Syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character

Syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character

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The syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character is an error message that usually happens when you use line continuation character incorrectly.

So, if you are stuck with this error message, then keep on reading!

In this article, we’ll be exploring the syntaxerrorunexpected character after line continuation character in Python.

Here, you’ll understand what this error is all about, why it occurs in your code, and how to fix it.

What is “line continuation character”?

A line continuation character is used to break a long line of code over several lines in your file. In Python, the backslash (\) is used as a line continuation character. It is usually used to split the statement.

For example:

# Example code using line continuation character

message = "Hi, " \
          "Welcome to itsourcecode " \
          "that offers free sourcecode and tutorial."

Dailyvisitors = [100000, 200000, 300000,
           400000, 500000, 600000,
           700000, 800000, 900000]

Totalvisitors = 100000 + 2000000 + 300000 + 400000 + 500000 +\
        600000 + 700000 + 800000 + 900000

print(message)
print(Dailyvisitors)
print(Totalvisitors)

Output:

Hi, Welcome to itsourcecode that offers free sourcecode and tutorial.
[100000, 200000, 300000, 400000, 500000, 600000, 700000, 800000, 900000]
6300000

Line continuation character allows you to write a long string over several lines of code. Using this character makes your code easier to read and understand.

What is “syntaxerror unexpected character after line continuation character” in Python?

The syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character occurs when you are trying to use the backslash character “\,” but you used it incorrectly.

Also, it happens when there is an unexpected character after the line continuation character “\ “in Python.

The backslash “\” is used as a line continuation character to break up single-line statements across multiple lines of code.

After it, only newline characters/whitespace are allowed (before the next non-whitespace continues the “interrupted” line).

Why does “syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character” error occur?

You’ll see the following scenarios why this error keeps on bothering you.

Scenario 1: If you are using escape character “\” rather than using the division operator “/” in Division

For example:

sample1 = 1000
sample2 = 50
output = sample1/sample2

print(output)

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 3
    output = sample1\sample2
                     ^
SyntaxError: unexpected character after line continuation character

The error message occurs when we try to use the escape character “\” rather than using the division operator “/” in mathematical expressions.

To fix this error, you have to use the division operator rather than using the line continuation character.

Corrected code:

sample1 = 1000
sample2 = 50
output = sample1/sample2

print(output)

Output:

20.0

Scenario 2: If you use the newline character “\n” incorrectly

For example:

sample_string = "Hi, Welcome to itsourcecode that offers free sourcecode and tutorial."
print(sample_string +\n)

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 2
    print(sample_string +\n)
                          ^
SyntaxError: unexpected character after line continuation character

As you can see, we are trying to print a new line along with the string by adding it to the string. Unfortunately, it leads to a syntax error.

The reason is that \n works as the newline character only when it is used as a string literal.

However, “\” is considered a line continuation character, and “n” is considered to be an unexpected character because there are no characters allowed after a line continuation character.

Corrected code:

sample_string = "Hi, Welcome to itsourcecode that offers free sourcecode and tutorials."
print(sample_string +"\n")

Output:

Hi, Welcome to itsourcecode that offers free sourcecode and tutorials.

How to fix “syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character” in Python?

To fix the SyntaxError unexpected character after line continuation character error in Python, ensure that there are no unexpected characters after the line continuation character “\.”

The backslash “\” is used as a line continuation character to break up single-line statements across multiple lines of code.

After it, only newline characters/whitespace are allowed (before the next non-whitespace continues the “interrupted” line).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the error message syntaxerror: unexpected character after line continuation character occurs when you are trying to use the backslash character “\,” but you used it incorrectly.

We already discussed above what this error is all about and multiple ways to resolve this error.

By executing the solutions above, you can master this Syntaxerror in Python with the help of this guide.

You could also check out other “SyntaxError” articles that may help you in the future if you encounter them.

We are hoping that this article helps you fix the error. Thank you for reading itsourcecoders 😊

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