syntaxerror lambda cannot contain assignment

• SyntaxError: cannot assign to expression here. Maybe you meant '==' instead of '='?

Last updated: Apr 8, 2024 Reading time · 6 min

# Table of Contents

• SyntaxError: cannot assign to literal here (Python)

Note: If you got the error: "SyntaxError: cannot assign to literal here" , click on the second subheading.

# SyntaxError: cannot assign to expression here. Maybe you meant '==' instead of '='?

The Python "SyntaxError: cannot assign to expression here. Maybe you meant '==' instead of '='?" occurs when we have an expression on the left-hand side of an assignment.

To solve the error, specify the variable name on the left and the expression on the right-hand side.

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

# Don't use hyphens in variable names

If this is how you got the error, use an underscore instead of a hyphen.

The name of a variable must start with a letter or an underscore.

A variable name can contain alpha-numeric characters ( a-z , A-Z , 0-9 ) and underscores _ .

Variable names cannot contain any other characters than the aforementioned.

# Don't use expressions on the left-hand side of an assignment

Here is another example of how the error occurs.

We have an expression on the left-hand side which is not allowed.

The variable name has to be specified on the left-hand side, and the expression on the right-hand side.

Now that the division is moved to the right-hand side, the error is resolved.

# Use double equals (==) when comparing values

If you mean to compare two values, use the double equals (==) sign.

Notice that we use double equals == when comparing two values and a single equal = sign for assignment.

Double equals (==) is used for comparison and single equals (=) is used for assignment.

If you use a single equal (=) sign when comparing values, the error is raised.

# Declaring a dictionary

If you get the error when declaring a variable that stores a dictionary, use the following syntax.

Notice that each key and value are separated by a colon and each key-value pair is separated by a comma.

The error is sometimes raised if you have a missing comma between the key-value pairs of a dictionary.

# SyntaxError: cannot assign to literal here (Python)

The Python "SyntaxError: cannot assign to literal here. Maybe you meant '==' instead of '='?" occurs when we try to assign to a literal (e.g. a string or a number).

To solve the error, specify the variable name on the left and the value on the right-hand side of the assignment.

Here are 2 examples of how the error occurs.

Literal values are strings, integers, booleans and floating-point numbers.

# Variable names on the left and values on the right-hand side

When declaring a variable make sure the variable name is on the left-hand side and the value is on the right-hand side of the assignment ( = ).

Notice that variable names should be wrapped in quotes as that is a string literal.

The string "name" is always going to be equal to the string "name" , and the number 100 is always going to be equal to the number 100 , so we cannot assign a value to a literal.

# A variable is a container that stores a specific value

You can think of a variable as a container that stores a specific value.

Variable names should not be wrapped in quotes.

# Declaring multiple variables on the same line

If you got the error while declaring multiple variables on the same line, use the following syntax.

The variable names are still on the left, and the values are on the right-hand side.

You can also use a semicolon to declare multiple variables on the same line.

However, this is uncommon and unnecessary.

# Performing an equality comparison

If you meant to perform an equality comparison, use double equals.

We use double equals == for comparison and single equals = for assignment.

If you need to check if a value is less than or equal to another, use <= .

Similarly, if you need to check if a value is greater than or equal to another, use >= operator.

Make sure you don't use a single equals = sign to compare values because single equals = is used for assignment and not for comparison.

# Assigning to a literal in a for loop

The error also occurs if you try to assign a value to a literal in a for loop by mistake.

Notice that we wrapped the item variable in quotes which makes it a string literal.

Instead, remove the quotes to declare the variable correctly.

Now we declared an item variable that gets set to the current list item on each iteration.

# Using a dictionary

If you meant to declare a dictionary, use curly braces.

A dictionary is a mapping of key-value pairs.

You can use square brackets if you need to add a key-value pair to a dictionary.

If you need to iterate over a dictionary, use a for loop with dict.items() .

The dict.items method returns a new view of the dictionary's items ((key, value) pairs).

# Valid variable names in Python

Note that variable names cannot start with numbers or be wrapped in quotes.

Variable names in Python are case-sensitive.

The 2 variables in the example are completely different and are stored in different locations in memory.

# Additional Resources

You can learn more about the related topics by checking out the following tutorials:

• SyntaxError: cannot assign to function call here in Python

Borislav Hadzhiev

Web Developer

Copyright © 2024 Borislav Hadzhiev

Understanding and Avoiding Syntax Errors in Python Dictionaries

In Python, there are three main types of errors: Syntax errors, Runtime errors, and Logical errors. Syntax errors can include system errors and name errors. System errors occur when the interpreter encounters extraneous tabs and spaces, given that proper indentation is essential for separating blocks of code in Python. Name errors arise when variables are misspelled, and the interpreter can’t find the specified variable within the code’s scope.

Syntax errors are raised when the Python interpreter fails to understand the given commands by the programmer. In other words, when you make any spelling mistake or typos in your code, it will most definitely raise a syntax error.

It can also be raised when defining data types. For example, if you miss the last curly bracket, “}” when defining a dictionary or capitalize the “P” while trying to print an output, it will inevitably raise a syntax error or an exception.

In this article, we will take a look at one of the most common syntax errors. When trying to define dictionaries, there shouldn’t be any assignment operator, i.e., “=” between keys and values. Instead, you should put a colon , “:” between the two.

Let’s look at the root of the above problem followed by it’s solution.

Similar: Syntax Error: EOL while scanning string literal.

Causes of Syntax Errors in Python Dictionaries

Python’s syntax errors can happen for many reasons, like using tabs and spaces incorrectly, spelling variables wrong, using operators the wrong way, or declaring things incorrectly. One common mistake is defining dictionaries wrongly by using “=” instead of “:” between keys and values. Fixing these issues usually means double-checking that everything is spelled right and that you are using things like colons, semicolons, and underscores properly.

There can be numerous reasons why you might encounter a syntax error in python. Some of them are:

• When a keyword is misspelled.
• If there are missing parenthesis when using functions, print statements, or when colons are missing at the end of for or while loops and other characters such as missing underscores(__) from def __innit__() functions.
• Wrong operators that might be present at the wrong place.
• When the variable declared is wrong or misspelled.

Differentiating between ‘=’ and ‘==’ in context of Python Dictionaries

In Python and many other programming languages, the single equals sign “=” denotes assignment, where a variable is given a specific value. In contrast, the double equals sign “==” is used to check for equality between two values or variables.

For example, if there are two variables, namely. ‘a’ and ‘b’ in your code, and you want to assign the integer values of 10 and 20 to each, respectively. In this case, you’ll need to use the assignment operator, that is, a single equal to sign(=) in your code in the following way:

But instead, if we want to check whether the values assigned to ‘a’ and ‘b’ are equal using an “if” statement, we will use the double equal to sign (==) such as,

Syntax Rules for Python Dictionaries

In Python, dictionaries are a unique type of data-storing variables. They are ordered and mutable in nature unlike lists. They are assigned in pairs, in the form of keys and values. Each element in a dictionary is indexed by its’ keys. Each value is accessed by keeping track of its respective key. There should be a colon”:” separating the value from its respective key. They are represented by curly braces ‘{}’. Each key and value pair can be separated from one another with commas ‘,’.

They can be assigned in the following manner:

our_dictionary= {"key1": "value1", "key2":"value2", "key3":"value3",....}

Do check out: [SOLVED] ‘Unexpected Keyword Argument’ TypeError in Python .

Reproducing the Syntax Error: expression cannot contain assignment, perhaps you meant “==”?

In this case, the problem might arise when instead of using a colon “:”, the interpreter encounters an assignment operator. There is a built in function in Python that can explicitly convert data into dictionaries called dict(). But this function might also cause this problem when the identifier is wrong or when there are other syntax mistakes in the code, such as missing parenthesis at the end of a statement.

The error is shown below:

Mitigating Syntax Errors in Python Dictionaries

The only straight forward solution to this problem is making sure you spell the keywords and in built functions correctly and remember to use the identifiers such as colons, semicolons and underscores properly.

Try to avoid using the dict() function for creating dictionaries. Instead, use curly braces as much as possible. If using the function is a necessity, make sure you don’t use the assignment operator incorrectly and use parentheses where necessary.

In the following code, there are no exceptions raised because the syntax is correct and the variable has been assigned correctly.

Nowadays, there are built in syntax detectors in IDEs and editors which can highlight syntax errors like this one. You can also use a debugger if necessary.

Key Takeaways: Avoiding Syntax Errors in Python Dictionaries

Having dived into the causes and solutions of Python’s syntax errors, we hope this equips you to write more efficient, error-free code. The intricacies of Python dictionaries need not be a source of worry. With the right practices, you can avoid these errors, optimizing your code and enriching your programming journey.

How will this knowledge influence your approach to using Python dictionaries in future projects?

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Assignment OR expressions fail on using lambda expressions #95788

tomlin7 commented Aug 8, 2022 • edited Loading

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saito828koki commented Aug 8, 2022 • edited Loading

Sorry, something went wrong.

tomlin7 commented Aug 9, 2022

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