what does python return '' means? return all?

Question

What does Python return '' means in the follow code?

@register.simple_tag(takes_context=True)
def paginate(context, object_list, page_count):
    left = 3
    right = 3

    paginator = Paginator(object_list, page_count)
    page = context['request'].GET.get('page')

    try:
        object_list = paginator.page(page)
        context['current_page'] = int(page)
        pages = get_left(context['current_page'], left, paginator.num_pages) + get_right(context['current_page'], right,
                                                                                         paginator.num_pages)
    except PageNotAnInteger:
        object_list = paginator.page(1)
        context['current_page'] = 1
        pages = get_right(context['current_page'], right, paginator.num_pages)
    except EmptyPage:
        object_list = paginator.page(paginator.num_pages)
        context['current_page'] = paginator.num_pages
        pages = get_left(context['current_page'], left, paginator.num_pages)

    context['article_list'] = object_list
    context['pages'] = pages
    context['last_page'] = paginator.num_pages
    context['first_page'] = 1
    try:
        context['pages_first'] = pages[0]
        context['pages_last'] = pages[-1] + 1
    except IndexError:
        context['pages_first'] = 1
        context['pages_last'] = 2

    return ''

Answer 1

return '' is simply returning an empty string.

So with your function, if you did

example = paginate(context, object_list, page_count)

example would be a string, but one with nothing in it.

Similar to how name = '' is an empty variable.

If after assigning that to name, you tried print(name), you would simply get (if you were using a console on Linux and possibly windows) as new line printed, nothing more, possibly nothing less.