backslash

This section of the Python docs describes a subtle error that can happen when using backslash line continuation, if you accidentally add a space after the backslash. It says, the following would be a syntax error (with a space after the backslash): if foo.bar()['first'][0] == baz.quux(1, 2)[5:9] and \ calculate_number(10, 20) != forbulate(500, 360): pass ...but that the next snippet would just be subtly wrong (with a space after the backslash): value = foo.bar()['first'][0]*baz.quux(1, 2)[5:9] \ + calculate_number(10, 20)*forbulate(500, 360) I tried to reproduce this with this: value = 1 + 2 \

Update: I can make this a simpler problem to solve: I want to figure out what the correct regex would be to substitute any single occurrence of a back slash with two back slashes. I want to turn this: vlc.plugin.path = C:\Program Files\JekyllV0.9.2\\VLC_1.0.0\\plugins into: vlc.plugin.path = C:\\Program Files\\JekyllV0.9.2\\VLC_1.0.0\\plugins Original question: I want to change the following in a file using a Perl Regex: all occurrences of a single back slash to two back slashes all occurrences of a single forward slash to two back slashes I tried the following: perl" -p -i.orig -e "s#\\#\\\\