Backslash

\

The backslash ( English , composed of: back = backwards and slash = slash) - more rarely also return , backslash , backslash, backslash, "left-sided", "reverse" or " backslash " called - is the character "\".

The backslash is on the German keyboard on the same key as the ß (Eszett) and can be generated with the key combination Alt Gr + ß. On the Swiss keyboard it is next to the character <. In the case of an Apple keyboard under Mac OS , it is reached, in addition to other options and using a suitable (e.g. German) keyboard layout, using the Alt+ ⇧+ combination 7.

Under DOS and Microsoft Windows it is the separator of directories in a path specification; however, under Korean locale the separator is shown as ₩ (won character) or under Japanese locale as ¥ (yen character) instead of \. In addition, \ also stands for the root directory under DOS and Windows.

In some programming languages , such as C , C ++, and related languages, the backslash is used as an escape character to represent special characters (for example, “ \n” for a line break), and under Visual Basic it performs an integer division. In the Unix shell and some other line-oriented programming languages, the backslash is used to mask special characters. For example, at the end of a line, the line break is masked by the entry, thus combining several lines of text into one logical line. In Haskell , the backslash is used because of its similarity to the Greek letter lambda (λ) to mark an anonymous function , also known as a lambda function or lambda expression.

The inclusion in the ASCII standard (position 92 decimal) was suggested by Bob Bemer . The backslash serves as a separator as it rarely occurs in texts.

In set theory , a backslash is used as a symbol to form a difference set . means for example "A without B". In Unicode there is a separate character U + 2216 (Set Minus) "∖" for the difference quantity symbol. ${\displaystyle A\setminus B}$

Representation in computer systems

Surname	character	Unicode		HTML		TeX
		position	Surname	hexadecimal	decimal	plain TeX	Latex
Backslash	\	U + 005C	Reverse solidus	\	\	$\backslash$	\textbackslash
Backslash as a combining symbol	◌⃥	U + 20E5	Combining reverse solidus overlay	⃥
Difference set sign	∖	U + 2216	Set minus	∖	∖	\setminus
Diagonal line top left – bottom right	╲	U + 2572	Box drawings light diagonal upper left to lower right	╲
Operator backslash	⧵	U + 29F5	Reverse solidus operator	⧵
Backslash with horizontal line	⧷	U + 29F7	Reverse solidus with horizontal stroke	⧷
Big backslash	⧹	U + 29F9	Big reverse solidus	⧹
Small backslash	﹨	U + FE68	Small reverse solidus	﹨
Full-width backslash	＼	U + FF3C	Fullwidth reverse solidus	＼

Backslash in local public transport

In local public transport in certain cities, a backslash after the line number is used to identify so-called crossed lines . This is especially true in older matrix or flip dot displays , which are actually meant strikethrough line number because of their coarse resolution can not display. An example of this is the Belgian city of Liege .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Backslash . Duden online -
2. ↑ Bob Bemer: How ASCII Got its Backslash . ( Memento of the original from November 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ^ Line 65 \ in Liège
4. ^ Line 65 \ in Liège