How should I close a multi-line variable/comment in Python?

Question

I am receiving this error:

  File "/DateDbLoop.py", line 33  
    d.Id""" % (str(day), str(2840))"  
    ^  
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning single-quoted string

Here is the script. There are 4 double quotes to open this, but I am unsure how to correctly close this out?

Follow Up Question:

Does this % (str(day), str(2840)) need to go in both the sql variable and the os.system() call?

#!/usr/bin/python

import datetime
import sys, os, time, string

a = datetime.date(2009, 1, 1)
b = datetime.date(2009, 2, 1)
one_day = datetime.timedelta(1)

day = a

while day <= b:

    print "Running query for \"" + str(day) + "\""

    sql=""""SELECT
        d.Date,  
        SUM(d.Revenue),  
        FROM Table d  
        WHERE d.Date = '%s'  
        AND d.Id = %s  
        GROUP BY d.Date  
        """ % (str(day), str(2840))"

    os.system('mysql -h -sN -u  -p -e %s > FileName-%s.txt db' % (sql, str(day)))
    day += one_day

Answer 1

You use triple quotes for this.

s = """
Python is awesome.
Python is cool.
I use Python.
And so should you.
"""

print s

Python is awesome.
Python is cool.
I use Python.
And so should you.

Answer 2

You have 4 double-quotes at your sql= line, make it 3 instead. Also remove the single quote after your %-substitution value.

#!/usr/bin/python

import datetime
import sys, os, time, string

a = datetime.date(2009, 1, 1)
b = datetime.date(2009, 2, 1)
one_day = datetime.timedelta(1)

day = a

while day <= b:
    print "Running query for \"" + str(day) + "\""

    sql="""SELECT
    d.Date,  
    SUM(d.Revenue)
    FROM Table d  
    WHERE d.Date = '%s'  
    AND d.Id = %s  
    GROUP BY d.Date  
    """ % (str(day), str(2840))

    os.system('mysql -h -sN -u  -p -e "%s" > FileName-%s.txt db' % (sql, str(day)))
    day += one_day

Multi-line string values are done with paired triplets of double-quotes in Python, and don't nest inside regular double-quotes.

Answer 3

Open and close the string with three quotes

sql = """
      SELECT d.Date, SUM(d.Revenue),
      FROM Table d WHERE d.Date = '%s' AND d.Id = %s 
      GROUP BY d.Date
      """ % (str(day), str(2840))

You can also break a line in the middle of a string with the \ character.

#!/usr/bin/python

import datetime
import sys, os, time, string

a = datetime.date(2009, 1, 1)
b = datetime.date(2009, 2, 1)
one_day = datetime.timedelta(1)

day = a

while day <= b:

 print "Running query for \"" + str(day) + "\""

 sql="SELECT d.Date, SUM(d.Revenue), FROM Table d WHERE d.Date = '%s' \
      AND d.Id = %s GROUP BY d.Date " % (str(day), str(2840))

 os.system('mysql -h -sN -u  -p -e %s > FileName-%s.txt db' % (sql, str(day)))