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Python Python Basics (Retired) Ins & Outs Blocks In Python

Posted by Denny Ho
Denny Ho
4,472 Points

Why is it the case that the answer to the quiz question "What symbol marks the beginning of a block?" is the symbol ":"?

I would have thought it would have been "}" or indentation. Is this possibly a mistake?

2 Answers

Jon Hockley
Jon Hockley
3,781 Points
Jon Hockley
Jon Hockley
3,781 Points

":" is the symbol that marks the beginning of a block. Indentation comes on the next line, and there is never a "}".

Example:

def add_two(number_to_add_two_to):
    return number_to_add_two_to + 2
Iain Simmons
MOD
Iain Simmons
Treehouse Moderator 32,305 Points
Iain Simmons
Iain Simmons
Treehouse Moderator 32,305 Points

Curly braces are used for sets and dicts in Python.

They are used for blocks in some other programming/scripting languages like JavaScript.