How to Fix – SyntaxError can’t assign to literal

In Python, a SyntaxError is raised when the interpreter encounters an incorrect syntax in the code. One such error is the “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error. This error occurs when you try to assign a value to a literal, which is not allowed in Python. In this tutorial, we will discuss the reasons behind this error and how to fix it.

Understanding the SyntaxError: cannot assign to literal error

In Python, an expression containing an assignment operator is evaluated by first evaluating the expression on the right-hand side of the assignment operator, and then assigning the resulting value to the variable on the left-hand side of the operator.

For example, consider the following expression:

x = 2 + 3
y = 4

In this case, the expression on the right-hand side of the assignment operator (2 + 3) is evaluated first, resulting in the value 5. This value is then assigned to the variable x. In the next line, the literal 4 is assigned to the variable y.

The “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error occurs when you try to assign a value to a literal. A literal is a fixed value that appears directly in the code, such as a string or a number. Here are some common scenarios in which this error occurs:

• Trying to assign a value to a string literal
• Trying to assign a value to a number literal
• Trying to assign a value to a tuple literal

More often than not, this error occurs due to incorrect positioning of the literal and the variable. As mentioned earlier, expressions containing the assignment operator, = the order of evaluation is from right to left, generally, the expression or the literal is placed on the right and the resulting value is assigned to a variable placed on the left. Now, if you reverse this order with the literal on the left and the variable on the right, you’ll encounter the SyntaxError: cannot assign to literal.

How to fix the error?

To fix the “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error, you need to assign the value to a variable instead of a literal. Here are the steps to fix this error:

1. Identify the literal that is causing the error.
2. Create a variable and assign the literal value to it.
3. Use the variable instead of the literal in your code.

Let’s take a look at some examples to understand this better.

Example 1: Assigning a value to a string literal

# Incorrect code
"Hello World" = message

# Correct code
message = "Hello World"

In the incorrect code, we are trying to assign the value of the variable message to the string literal “Hello World”. This will result in a “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error. To fix this error, we need to create a variable message and assign the string literal to it.

Example 2: Assigning a value to a number literal

# Incorrect code
42 = answer

# Correct code
answer = 42

In the incorrect code, we are trying to assign the value of the variable answer to the number literal 42. This will result in a “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error. To fix this error, we need to create a variable answer and assign the number literal to it.

Example 3: Assigning a value to a tuple literal

# Incorrect code
(1, 2, 3) = numbers

# Correct code
numbers = (1, 2, 3)

In the incorrect code, we are trying to assign the value of the variable numbers to the tuple literal (1, 2, 3). This will result in a “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error. To fix this error, we need to create a variable numbers and assign the tuple literal to it.

Conclusion

The “SyntaxError: can’t assign to literal” error occurs when you try to assign a value to a literal in Python. To fix this error, you need to create a variable and assign the literal value to it. This will allow you to use the variable instead of the literal in your code.

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