations and examples. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
- Python Newline character Syntax:
- How To Use the Python New line Character to Add a newline to String.
- Python New line Character Alternative.
- FAQs On How To Add New line to String Using Python new line Character.
- Conclusion On How To Add New line to String Using Python new line Character.
Python Newline character Syntax:
The Python newline character is made up of a backslash and the letter n (\n). Note that there is no space between them. The n stands for ‘new line’, while the backslash is an escape character. Speaking of escape characters, these are characters that tell Python not to regard the immediately following characters as part of a string in which they are used. In this case, it is the letter n. We see the escape character in other string manipulation characters like \t for creating tab spaces, \' for single quotes inside a string made of single quotes, and so on.
How To Use the Python New line Character to Add a newline to String.
To add a new line to a string, place the Python newline character (\n) before the string characters that you wish to appear on a new line. In a Python String, any words or characters that appear after the Python new line character will be printed on the next line to the ones located behind it. Let’s take a look at an example:
print('characters after the Python new line character \n will be printed on a new line')characters after the Python new line character
will be printed on a new lineAs you can see, although the string in the code appears in a single line, on the output, all characters after the Python new line character (\n) are printed on a new line.
You can also place the newline character at the end of a string. This means that the following print characters – although not part of that string – will be printed on the next line. The most common use case is when getting user data through the console. If we use the Python input() function to get user information, the user has to enter the information on that same line as the question or prompt. But if you want it to be entered in the next line, then place the new line character at the end of the question or prompt. Compare the scenarios below:
➤ Without the Python new line character at the end.
question = input('Name the character that prints string characters on a new line')
print(question)Name the character that prints string characters on a new line |Note the cursor at the end which is prompting the user to enter the answer on that same line.
➤ With the Python new line character at the end.
question = input('Name the character that prints string characters on a new line \n')
print(question)
if question == 'python newline character'
print('You're a genius!')Name the character that prints string characters on a new line
|Now, look at where the cursor is – on the following line to the question being asked. When the user starts typing the answer, the characters will appear on the following line. It looks much neater than the above.
The behavior of adding a new line after the Python input() function is different for each terminal application. Some will automatically add it, while others do not.
Python New line Character Alternative.
Is there any other way to print characters in a Python string on a new line other than the Python new line character? Yes, there is. It is by using Python docstrings. The same way we use to add python comment blocks or python documentation strings. They are sometimes called multi-line strings because of that. We will use the word multi-line strings in this case because we are talking about adding new lines in a Python string. Python multi-line strings are created by enclosing characters in triple quotes. These quotes can either be single-quoted or double-quoted (''' or """). Let’s take a look at an example:
words = ''' This is one line
this will be printed on a new line
this on a new line again '''
print(words)This is one line
this will be printed on a new line
this on a new line againNow imagine what would have happened if those triple quotes were the usual single or double quotes that make up a Python string. They will all have been printed on the same line regardless of their appearance in the code. But in this case, they don’t. They get printed exactly as they are looking in the code.
This method of using triple quotes is easier and faster to do, but it is not the recommended one. The reason is, In Python, triple quotes are officially used for docstrings. If you use them to do otherwise, your code will definitely look unprofessional.
FAQs On How To Add New line to String Using Python new line Character.
Can you break a line in Python?
Yes. You can break a line in Python by using the newline character (\n). In a Python string, place it where you want a line break to occur. All the characters after that will be printed on a new line. The Python newline character can also be called a line-break character because of what it does.
Does \n make a new line?
Yes. \n or the newline character is the official Python character to print characters to the next line.
What does \n mean in code?
In Python code, \n represents a line break. All characters after this Python newline character will be printed on the next line to the ones behind it.
Conclusion On How To Add New line to String Using Python new line Character.
To sum this up, In Python, line breaks are generated by using the special Newline character. It consists of the characters: backslash and the letter n (\n). If a newline character appears in a string, everything that comes after it will be displayed on a separate line. Inserting a new line into a string in Python is as simple as putting the newline character (\n) before the characters you want to move to a new line.
There is an alternative method of adding a new line to a string which involves the use of docstring syntax. This is not recommended as it is unpythonic.
That was all for this post, I guess. See you at the next ones. Peace!
