WxPython Ampersand Use

Question

What is the point of using the ampersand in wxPython? I see it in almost all the tutorials. For instance, they use:

    menubar.Append(fileMenu, '&File')

instead of:

    menubar.Append(fileMenu, 'File')

What is the difference? Should I always use the ampersand for naming?

Btw I found these examples from this famous wxPython Tutorial: http://zetcode.com/wxpython/menustoolbars/

Answer 1

The ampersand is to define a shortcut key. In your first example (i.e. "&File"), you can use 'Ctrl-F' to access the 'File' menu item