Re: [PATCH] Interpret #r"..." as a raw string

[Daniel Brooks]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

>   > Many languages have multiple string types because they simplify the
>   > process of writing strings that contain quotation characters,
>   > backslashes, or other syntax such as interpolation.
>
> I'm trying to understand that message but it's unclear
> at a deep level.
>
> Is a "raw string" supposed to be a different data type,
> or is it supposed to be a different syntax for the string type?
>
> The companison with shell syntax does not help, because I don't think
> that question is meaningful for shell syntax.  I don't know the othehr
> languages referred to.

It is definitely just a different syntax for the same data type
(although some languages additionally have syntax that distinguishes
between utf8 string strings and byte strings with no particular
encoding; those generally end up as a different data type).

I used shell as an example primarily because it will be familiar to
everyone. It is however unusual that shell has a string syntax which
disables interpolation but not escaping; most languages with raw strings
use them to turn off both features.

db48x