Special Characters
==================
.. index::
single: character; special
single: newline
single: tab
Aside from letters, numbers, and symbols, there is another class of characters
we can use in strings, known as **special characters**. These characters
involve special codes that all begin with a ``\`` (backslash). Special
characters allow us to include control characters, whitespace characters, and
items that do not appear on our keyboards (like shapes or emojis).
Newline and Tab
---------------
Two commonly used special characters are ``\n`` and ``\t``, which are the
newline and tab characters, respectively. A **newline** represents tapping the
*Return* or *Enter* key while typing.
.. admonition:: Example
.. sourcecode:: python
print("A message,\nbroken across lines,\n\tand indented.")
**Console Output**
::
A message,
broken across lines,
and indented.
.. admonition:: Try It!
Modify the code in the editor below to produce this output:
::
Use newline
and tab
characters to
create this
output with
a single
print statement.
.. raw:: html
.. _unicode:
Other Characters
----------------
.. index:: ! Unicode
We can also add characters to a string that do not appear on all keyboards.
These **Unicode characters** use combinations of the form ``\uXXXX``, where the
four Xs are numbers or letters that stand for a particular symbol. This allows
us to use character sets that don't use the Latin letters (A-Z), such as Greek,
Cyrillic, and Arabic, as well as a wide array of non-letter symbols.
.. admonition:: Example
.. sourcecode:: python
print('\u25E8 \u26BD \u26A1')
**Console Output**
::
◨ ⚽ ⚡
For a complete listing of codes, check out this
`Unicode table `__.
Check Your Understanding
------------------------
.. admonition:: Question
Which of the options below prints ``'Special'`` and ``'characters'`` on
separate lines?
.. raw:: html