Python Forum

I am studying now about importing modules. Of course I started with the basics. I am running the latest version of Python on Windows 8.1.
Here is my sample code written on the shell:

import os
os.chdir("C:\Users\User\Desktop\Projects")

However, I always get this error message:

Error:
 SyntaxError: (unicode error) 'unicodeescape' codec can't decode bytes in position 2-3: truncated \UXXXXXXXX escape 

Any suggestions of resolving this?

Backslashes in string indicate special characters. \U indicates a unicode character. There are many possible solutions for this:

• Put an r before the string (r'String\With\Backslashes'). That creates a raw string literal, that treats backslashes as plain characters.
  
• Double backslash in a normal string is treated as a single backslash ('String\\With\\Backslashes').
  
• Use Unix-style forward slashes. Python will translate it to the relevant file system syntax and it won't cause problems with special characters.