Block strings, also known as multiline strings or here documents, are a way to represent a sequence of characters or text that span multiple lines of code or document. Block strings are typically used in programming languages to represent code snippets, comments, or multi-line strings in a more readable and natural way.
Block strings are usually enclosed within special syntax, which can vary between programming languages. For example, in Python, a block string can be enclosed within three double-quotes ("""), while in Ruby, it is enclosed within two less-than signs and a unique identifier (<<END).
Here's an example of a block string in Python:
pythonmy_string = """
This is a block string
that spans multiple lines
and includes line breaks and special characters
like \t and \n.
"""
And here's an example of a block string in Ruby:
vbnetmy_string = <<END
This is a block string
that spans multiple lines
and includes line breaks and special characters
like \t and \n.
END