When writing programs, code should be as legible and error free as possible. Debugging helps keep code free of errors and documenting helps keep code clear enough to read.
The following PythonA high-level programming language. code contains a statementThe smallest element of a programming language which expresses an action to be carried out.syntax errorAn error in a programming language caused by not using the correct syntax. These are normally spelling errors or small grammatical mistakes. in line 2:
name = input("What is your name? ")
pront("Hello, " + name)
The statement print is spelled incorrectly. The program will executeTo run a computer program. the first instructionA single action that can be performed by a computer processor. correctly then crash when it reaches the error.
The correct code is:
name = input("What is your name?")
print("Hello, " + name)
Syntax errors can be tricky to spot. Consider this short Python program:
forename = input("What is your forename? ")
surname = input("What is your surname? ”)
print "Hello, " + forname + " " + surname)
The code contains two errors, this time both in line 3:
The first is a punctuation syntax error. A bracket is missing after the print statement.
The second is a variable syntax error. The variable ‘forename’ is spelt incorrectly.
The program will execute the first two instructions correctly then crash when it reaches the first error in line 3.
The correct code is:
forename = input("What is your forename? ")
surname = input("What is your surname? ")
print("Hello, " + forename + " " + surname)
Fixing syntax errors is simple. Spotting them is more difficult. Some of the most common syntax errors are things that come in pairs. Always check for speech marks and brackets first if your program crashes.
