Get a list as input from user in Python
In Python, getting a list as input means a program should prompt the user to enter multiple values during execution, and these values should be captured and stored in a Python list data structure.
Using Split() method
input() function can be combined with split() to accept multiple elements in a single line and store them in a list. The split() method separates input based on spaces and returns a list.
Example: This code takes a single line of input from the user and splits it into a list of strings.
li = input("Enter elements separated by space: ").split()
print("List:", li)
Output
Enter elements separated by space: 1 2 3 4 5
List: ['1', '2', '3', '4', '5']
Explanation:
- input() collects the user input as a string.
- .split() divides the string into parts wherever there is a space.
- The result is stored as a list of strings.
Using a Loop
This method lets users add one element at a time, it is ideal when the size of the list is fixed or predefined. Here we are using a loop to repeatedly take input and append it to the list.
Example: This code uses a loop to take n inputs from the user and appends each to a list.
a = []
n = int(input("Enter the number of elements: "))
for i in range(n):
element = input(f"Enter element {i+1}: ")
a.append(element)
print("List:", a)
Output
Enter the number of elements: 3
Enter element 1: Python
Enter element 2 : is
Enter element 3: fun
List: ['Python', 'is', 'fun']
Explanation:
- int(input()) converts the number of elements to an integer.
- The for loop repeats input collection n times.
- append() adds each element to the list.
Using map()
When your list contains numbers, you can combine split() with map() to automatically convert input to integers (or floats).
Example: This code takes a single line of numeric input, splits it and converts all elements to integers.
li = list(map(int, input("Enter numbers separated by space: ").split()))
print("List:", li)
Output
Enter numbers separated by space: 1 2 3 4 5
List: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Explanation:
- map(int, ...) applies int() to every element of the list returned by split().
- Wrapping it with list() converts the map object into a proper list of integers.
Using List Comprehension
List comprehension provides a compact way to create a list from user input. Combines a loop and input() into a single line for it be concise and quick.
Example: This code uses list comprehension to collect n elements from the user in a single line of code.
n = int(input("Enter the number of elements: "))
a = [input(f"Enter element {i+1}: ") for i in range(n)]
print("List:", a)
Output
Enter the number of elements: 3
Enter element 1: dog
Enter element 2: cat
Enter element 3: bird
List: ['dog', 'cat', 'bird']
Explanation:
- [input(...) for i in range(n)] runs the input() function n times.
- Each input is automatically added to the list.
Accepting a Nested List
A nested list is a list that contains other lists as its elements. You can take a nested list as input by splitting the input string twice: once for sublists, and once for elements within each sublist.
Example: This code takes input for a nested list using commas for elements and semicolons for sublists.
li = [x.split(",") for x in input("Enter nested list (use commas and semicolons): ").split(";")]
print("Nested List:", li)
Output
Enter nested list (use commas and semicolons): 1,2,3;4,5;6,7,8
Nested List: [['1', '2', '3'], ['4', '5'], ['6', '7', '8']]
Explanation:
- Outer split(";") separates the input into sublists.
- Inner split(",") divides each sublist into individual elements.
- This is useful for matrices, grids or grouped data.
input() in Python
