Question

In python, is there a difference between repr and the backquote ` (left of 1)?

For demonstration:

class A(object):
    def __repr__(self):
        return 'repr A'
    def __str__(self):
        return 'str A'


>>> a = A()

>>> repr(a)
#'repr A'

>>> `a`
#'repr A'

>>> str(a)
#'str A'

Do the backquotes just call repr? Is it simply for convenience? Is there any significant speed difference?

Thanks!

Answer 1

They’re an alias for repr. They have the exact same effect.

However, they’re deprecated and have been removed in Python 3. Don’t use them; use repr.