title: Python: Read configuration file with multiple lines per key
body: <p>I am writing a small DB test suite, which reads configuration files with queries and expected results, e.g.:</p>
  
  <pre><code>query         = "SELECT * from cities WHERE name='Unknown';"
  count         = 0
  level         = 1
  name          = "Check for cities whose name should be null"
  suggested_fix = "UPDATE cities SET name=NULL WHERE name='Unknown';"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This works well; I divide each line using Python's <code>string.partition('=')</code>.</p>
  
  <p>My problem is very long SQL queries. Currently, I just paste these queries as a one-liner, which is ugly and unmaintainable. </p>
  
  <p>I want to find an elegant, Pythonic way to read the right of an expression, even if spans over many lines. </p>
  
  <p>Notes:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>my SQL queries might contain the <code>=</code></li>
  <li>I don't fancy the idea of forcing <code>"</code>s around the right hand side, because there are many existing files without it.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p>
  
  <p><a href="http://docs.python.org/library/configparser.html" rel="noreferrer">ConfigParser</a> is great, but it forces me to add a space or tab at the beginning of every line in a multiline entry. This might be a great pain.</p>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance,</p>
  
  <p>Adam</p>