python replace single backslash with double backslash

Question

In python  I am trying to replace a single backslash       with a double backslash       I have the following code   directory   string replace  C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216                However  this gives an error message saying it doesn t like the double backslash  Can anyone help

User · Answer

Use escape characters   full  path  here        and

User · Answer

You could use   os path abspath path with backlash    it returns the path with

User · Answer

Let me make it simple and clear  Lets use the re module in python to escape the special characters   Python script    import re s    C  Users Josh Desktop  print s print re escape s    Output    C  Users Josh Desktop C   Users  Josh  Desktop   Explanation    Now observe that re escape function on escaping the special chars in the given string we able to add an other backslash before each backslash  and finally the output results in a double backslash  the desired output   Hope this helps you

User · Answer

The backslash indicates a special escape character  Therefore  directory   path to directory replace            would cause Python to think that the first argument to replace didn t end until the starting quotation of the second argument since it understood the ending quotation as an escape character   directory path to directory replace

User · Answer

No need to use str replace or string replace here  just convert that string to a raw string    gt  gt  gt  strs   r C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216                                   notice the  r    Below is the repr version of the above string  that s why you re seeing    here  But  in fact the actual string contains just     not       gt  gt  gt  strs  C   Users  Josh  Desktop  20130216    gt  gt  gt  s   r f o   gt  gt  gt  s             repr representation  f  o   gt  gt  gt  len s     length is 3  as there s only one       3   But when you re going to print this string you ll not get      in the output    gt  gt  gt  print strs C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216   If you want the string to show      during print then use str replace    gt  gt  gt  new strs   strs replace               gt  gt  gt  print new strs C   Users  Josh  Desktop  20130216   repr version will now show         gt  gt  gt  new strs  C     Users    Josh    Desktop    20130216

User · Answer

Given the source string  manipulation with os path might make more sense  but here s a string solution    gt  gt  gt  s r C  Users Josh Desktop  20130216   gt  gt  gt         join filter bool  s split          C     Users    Josh    Desktop    20130216    Note that split treats the    in the source string as a delimited empty string   Using filter gets rid of those empty strings so join won t double the already doubled backslashes  Unfortunately  if you have 3 or more  they get reduced to doubled backslashes  but I don t think that hurts you in a windows path expression

User · Answer

In python    backslash  is used as an escape character  What this means that in places where you wish to insert a special character  such as newline   you would use the backslash and another character   n for newline   With your example string you would notice that when you put  C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216  in the repl you will get  C   Users  Josh  Desktop x8130216   This is because  2 has a special meaning in a python string  If you wish to specify   then you need to put two    in your string     C   Users  Josh  Desktop  28130216   The other option is to notify python that your entire string must NOT use   as an escape character by pre-pending the string with r  r C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216   This is a  raw  string  and very useful in situations where you need to use lots of backslashes such as with regular expression strings   In case you still wish to replace that single   with    you would then use    directory   string replace r C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216                  Notice that I am not using r  in the last two strings above  This is because  when you use the r  form of strings you cannot end that string with a single    Why can  39 t Python  39 s raw string literals end with a single backslash   https   pythonconquerstheuniverse wordpress com 2008 06 04 gotcha- E2 80 94-backslashes-are-escape-characters

User · Answer

Maybe a syntax error in your case  you may change the line to   directory   str r C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216   replace                which give you the right following output   C   Users  Josh  Desktop  20130216

User · Answer

Use   string replace r C  Users Josh Desktop 20130216                 Escape the   character

[python] python replace single backslash with double backslash

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