Hi all, i'm reading a python tutorial in Ubuntu's Full Circle Magazine and i've found this strange use of %s: sql = "SELECT pkid,name,source,servings FROM Recipes WHERE name like '%%%s% %'" %response response is a string. I've newbie in sql. why do the coder use %%%s%% instead of a simple %s? why he also use the ''? thanks in advance for you attention/replies Nico