Syntax Error: EOL while scanning string literal
Python is an interpreted language, which essentially means that each line of code is executed one by one, rather than converting the entire program to a lower level code at once.
When the Python interpreter scans each line of code and finds something out of ordinary, it raises an error called the Syntax Error. These errors can be raised by “a missing bracket”, “a missing ending quote” and other basic anomalies in the syntax.
The Syntax Error we are going to discuss in this article is “EOL while scanning string literal”.
What does this error mean?
We can not solve a problem unless we effectively understand it. EOL stands for “End of Line”. The error means that the Python Interpreter reached the end of the line when it tried to scan the string literal.
The string literals (constants) must be enclosed in single and double quotation marks. Reaching the “end of line” while scanning refers to reaching the last character of the string and not encountering the ending quotation marks.
Running the above code gives the following output:
The small arrow points the last character of the string indicating that the error occurred while parsing that component of the statement.
Now that we understand the problem, let us look at some instances where it can appear while running python code.
How to Fix “Syntax Error: EOL while scanning string literal”
There can be four main situations where this error can be encountered:
Missing the ending quotation mark
As explained in the above code snippet, Python interpreter raises a syntax error when it reaches the end of the string literal and finds that quotation mark is missing.
The reason of this syntax error is quite obvious. Every language has some basic syntax rules, which when violated lead to errors.
Solution:
The trivial solution is to respect the syntax rule and place the ending quotation marks.
Using the incorrect ending quotation mark
Python allows the use of ‘ ‘ and » » for enclosing string constants. Sometimes programmers use the incorrect quotation counterpart for ending the string value.
Even though the string appears to be enclosed, it is not the case. The Python interpreter searches for the matching quotation mark at the ending of the string.
Solution:
The basic solution is to match the beginning and the ending quotation marks.
String constant stretching to multiple lines
Many novice Python programmers make the mistake of stretching statements to multiple lines. Python considers a new line as the end of the statement, unlike C++ and Java that consider ‘;’ as the end of statements.
At first, the code may seem ordinary, but as soon as the new line is started, the Python interpreter puts an end to that statement and raises an error for not enclosing the string constant.
Solution 1:
The escape sequence ‘\n’ can be used to provide the effect of a new line to the string constant. Visit here to learn about other escape sequences.
Solution 2:
The other solution is to use triple quotation marks, »’ or «»» for storing multi-line string literals.
Using backslash before the ending quotation mark
The backslash ‘\’ is responsible for escaping the string and causing syntax error.
The last backslash before the quotation mark escapes the string constant and Python interpreter considers \» as a single character. This escape sequence translates to a quotation mark («) .
Solution:
The solution is to replace the backslash with an escape sequence for a backslash (\\) .
Conclusion
A single error in a code spanning to a thousand lines can cost hours to debug. Therefore it is advised to write such codes with extreme concentration and using the correct syntax.
We hope this article was fruitful in solving the reader’s errors. Thank you for reading.
Ошибка EOL while scanning string literal
Ошибка переводится так: «(встретился) конец строки кода (EOL — end of line) при сканировании литерала строки». Такая ошибка обычно возникает, когда строка вообще не закрыта (нет закрывающей кавычки), например:
У вас эта ошибка происходит из-за того, обратные слеши в конце строк экранируют кавычку (делают кавычку частью строки, а не признаком ее конца). Чтобы это не происходило, нужно обратные слеши в конце строк удвоить (но убрать r, иначе в конце так и будет выводиться удвоенный обратный слеш):
Или добавить пробелы после обратных слешей:
В строках добавил еще начальные пробелы, чтобы голова котика не была смещена.
SyntaxError EOL While Scanning String Literal
This SyntaxError occurs while the interpreter scans the string literals and hits the EOL(‘End of Line’). But if it does not find a specific character before the EOL, the error is raised.
Let us understand it more with the help of an example.
What is “SyntaxError EOL while scanning string literal”?
A SyntaxError EOL(End of Line) error occurs when the Python interpreter does not find a particular character or a set of characters before the line of code ends. When the error is raised, the code execution is halted.
1. Missing Quotes for Closing the String:
While closing a string, there are often times when we forget to add an inverted comma (single or double). When this happens, the Python interpreter is not able to find the End of the line while scanning the string. Thus the SyntaxError EOL error occurs.
Example 1:
Explanation
In the above code, we have initialized an empty list MyList and used an if-else block to print if ‘MyList’ is empty or not. Inside the if block the print statement is used to print a string. But the string is missing double inverted commas at the end. And because of the missing commas, the Python interpreter is unable to find the end of the string.
Thus the SyntaxError error is encountered.
Solution
Make sure that string should always be closed within single or double-quotes.
Correct Code
2. String Extends Past one Line
In Python, we can not extend our string which is enclosed within a single or double inverted comma past a single line. If we try to do so the error “SyntaxError EOL while scanning the string literal occurs” will pop up. If we want our string to extend in multiple lines, then they should be enclosed within triple inverted commas (single or double).
Example 2:
Output :
Explanation
In the above code, we have initialized an empty tuple ‘MyTuple’ and used if-else block to print if ‘MyTuple’ is empty or not. Inside the if block the print statement is used to print a string. But the string is expanded in multiple lines. And is not interpreted by the python interpreter. Thus the error is raised.
Solution
Try to keep the entire string within a single line.
Correct Code:
Note: If you want the string to be initialized in multiple lines. Then use triple inverted commas either single(»’ Single quotes »’) or double(«»»Double quotes «»»») to enclose your string.
Conclusion
We hope all the scenarios explained above will help you prevent the SyntaxError EOL while scanning String literal error. Another mistake you must avoid is using mismatched quotations. While closing strings, make sure that if it begins with single quotes, it must end with double quotes.
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal
EOL stands for End of Line. What that means is that the python parser got to the end of a line of code before it found the end single quote or double quote to close a string.
In other words this would cause the error:
And you need to fix it like this:
Or this causes the error:
And you fix it like this:
Sometimes you’ll have an issue where you’re trying to put a single or double quote in a string. In that case, put single quotes around a string with double quotes in it or vise versa.