Summary: The key differences between raw_input() and input() functions are the following:
raw_input()can be used only in Python 2.x and is obsolete in Python 3.x and above and has been renamedinput()- In Python 2.x,
raw_input()returns a string whereasinput()returns result of an evaluation. While in Python 3.xinput()returns a string but can be converted to another type like a number.
Overview
Before looking at the differences between raw_input() and 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 raw_input() and input() functions to accept user inputs.
Example: The following program is an example to accept user input in Python:
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
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 input() and raw_input() functions. So let us jump into the mission-critical question:
Problem: What is difference between raw_input() and 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() | ◆ 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. | ◆ raw_input() is obsolete and no longer a part of Python 3.x and above.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 | ◆ In Python 3.x, raw_input() has been replaced by input(). This means that the input() function performs the same operation in Python 3.x as raw_input() used to do in Python 2. Thus input() accepts and returns a string in Python 3.x and above. |
Examples
Python 2.x
✎ input() function
a = raw_input("What is your name? ")
print "Name: %s" %a)
b = raw_input(" Enter a mathematical expression: ")
print Output": %d", %bOutput
What is your name? Finxter Name: Finxter Enter a mathematical expression: 2+5 Output: 2+5
✎ raw_input() function
a = input("Enter Your Full Name: ")
print "Name: %s " %a
b = input("Enter a Mathematical Expression: ")
print "Output: %d" %bOutput
Enter Your Full Name: 'Finxter Shubham' Name: Finxter Shubham Enter a Mathematical Expression: 5**2 Output: 25
Python 3.x And Above
✎ input() function
a = input("What is your name? ")
print("Name: ", a)
b = input("Enter a mathematical expression: ")
print("Output: ", b)Output
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 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
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:
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 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 at this article.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the key differences between input() and 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 input() and raw_input() have been clarified after reading this article.
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