# Single string on multiple lines without \`\\n\`

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** strings\
**Created:** [November 28, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099 "2018-11-28T14:58:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ExpandingMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/expandingman/32/866_2.png) [@ExpandingMan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ExpandingMan)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/1 "2018-11-28T14:58:12Z")

</div>

Is there a way to continue a single string on multiple lines without inserting `\n` into the string?

For example

```julia
"a#some character here
b"
"ab"

```

The only methods I currently know of is

```julia
string("a",
    "b")

```

I was wondering if there was an even more succinct shortcut.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pfitzseb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pfitzseb/32/45566_2.png) [@pfitzseb](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pfitzseb)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/2 "2018-11-28T15:01:10Z")

</div>

```julia
julia> """a
       b
       c
       """
"a\nb\nc\n"

```

Edit: uh… that’s not what you were asking for. I don’t think you can do that with a single string literal, no.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ExpandingMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/expandingman/32/866_2.png) [@ExpandingMan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ExpandingMan)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/3 "2018-11-28T15:02:19Z")

</div>

What I meant was, can I type the string on multiple lines (for code formatting purposes) without there being any `\n` in the string?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pfitzseb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pfitzseb/32/45566_2.png) [@pfitzseb](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pfitzseb)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/4 "2018-11-28T15:03:59Z")

</div>

Technically

```julia
julia> "a"*
       "b"*
       "c"
"abc"

```

is more succinct. Otherwise see my edit above 😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ExpandingMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/expandingman/32/866_2.png) [@ExpandingMan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ExpandingMan)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/5 "2018-11-28T15:07:21Z")

</div>

Wow I feel really stupid for not having realized that, thanks.

In retrospect, what I was looking for was not necessarily something more “succinct”, but something for which I wouldn’t have to stick `string` into the first line forcing me to reformat everything, your solution satisfies that, thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jandehaan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jandehaan/32/6805_2.png) [@jandehaan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jandehaan)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/6 "2018-11-28T15:13:49Z")

</div>

Alternatively:

```julia
macro W_str(s)
    :(replace($(esc(s)), r"\n+" => " "))
end

```

```julia
julia> W"""
       a
       b
       c
       """
"a b c "

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PGS62](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pgs62/32/207030_2.png) [@PGS62](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/PGS62)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 9:09am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/single-string-on-multiple-lines-without-n/18099/7 "2022-10-14T09:09:14Z")

</div>

Old topic, but worth updating I think. As per Julia 1.7 release notes: " A backslash (`\` ) before a newline inside a string literal now removes the newline while also respecting indentation"

```julia
julia> "a \
       b \
       c"
"a b c"

```