python - if x == '' wont register when reading from file -

trying program split lines 3 rows file , apply "if row1 == x:" add existing class. thats not problem, ive gotten work, except when row1 ''. tried changing input file ' ', '*', , 'k' (and on), nothing worked. thing lines in input file reads: 1234565,'streetadress1','streetadress2' lines there no streetadress1 ''. program has no problem identifying number or 'streetadress2'.

class adress(object): def __init__(self,street,ykord,xkord):     self.street = street     self.ykord = ykord     self.xkord = xkord     self.connected = []     self.anlid = []     self.distances = []     self.parent = []     self.child =[]   def set_connections(self):     input_file = open("kopplingar2.txt")     temp = input_file.read().splitlines()     l in temp:         row = l.split(',')         identity = row[0]         streeta = row[1]         streetb = row[2]         if streeta == self.street:             diction = {'street':streetb, 'identity':identity}             self.child.append(diction)         elif streeta == '':             self.anlid.append(identity)             print 'poop!'         elif streetb == self.street , streeta != '':             diction = {'street':streeta, 'identity':identity}             self.parent.append(diction)             print streeta 

the 'print poop' see if ever occur, doesnt. should 400 lines of poop result since 75% of lines in inputfile contain ''.

i have no idea why working other rows not row1 (except '' instead of full string).

'' empty string in python. if need compare value string consisting of 2 apostrophe characters, need write streeta = "''".