Accepting text input

[Collin]

I'm pretty new to Python, but this has really bugged me. I can't find a
way around it.


The problem is that, when I use raw_input("sajfasjdf") whatever, or
input("dsjfadsjfa"), you can only have numerical values as answers.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Collin]

I'm pretty new to Python, but this has really bugged me. I can't find a
way around it.


The problem is that, when I use raw_input("sajfasjdf") whatever, or
input("dsjfadsjfa"), you can only have numerical values as answers.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Oh, wow. I feel so stupid. Please disregard this message. <_<

I read the error message just now a bit more carefully, and I tried
something. I tried defining "yes" as some random numerical value. Then
when I did:
(example code)

yes = 123123983 #some number
test = input("Test test test ")
if test == yes:
print "It worked."
else:
print "failed"

(example code off)

Collin

 

[Gabriel Genellina]

Oh, wow. I feel so stupid. Please disregard this message. <_<

No need to apologize...

I read the error message just now a bit more carefully, and I tried
something. I tried defining "yes" as some random numerical value. Then
when I did:
(example code)

yes = 123123983 #some number
test = input("Test test test ")
if test == yes:
print "It worked."
else:
print "failed"

(example code off)

The usual way for Python<3.0 is:

answer = raw_input("Test test test ").lower()
if answer == "yes":
...

The input() function evaluates user input as an expression: if he types 2+5 the input() function returns the integer 7. I would never use input() in a program - it's way too unsafe; use always raw_input instead.

 

[Collin]

No need to apologize...


The usual way for Python<3.0 is:

answer = raw_input("Test test test ").lower()
if answer == "yes":
...

The input() function evaluates user input as an expression: if he types 2+5 the input() function returns the integer 7. I would never use input() in a program - it's way too unsafe; use always raw_input instead.

If I use it like that, do I have to import anything to have the .lower()
work? And if I do, what does the .lower() signify?

 

[Kam-Hung Soh]

If I use it like that, do I have to import anything to have the .lower()
work? And if I do, what does the .lower() signify?

You don't need to import any module to use ".lower()"; it is a method of a
string. raw_input() returns a string, so you can use methods of a string.

Try the following statement to see what happens:
"ABCDE".lower()

 

[Collin]

You don't need to import any module to use ".lower()"; it is a method of
a string. raw_input() returns a string, so you can use methods of a
string.

Try the following statement to see what happens:
"ABCDE".lower()

So the .lower() string method is just to convert the string to lowercase
letters so that you don't have to type a bunch of if - then statements
in both cases, I'm assuming?

 

[John Salerno]

So the .lower() string method is just to convert the string to lowercase
letters so that you don't have to type a bunch of if - then statements
in both cases, I'm assuming?

You can also type:

dir(str)

to get a list of all the methods you can call on a string object. If you see anything interesting, then type:

help(str.<method_name>) # e.g. help(str.split)

to find out how it works.

 

[Kam-Hung Soh]

So the .lower() string method is just to convert the string to lowercase
letters so that you don't have to type a bunch of if - then statements
in both cases, I'm assuming?

That's right. If you normalize your input to all lower case or upper
case, you make it easier to process user input.

Regards,