How to Fix – SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal

Python is a popular programming language that is widely used for various purposes. However, sometimes you may encounter an error message that says “SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal”. This error message can be confusing, especially for beginners. In this tutorial, we will explain what this error message means and how to fix it.

What is “SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal”?

The error message “SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal” occurs when Python encounters a problem with a string literal. A string literal is a sequence of characters enclosed in quotes. For example, “Hello, World!” is a string literal.

The “EOL” in the error message stands for “End Of Line”. This means that Python has reached the end of a line of code and is expecting more code to follow, but instead, it has encountered a problem with a string literal.

Causes of “SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal”

There are several reasons why you might encounter this error message. Here are some of the most common causes:

1. Missing quotes

If you forget to close a string literal with a quote, Python will raise a “SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal” error. For example:

s = "Hello, World!
print(s)

Output:

  Cell In[6], line 1
    s = "Hello, World!
                      ^
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal

In the above example, the closing quote is missing and hence we get the SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal

To fix this error, simply add the missing quote to the end of the string literal. For example:

s = "Hello, World!"
print(s)

Output:

Hello, World!

Here, we added the ending quote to the string and thus didn’t get an error.

2. Incorrect line continuation

If you use line continuation to split a string literal across multiple lines, but you don’t do it correctly, Python will raise a “SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal” error. For example:

s = "This is a very long string that 
    spans multiple lines"

print(s)

Output:

  Cell In[5], line 1
    s = "This is a very long string that
                                         ^
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal

In the above example, we want to create a string that spans multiple lines but we get SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal due to incorrect line continuation.

To make the string span multiple lines, you can use the backslash \ character at the end of each line to indicate that the string continues on the next line.

s = "This is a very long string that \
    spans multiple lines"

print(s)

Output:

This is a very long string that     spans multiple lines

We don’t get an error now.

Alternatively, you can also use triple quotes to create a string that spans multiple lines.

s = """This is a very long string that 
    spans multiple lines"""

print(s)

Output:

This is a very long string that 
    spans multiple lines

Conclusion

In conclusion, the “SyntaxError EOL while scanning string literal” error can be frustrating to encounter, but it is a common issue that can be easily fixed. By carefully examining the code and identifying the location of the error, you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure that your code runs smoothly. Remember to check for missing or extra quotation marks, escape characters, and other syntax errors that may be causing the problem. With these tips and tricks, you can quickly resolve this error and get back to coding with confidence.

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