How to Take Input in Python

In this post, you’ll learn how to take input in Python. Let’s get right in!

In Python, you can take input from the user using the input() function. The input() function reads a line of text entered by the user from the keyboard and returns it as a string. Here’s how you can use it:

# Basic input example
user_input = input("Enter something: ")  # The text inside the parentheses is the prompt
print(f'You entered: {user_input}')

In this example, the input() function displays the prompt (“Enter something: “) in the command line, and the user can type in their input. Whatever the user enters is stored as a string in the variable user_input, which you can then use in your program.

Taking numeric input in Python

It’s important to note that input() always returns a string. If you want to work with numeric values, you’ll need to convert the string to the appropriate data type (e.g., int or float) using functions like int() or float(). Like below:

user_input = int(input("Enter an integer: "))

Here’s another more complex example of converting user input to an integer:

user_input = input("Enter an integer: ")
try:
    integer_value = int(user_input)
    print("You entered:", integer_value)
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid input. Please enter a valid integer.")

This code attempts to convert the user’s input to an integer. If the input is not a valid integer, a ValueError exception will be raised, and you can handle it as needed.