Backslash in text blocks (from Chapter 1, OCP Java 17 Practice Tests)

[Miles Jiang]

Question 60 (page 20) asks how many backslashes in the following code can be removed without changing the value of the text block.

12: var quotes = """
13:    \"The Quotes that Could\"
14:    \"\"\"
15:    """;

The correct answer is 4 backslashes can be removed (option E), as explained on page 449:

Both backslashes on line 13 can be removed since this is a text block. Additionally, the second and third backslashes on line 14 can be removed. The first one must be retained since there are three quotes in a row.

On line 13, both backslashes can be removed. No doubt about it. On line 14, up to two of the three backslashes can be removed, but at least one must remain. However, does the backslash to be retained have to be the first one? Probably not. According to my running results, the code will compile regardless of which backslash remains.

(1) Keep the first backslash:

var quotes = """
   "The Quotes that Could"
   \"""" // Compiles
   """;

(2) Keep the second backslash:

var quotes = """
   "The Quotes that Could"
   "\""" // Compiles
   """;

(3) Keep the third backslash:

var quotes = """
   "The Quotes that Could"
   """\" // Compiles
   """;

So should the explanation be adjusted?

[Campbell Ritchie]

Miles Jiang wrote:. . . does the backslash to be retained have to be the first one? . . .

I think not; As you have seen as long as one \ remains to escape one of the quotes, the code will compile. You are probably right about changing the explanation.
[Edit] Your first code block has four quotes on line 4! I think you have copied it wrongly.

[Miles Jiang]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
[Edit] Your first code block has four quotes on line 4! I think you have copied it wrongly.

Thanks for the correction. I made a mistake while copying. There should be three quotes instead of four.