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PYTHON

07
CHAPTER
ACTIVE

Input & Output in Python

Input and output (I/O) operations are the foundation of interactive programming. They allow your programs to communicate with users, receive data, display results, and create engaging experiences. Python provides simple yet powerful tools for handling I/O operations.

Understanding Input/Output

DEFINITION
Input/Output (I/O)
The communication between a computer program and the outside world. Input receives data from users or external sources, while output displays or sends data to users or external destinations.

In Python, the two primary functions for basic I/O are print() for output and input() for receiving user input. These functions form the backbone of user interaction in console-based programs.

The print() function is your primary tool for displaying output to the user. It's versatile, supporting multiple arguments, custom separators, and formatting options.

PYTHON
# Basic print usage
print("Hello, World!")
print("Welcome to Python programming!")

# Printing variables
name = "Alice"
age = 25
print(name)
print(age)

# Printing multiple items
print("Name:", name, "Age:", age)
print("The answer is", 42)

# Using different separators
print("apple", "banana", "cherry", sep=", ")  # apple, banana, cherry
print("2024", "12", "25", sep="-")            # 2024-12-25
print("Loading", ".", ".", ".", sep="")       # Loading...

# Controlling the end character
print("Processing", end="...")
print("Done!")  # ProcessingDone!

print("Line 1", end="\n")
print("Line 2")  # Normal newline behavior

# Printing to different outputs (advanced)
import sys
print("Error message", file=sys.stderr)
print("Normal output", file=sys.stdout)

The input() Function

The input() function pauses program execution and waits for the user to type something and press Enter. It always returns a string, regardless of what the user types.

PYTHON
# Basic input
name = input("What is your name? ")
print("Hello,", name)

# Input always returns a string
age_str = input("How old are you? ")
print("Type of age_str:", type(age_str))  # <class 'str'>

# Converting input to numbers
age = int(input("Enter your age: "))
height = float(input("Enter your height in feet: "))

print(f"You are {age} years old and {height} feet tall.")

# Handling input conversion safely
try:
    number = int(input("Enter a number: "))
    print(f"Your number squared is {number ** 2}")
except ValueError:
    print("That wasn&apos;t a valid number!")

# Multiple inputs on one line
full_name = input("Enter your first and last name: ")
first, last = full_name.split()
print(f"First: {first}, Last: {last}")

# Getting multiple values
print("Enter three numbers separated by spaces:")
numbers = input().split()
num1, num2, num3 = map(int, numbers)
print(f"Sum: {num1 + num2 + num3}")
FUN FACT

The input() function in Python 3.x always returns a string. Even if the user types "123", you get the string "123", not the number 123. This is different from Python 2.x, where there were separate input() and raw_input() functions.

Formatting Output

Python offers several ways to format output, making your programs more professional and user-friendly. Modern Python favors f-strings for their simplicity and readability.

PYTHON
# F-string formatting (Python 3.6+)
name = "Bob"
score = 95.5
percentage = 0.875

print(f"Student: {name}")
print(f"Score: {score}")
print(f"Percentage: {percentage:.1%}")  # 87.5%

# Formatting numbers
price = 29.99
quantity = 3
total = price * quantity

print(f"Item price: ${price:.2f}")
print(f"Quantity: {quantity}")
print(f"Total: ${total:.2f}")

# Alignment and padding
items = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"]
prices = [1.20, 0.50, 2.30]

print("ITEM        PRICE")
print("-" * 15)
for item, price in zip(items, prices):
    print(f"{item:<10} ${price:>5.2f}")

# Using .format() method
template = "Hello, {}! You scored {} out of {}."
message = template.format("Alice", 18, 20)
print(message)

# Named placeholders
info = "Name: {name}, Grade: {grade}".format(name="Charlie", grade="A")
print(info)

# Older % formatting (still sometimes used)
print("Hello, %s! You are %d years old." % ("David", 30))

Building Interactive Programs

Combining input and output creates interactive programs that respond to user actions. Here are practical examples of interactive programming patterns.

PYTHON
# Simple calculator
print("=== Simple Calculator ===")
num1 = float(input("Enter first number: "))
operator = input("Enter operator (+, -, *, /): ")
num2 = float(input("Enter second number: "))

if operator == "+":
    result = num1 + num2
elif operator == "-":
    result = num1 - num2
elif operator == "*":
    result = num1 * num2
elif operator == "/":
    if num2 != 0:
        result = num1 / num2
    else:
        print("Error: Cannot divide by zero!")
        result = None
else:
    print("Error: Invalid operator!")
    result = None

if result is not None:
    print(f"Result: {num1} {operator} {num2} = {result}")

# User registration form
print("\n=== User Registration ===")
print("Please fill out the following information:")

first_name = input("First Name: ")
last_name = input("Last Name: ")
email = input("Email: ")
age = int(input("Age: "))

print("\n--- Registration Summary ---")
print(f"Name: {first_name} {last_name}")
print(f"Email: {email}")
print(f"Age: {age}")

confirm = input("\nIs this information correct? (yes/no): ")
if confirm.lower() in ["yes", "y"]:
    print("Registration completed successfully!")
else:
    print("Registration cancelled.")

# Quiz program
print("\n=== Python Quiz ===")
score = 0
total_questions = 3

print("Question 1: What is the result of 5 + 3?")
answer1 = input("Your answer: ")
if answer1 == "8":
    print("Correct!")
    score += 1
else:
    print("Incorrect. The answer is 8.")

print("\nQuestion 2: What data type is 'Hello'?")
answer2 = input("Your answer: ")
if answer2.lower() == "string" or answer2.lower() == "str":
    print("Correct!")
    score += 1
else:
    print("Incorrect. The answer is string (or str).")

print("\nQuestion 3: What is 10 / 3 in Python?")
answer3 = input("Your answer: ")
if answer3.startswith("3.33"):
    print("Correct!")
    score += 1
else:
    print("Incorrect. The answer is approximately 3.333...")

print(f"\n--- Quiz Results ---")
print(f"You scored {score} out of {total_questions}")
percentage = (score / total_questions) * 100
print(f"Percentage: {percentage:.1f}%")

Best Practices

Following best practices for input and output makes your programs more robust, user-friendly, and professional.

  • Clear prompts: Always provide clear, descriptive prompts for user input
  • Input validation: Check and validate user input before using it
  • Error handling: Use try-except blocks for type conversions
  • Consistent formatting: Use f-strings for modern, readable string formatting
  • User feedback: Provide feedback for user actions and errors
PYTHON
# Example of best practices
def get_positive_number(prompt):
    """Get a positive number from user with validation."""
    while True:
        try:
            value = float(input(prompt))
            if value > 0:
                return value
            else:
                print("Please enter a positive number.")
        except ValueError:
            print("Please enter a valid number.")

def get_yes_no(prompt):
    """Get a yes/no response from user."""
    while True:
        response = input(prompt).lower().strip()
        if response in ["yes", "y", "1", "true"]:
            return True
        elif response in ["no", "n", "0", "false"]:
            return False
        else:
            print("Please enter yes or no.")

# Using the helper functions
print("=== Loan Calculator ===")
principal = get_positive_number("Enter loan amount: $")
rate = get_positive_number("Enter interest rate (%): ") / 100
years = get_positive_number("Enter loan term (years): ")

monthly_rate = rate / 12
num_payments = years * 12
monthly_payment = principal * (monthly_rate * (1 + monthly_rate)**num_payments) / ((1 + monthly_rate)**num_payments - 1)

print(f"\n--- Loan Details ---")
print(f"Loan Amount: ${principal:,.2f}")
print(f"Interest Rate: {rate:.2%}")
print(f"Term: {years:.0f} years")
print(f"Monthly Payment: ${monthly_payment:,.2f}")

show_schedule = get_yes_no("Show payment schedule? (yes/no): ")
if show_schedule:
    print("\nPayment schedule feature coming soon!")
else:
    print("Thank you for using the loan calculator!")

Mastering input and output is essential for creating interactive Python programs. These skills enable you to build everything from simple calculators to complex user interfaces, making your programs truly useful and engaging for users.