Name: \

Type: keyword

Syntax: \

Summary: The <character> <\> is used to break a <line> in a <script> for display, while still having it treated as a single <statement>.

Introduced: 1.0

OS: mac,windows,linux,ios,android

Platforms: desktop,server,web,mobile

Example:
answer "You've been waiting for"  numberOfMinutes \
    "minutes." with "Keep Waiting" or "Cancel"

Description:
If a line is too long to fit conveniently in the script window, use the <\> <character> to break it into two (or more) <lines> for viewing.

A line that is split with <\> is shown in the <script editor> as more than one <line>, but when it's <execute|executed>, it is treated as a single <line> of code.

The script editor automatically indents continued lines, as shown in the example above.
A <\> character which is used within a <literal string> does not break the line, because the <\> is treated as part of the <quoted> <string> instead of being treated as a line continuation. For example, the following <statement> causes a <compile error> because the <\> <character> is inside the quotes:
  answer "This is a test. This is only a test. \
     Had this been an actual life..." with "OK" -- BAD EXAMPLE
The above bad example can be corrected by using the  <operator> to break up the long <string> :
  answer "This is a test. This is only a test." \
      "Had this been an actual life..." with "OK" -- good example

The string has been broken into two substrings, so the <\> <character> is no longer within a <literal string>. This second example does not cause an <error>.

References: character (keyword), string (keyword), line (keyword), lines (keyword), ; (keyword), && (operator), & (operator), script (property), error (glossary), operator (glossary), script editor (glossary), statement (glossary), literal string (glossary), execute (glossary), quoted (glossary), compile error (glossary)
