Unlock the Power of Code Comments in Python

The Secret to Writing Readable Code

You’ve taken your first steps in Python programming, and now it’s time to master the art of commenting your code. Comments are essential for making your code easy to understand, and we’re introducing them early in this tutorial series because they’ll be crucial for explaining code in upcoming tutorials.

What Are Comments?

Comments are hints that you add to your code to make it more readable. They start with the # symbol and are completely ignored by code editors. Think of them as notes to yourself or others who might work on your code in the future.

Single-Line Comments: The Basics

Use the # symbol to write a single-line comment. For example:
“`

declare a variable

print name

John

“
A single-line comment starts with#and extends up to the end of the line. You can also use single-line comments alongside code. Remember to use the keyboard shortcutCtrl + /(Windows) orCmd + /` (Mac) to apply comments quickly.

Multiline Comments: The Workaround

Unlike languages like C++ and Java, Python doesn’t have a dedicated method for writing multi-line comments. However, you can achieve the same effect by using the # symbol at the beginning of each line. Alternatively, you can use multiline strings as comments.

Debugging Made Easy with Comments

Comments are invaluable when debugging code. If you encounter an error while running a program, instead of removing code segments, you can comment them out to prevent execution. This approach is especially useful when working with large files.

Why Comments Matter

We should use comments for:

• Future references, as they make our code readable
• Debugging
• Code collaboration, as they help peer developers understand each other’s code

Remember, comments are not a substitute for poorly written code. Always aim to write clean, understandable code, and then use comments to add context. In most cases, use comments to explain ‘why’ rather than ‘how’.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve mastered comments, it’s time to dive into the fundamental concepts of Python programming. Stay tuned for more exciting tutorials!