Python pass tab " " as argument

Question

I have the following Python script named `test.py`. The goal is to let Python recognize tab. How should I do that? ``` import sys input = sys.argv[1] if __name__ == "__main__": print input == "	" ``` When I pass `python test.py "	"` to the command line, why do I get a `False`? [Update] I changed the code according to first two comments below: ``` import sys someArgs = sys.argv[1] if __name__ == "__main__": print someArgs print someArgs == '	' ``` When I pass `python test.py '	'`, I get ``` 	 False ``` [Update 2] Unfortunately, I am using Windows command prompt, not *nix systems. [Quick & dirty solution] When `"	"` is passed as argument in command line, I can try to detect it as `"\t"` and manually assign it to tab in Python. For example, ``` import sys someArgs = sys.argv[1] if __name__ == "__main__": if someArgs == "\t": pythonTab = "	" print pythonTab ``` From command line, `python test.py "	"` will produce a tab as output. Anyone has more elegant solutions?

Accepted Answer

Backslash has a special meaning both in Python and in the command-line.

Do you want to detect a single tab character? Then you are comparing it correctly: `input == "	"` is correct. But it's system-dependent to pass a tab character in the command-line. I don't know how to do it on Windows. On Unix with Bash, the command-line should look like:

```
python test.py $'	'
```

or

```
python test.py $'\011'
```

See more info about the `$'` syntax in Bash here: http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html#ANSI_002dC-Quoting

Do you want to detect two characters: a backslash and a t? Then you should compare it as: `input == "\t"` or `input == r"	"`. I don't know how to pass a backslash in the command-line on Windows. On Unix with Bash, the command-line should look like:

```
python test.py '	'
```

See more info about the `'` syntax in Bash here: http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html#Single-Quotes

I recommend adding the following debug info generation to your program:

```
print repr(argv[1])
print argv[1].encode('hex')
```

Python pass tab "\t" as argument

Solution

Problem