Expressions and statements - Python

An expression is a combination of values, variables, and operators.

Eg:

17

x

x + 17

Instructions that a Python interpreter can execute are called statements. A statement is a unit of code that the Python interpreter can execute. Two kinds of statement: print and assignment.

Eg:

a = 1 + 2 + 3 + \

4 + 5 + 6 + \

7 + 8 + 9

In Python, end of a statement is marked by a newline character. But we can make a statement extend over multiple lines with the line continuation character (\).

Python Indentation

Most of the programming languages like C, C++, Java use braces { } to define a block of code. Python uses indentation.

A code block (body of a function, loop etc.) starts with indentation and ends with the first unindented line. The amount of indentation is up to you, but it must be consistent throughout that block.

Generally four whitespaces are used for indentation and is preferred over tabs. Here is an example.