[Tut] Python raw_input() vs input()

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Python raw_input() vs input()

Summary: The key differences between

Code:

raw_input()

and

Code:

input()

functions are :

• Code:

  raw_input()
  can be used only in Python 2.x and is obsolete in python 3.x and above and has been renamed
  Code:

  input()
  
  
• In Python 2.x,
  Code:

  raw_input()
  returns a string whereas
  Code:

  input()
  returns result of an evaluation. While in Python 3.x
  Code:

  input()
  returns a string but can be converted to another type like a number.
  

Overview

Before looking at the differences between

Code:

raw_input()

and

Code:

input()

, let us understand why we need them?

A user-friendly code is one that is interactive. To make a code interactive instead of hard coding values, a developer/programmer must aim to allow the user to input their own values into the program. We use the

Code:

raw_input()

and

Code:

input()

functions to accept user inputs.

Example: The following program is an example to accept user input in Python:

Code:

name = input("Please enter your full name: ") age = input("Please enter your age: ") # In Python2.x use raw_input() instead print("Name: ", name) print("Age: ", age)

Output

Code:

Please enter your full name: FINXTER Please enter your age: 25 Name: FINXTER Age: 25

In this article, we shall be discussing the key differences between the

Code:

input()

and

Code:

raw_input()

functions. So let us jump into the mission-critical question:

Problem: What is difference between

Code:

raw_input()

and

Code:

input()

in python?

Let us have an in-depth look at each difference one by one:

Existential Difference

raw_input() |
input()

Inbuilt function present only in Python 2.x and is not a part of Python 3.x |
Inbuilt function present in both, Python 2.x and Python 3.x

Functional Difference Based on Python Versions

  |
Python 2.x |
Python 3.x

raw_input() |
◆

Code:

raw_input()

accepts input as it is, i.e. exactly as the input has been entered by the user and returns a string.

◆ Since it accepts the input as it is, it does not expect the input to be syntactically correct.   |
◆

Code:

raw_input()

is obsolete and no longer a part of Python 3.x and above.

input() |
◆input() accepts the input from the user as a statement or expression and returns the output after evaluating the input. In other words, it accepts the user entry as raw_input(), performs an eval() on it, and then returns the result as output.

◆ It expects a syntactically correct input (statement/expression) from the user. |
◆ In Python 3.x,

Code:

raw_input()

has been replaced byinput(). This means that the input() function performs the same operation in Python 3.x as

Code:

raw_input()

used to do in Python 2.  

Thus

Code:

input()

accepts and returns a string in Python 3.x and above.   

Examples

Python 2.x

✎ input() function

Code:

a = raw_input("What is your name? ") print "Name: %s" %a) b = raw_input(" Enter a mathematical expression: ") print Output": %d", %b

Output

Code:

What is your name? Finxter Name: Finxter Enter a mathematical expression: 2+5 Output: 2+5

✎ raw_input() function

Code:

a = input("Enter Your Full Name: ") print "Name: %s " %a b = input("Enter a Mathematical Expression: ") print "Output: %d" %b

Output

Code:

Enter Your Full Name: 'Finxter Shubham' Name: Finxter Shubham Enter a Mathematical Expression: 5**2 Output: 25

Python 3.x And Above

✎ input() function

Code:

a = input("What is your name? ") print("Name: ", a) b = input("Enter a mathematical expression: ") print("Output: ", b)

Output

Code:

What is your name? Finxter Shubham Name: Finxter Shubham Enter a mathematical expression: 3+5 Output: 3+5

Trivia

If you want to implement or leverage the functionality of

Code:

input()

of Python 2.x in Python 3.x and evaluate the statement entered by the user, you can use one of the following procedures:

• Type Conversion : int(input(“Enter value”))
  
  
• Using eval(input(“Enter Value”))
  

Example

Code:

a = int(input("Enter first number: ")) b = int(input("Enter second number: ")) print("Addition: ", a+b) x = eval(input("Enter a mathematical expression: ")) print("Result: ", x)

Output:

Code:

Enter first number: 25 Enter second number: 75 Addition: 100 Enter a mathematical expression: 10**2 Result: 100

But you must avoid the usage of

Code:

eval()

function unless necessary because it has a severe drawback.

I would strongly recommend you to read this article in connection with this topic. It will help you have a broader understanding of this concept. Also, if you are wondering about the version of python installed in your system, you may want to have a look atthis article.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the key differences between

Code:

input()

and

Code:

raw_input()

in terms of their functionality and existence in different versions of python along with their examples. I hope all your doubts regarding the difference between

Code:

input()

and

Code:

raw_input()

have been clarified after reading this article.

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