5.2.6 String conversions
Keywords: ref

##
5.2.6 String conversions

A string conversion is an expression list enclosed in reverse (a.k.a. backward) quotes:

      string_conversion: "`" expression_list "`"

A string conversion evaluates the contained expression list and converts the resulting object into a string according to rules specific to its type.

If the object is a string, a number, `None`, or a tuple, list or dictionary containing only objects whose type is one of these, the resulting string is a valid Python expression which can be passed to the built-in function `eval()` to yield an expression with the same value (or an approximation, if floating point numbers are involved).

(In particular, converting a string adds quotes around it and converts ``funny'' characters to escape sequences that are safe to print.)

It is illegal to attempt to convert recursive objects (e.g., lists or dictionaries that contain a reference to themselves, directly or indirectly.)

The built-in function `repr()` performs exactly the same conversion in its argument as enclosing it in parentheses and reverse quotes does. The built-in function `str()` performs a similar but more user-friendly conversion.