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How do I Input a String From the User in Python?
In Python, there are several ways to input a string from the user. The most common method is by using the built-in function input(). This function allows the user to enter a string, which is then stored as a variable for use in the program.
Example
Here's an example of how to input a string from the user in Python −
# Define a variable to store the input
name = input("Please enter your name: ")
# Print the input
print("Hello, " + name + "! Good to see you.")
Output
The above code generates the following output for us −
Please enter your name: Max Hello, Max! Good to see you.
In the code above, we have,
Define a variable to store the input − name = input("Please enter your name: ")
In this step, a variable named "name" is created to store the input from the user.
Prompt the user to enter their name − input("Please enter your name: ")
The "input()" function is used to display a message to the user, asking them to enter their name. The message, "Please enter your name: ", is passed as an argument to the function.
Store the user's input in the "name" variable − name = ...
The result of the "input()" function call is stored in the "name" variable. This means that the user's input is now stored in the "name" variable, ready to be used.
Print the input − print("Hello, " + name + "! Good to see you.")
In this step, the "print()" function is used to display a message to the user, using the value stored in the "name" variable. The message, "Hello, [name]! Good to see you.", is passed as an argument to the function. The value of "name" is concatenated with the rest of the string using the "+" operator.
It's crucial to remember that the output of the "input()" function will always be a string, even if the user enters a numerical value. If you need to use the input as a number, you'll need to convert it to the appropriate data type (e.g. int or float).
Example
Here's an example of how to input a number from the user −
# Define a variable to store the input
age = int(input("Please enter your age: "))
# Print the input
print("Wow, you are " + str(age) + " years old!")
Output
The above code generates the following output for us −
Please enter your age: 24 Wow, you are 24 years old!
From the above code,
A variable named "age" is created to store the input from the user.
The message, "Please enter your age: ", is passed as an argument to the function.
Since the "input()" function always returns a string, we need to convert the user's input to an integer using the "int()" function. This allows us to store the user's input as a number, rather than a string.
The result of the "int()" function call is stored in the "age" variable.
The "print()" function is used to display a message to the user, using the value stored in the "age" variable. The message, "Wow, you are [age] years old!", is passed as an argument to the function. The value of "age" is first converted to a string using the "str()" function and then concatenated with the rest of the string using the "+" operator.
It's also possible to assign a default value to the input, in case the user doesn't provide any input. This can be done using the "or" operator and a default value −
Example
# Define a variable to store the input
name = input("Please enter your name (or press enter for default): ") or "Max"
# Print the input
print("Hello, " + name + "! Good to see you.")
Output
The above code generates the following output for us −
Please enter your name (or press enter for default): Hello, Max! Good to see you.
Here in the code above,
A variable named "name" is created to store the name input by the user.
The message, "Please enter your name (or press enter for default) − ", is passed as an argument to the function.
The or operator is used to set a default value for the name variable. If the user presses enter without entering a name, the input() function will return an empty string. If the user's input is an empty string, the or operator will evaluate to the default value, "Max".
The result of the input() function call, or the default value "Max" is stored in the name variable.
A personalized greeting is printed, using the name variable. The + operator is used to concatenate the string values, creating a single string to be printed.
Conclusion
To summarize, receiving a string from a user in Python is a simple task that can be accomplished by making use of the readily available "input()" method. Regardless of whether you need to collect a string or a numerical value, it is effortless to convert the input into a suitable data type and save it in a variable for future reference.
The "input()" method is a convenient tool for obtaining information from a user and storing it for later use in your code.
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