Input and Interaction

input() is how a program listens. It shows a prompt, then stops and waits for the player to type and press Enter. Their answer gets stored in a variable, so the program can use it - their name, their guess, their choice - in what it does next. Keep in mind: input() always gives back text.

• Use input() to get an answer from the person running the program.
• Store an answer in a variable and use it later.
• Explain that the program pauses at input() until the user types something.
• Fix an input() line that is missing its quotation marks.

input()

A Python command that asks a question and waits for the user to type an answer.

prompt

The message input() shows to tell the user what to type.

user

The person using the program - in a game, the player.

Edit the starter code below and press Run to see it work. Use Reset starter code to go back to the original at any time.

Expected output

What should I call you? Alex
Nice to meet you, Alex.
What game are you into right now? soccer
soccer? Good pick. Soon we'll build one of our own.

Add one more question - maybe their favorite color or animal - and use the answer in the program's reply.

Running this causes an error before the question even shows up. The message inside input() is text for the user to read. What does every piece of text need around it?

Broken code

name = input(What should I call you? )

The prompt is text, so it needs quotation marks:
name = input("What should I call you? ")

Ask for the player's name and their favorite game, then print one sentence that uses both, like: Alex is ready to play soccer!

Last week your program always said the same thing. Now it answers you. What could you ask a player at the start of a game to make it feel like it is about them?

Facilitating this lesson? See the teacher & librarian guide for how to run it, common mistakes, and an offline backup activity.