Comments are notes added to the code to explain what the code is doing. They are not executed by the program but are used to help other programmers understand the code. In this tutorial, we will learn about comments in detail.✍️💻
Comments are a critical aspect of coding that can help to explain what your code does and why you wrote it a certain way. They are also essential for collaborating with other developers and maintaining and updating code over time. Let's see how comments can be critical in a company setting. Envision that you simply work for a budgetary administrations company creating a modern calculation for exchanging stocks. The calculation is complex and includes a parcel of distinctive calculations and decision-making forms. As we begin writing, we can explain our code to other group individuals, but what in case somebody inquires me about the same thing one month afterward? Can I clarify the code? I would have trouble following what each portion of the code was doing. Without comments, it would be troublesome for other engineers on your group to get it how the calculation works and how to alter it on the off chance that is vital."Comments are a awesome way to keep track of what you've done or to clarify why you've taken certain steps. They can be inconceivably valuable for investigating purposes as well.”
Comments are added to the code for several reasons, including:
In Python, comments are signified by a '#' image. When the '#' image is put at the starting of a line, everything after it is considered a comment. Comments can also be utilized to disable code that you simply do not need to run briefly. This may be valuable when testing a program and seeing what happens when certain parts of the code are expelled. She begun including comments to her code. At first, it was a moderate process, as she was still getting utilized the idea of including comments to the code. However, after a few time, she found the rhythm and started to include increasingly comments.
# Python program to find the factorial of a number provided by the user.(comment)
# change the value for a different result(comment)
num = 7
# To take input from the user (comment)
#num = int(input("Enter a number: ")) (comment)(You can uncomment this part and try to run in IDE)
factorial = 1
# check if the number is negative, positive, or zero (comment)
if num < 0:
print("Sorry, factorial does not exist for negative numbers")
elif num == 0:
print("The factorial of 0 is 1")
else:
for i in range(1,num + 1):
factorial = factorial*i
print("The factorial of",num,"is",factorial)
There are two types of comments in Python:
Single line comments in Python add a short description or 💬 note about a single line of code. They start with a '#' symbol and continue until the end of the line.
# This is a single-line comment
# This is another single-line comment
Multiline comments in Python add longer descriptions or notes about multiple lines of code. They start and end with three single quotes ("''') or three double quotes (""").
''' This is a multi-line comment.
It can span multiple lines. '''
Multi-line comments are also used as docstrings, a special type used to document the purpose and usage of functions, modules, and classes. Docstrings can be accessed using the help( ) function in Python. For example:
def my_function():
""" This is a docstring for my_function.
It explains what the function does
and how to use it. """ # function code here
It's worth noting that although multi-line comments can be used as docstrings, they are not required to be in a specific format or style. Several conventions for writing docstrings in Python, such as the Google and NumPy styles, provide guidelines for writing clear and helpful documentation.
Example:
discount = 0.1 # 10% discount
total_price = price * (1 - discount) # Apply discount to price
Example:
# Check if the input is a prime number.
# Iterate through numbers from 2 to the square root of the input.
# If any number divides the input without a remainder, it's not a prime.
def is_prime(num):
for i in range(2, int(num**0.5) + 1):
if num % i == 0:
return False
return True
Example:
def factorial(n):
"""Calculates the factorial of a given number.
Args:
n (int): A non-negative integer.
Returns:
int: The factorial of the number n.
Raises:
ValueError: If n is negative.
"""
if n < 0:
raise ValueError("Negative numbers are not allowed.")
return 1 if n == 0 else n * factorial(n - 1)
Example:
class BankAccount:
"""Represents a bank account.
Attributes:
account_number (str): The unique identifier for the account.
balance (float): The current account balance.
"""
def __init__(self, account_number, balance=0.0):
self.account_number = account_number
self.balance = balance
Example:
# Use dynamic programming to calculate the nth Fibonacci number.
# Store intermediate results in a dictionary to avoid redundant calculations.
def fibonacci(n, memo={}):
if n in memo:
return memo[n]
if n <= 1:
return n
memo[n] = fibonacci(n - 1, memo) + fibonacci(n - 2, memo)
return memo[n]
Example:
# Temporary change: Skipping database connection for local testing
# db.connect()
Example:
# API endpoint for production environment
API_URL = "https://api.example.com/v1"
Example:
# Updated on 2024-12-01: Fixed the logic for negative inputs.
Bad Example:
x = 10 # Assign 10 to x
Good Example:
max_retries = 10 # Maximum number of retries allowed for API requests
Writing good comments is an essential skill for any programmer. Here are some tips for writing better comments in Python:
Why is it essential to add comments to your code:
In summary, comments are an essential part of programming in Python, as they help to make code more readable and understandable 🔎📝📝. They can also be used to temporarily disable code and provide notes to yourself about what specific parts of the code are doing:thinking:💭.
Answer: c) A way to add explanatory text or notes within the code that do not affect the program's execution
Answer: c) To explain the purpose of the code, how it works, and any potential issues that may arise
Answer: c) With a '#' symbol at the beginning of the line
Answer: c) To provide documentation for functions, modules, and classes
Answer: c) Use simple and clear language that is easy to understand
Top Tutorials
Related Articles