__repr__ should return something that when eval'ed yields an identical object (if possible). essentially it should represent the programmer/debug view of the object.
__str__ should mostly return a highly user-friendly string (note: str(obj) will use __repr__ if __str__ doesn't exist) you might also be interested in this thread covering the same topic: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/d10731049459726f/2a8f62f478057abd?q=python+__repr__+__str__+difference&rnum=6#2a8f62f478057abd thanks, Vikram -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
