Why does the input function always return a string?

Question

If I have such a simple code

varry = 1
print(type(varry))

it gives me - class 'int'

But if I have this:

varry = input()
print(type(varry))

And I type 1, it gives me class 'str'

Tell me please - why is it so and how should I write a program so that it defines a variable I enter correctly as int, str or float?

The input() function will return whatever is entered as a string. — vielkind
– vielkind, Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 16:44

ForceBru · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-22 16:42:30Z

3

What you input to your program is always of type str. if you want Python to deduce the type of the input itself, use data = eval(input()) or, for more safety:

import ast 
data = ast.literal_eval(input())

answered Aug 22, 2018 at 16:42

ForceBru

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2 Comments

Uk rain troll Over a year ago

It works, thank you! But if I enter a string without "". like just an apple and not an "apple", it tells me "NameError: name 'apple' is not defined". While I enter "apple", it says class 'str'

ForceBru Over a year ago

apple is not a string, according to Python's syntax, while "apple" is.

natonomo · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-22 16:43:50Z

3

The built-in function input always returns a string, regardless of whether that string might be comprised of solely numerical characters. If you are sure the result can represent a number, then convert it:

varry = int(input())

Now the type of varry will be int, assuming this conversion doesn't raise a ValueError

answered Aug 22, 2018 at 16:43

natonomo

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Comments

Anandhu · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-22 16:40:06Z

0

varry = int(input())

print(type(varry))

You have to convert it to int using int() method

answered Aug 22, 2018 at 16:40

Anandhu

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2 Comments

Uk rain troll Over a year ago

The thing is - I want it to define what variables is entered. Like I dunno it in advance.

Anandhu Over a year ago

In python the type of a variable changes with assignment. If varry="hello" it is a string and in the next statement varry=7 it is of type int. I'm not sure about your intent.

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