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Python 3
raw_input
input function
Python programming
user input

How do I use raw_input in Python 3?

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Introduction

raw_input() does not exist in Python 3 — it was renamed to input(). In Python 2, raw_input() returned user input as a string, while input() evaluated the input as a Python expression (equivalent to eval(raw_input())). Python 3 removed this dangerous eval behavior and made input() behave like Python 2's raw_input(), always returning a string. If you are porting Python 2 code to Python 3, replace every raw_input() call with input(). For code that needs to run on both versions, use a compatibility shim.

Python 2 vs Python 3 Comparison

python
1# Python 2
2name = raw_input("Enter your name: ")   # Returns string
3age = input("Enter your age: ")          # DANGEROUS: evaluates as Python code!
4# If user types "42", age is the integer 42
5# If user types "__import__('os').system('rm -rf /')", it executes!
6
7# Python 3
8name = input("Enter your name: ")       # Returns string (safe)
9# raw_input("Enter your name: ")        # NameError: name 'raw_input' is not defined

Python 3's input() is always safe — it returns whatever the user types as a string, without evaluation.

Basic Usage of input() in Python 3

python
1# Simple string input
2name = input("What is your name? ")
3print(f"Hello, {name}!")
4
5# Input always returns a string
6age_str = input("How old are you? ")
7print(type(age_str))  # <class 'str'>
8
9# Convert to other types manually
10age = int(input("How old are you? "))
11height = float(input("Height in meters: "))
python
1# No prompt argument — blank prompt
2data = input()  # Waits for input with no message displayed
3
4# Multi-word input
5sentence = input("Enter a sentence: ")
6words = sentence.split()
7print(f"You entered {len(words)} words")

Type Conversion Patterns

python
1# Integer input with error handling
2while True:
3    try:
4        age = int(input("Enter your age: "))
5        break
6    except ValueError:
7        print("Please enter a valid number")
8
9# Float input
10price = float(input("Enter price: "))
11
12# Boolean input
13answer = input("Continue? (yes/no): ").lower().strip()
14if answer in ("yes", "y"):
15    print("Continuing...")
16
17# List of integers
18numbers = list(map(int, input("Enter numbers separated by spaces: ").split()))
19print(numbers)  # e.g., [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
20
21# Multiple values on one line
22x, y = input("Enter x y: ").split()
23x, y = int(x), int(y)
24
25# Or more concisely
26x, y = map(int, input("Enter x y: ").split())

Writing Code Compatible with Python 2 and 3

python
1# Method 1: try/except
2try:
3    input = raw_input  # Python 2: use raw_input as input
4except NameError:
5    pass               # Python 3: input already exists
6
7name = input("Enter name: ")  # Works in both versions
8
9# Method 2: six library
10from six.moves import input
11name = input("Enter name: ")  # Works in both versions
12
13# Method 3: sys.version check
14import sys
15if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
16    get_input = input
17else:
18    get_input = raw_input
19
20name = get_input("Enter name: ")

Reading Multiple Lines of Input

python
1# Read until empty line
2lines = []
3print("Enter text (empty line to stop):")
4while True:
5    line = input()
6    if line == "":
7        break
8    lines.append(line)
9text = "\n".join(lines)
10
11# Read a fixed number of lines
12n = int(input("How many lines? "))
13lines = [input() for _ in range(n)]
14
15# Read from stdin (for competitive programming / piped input)
16import sys
17for line in sys.stdin:
18    print(line.strip())

Input with Default Values

python
1def input_with_default(prompt, default):
2    """Input function that accepts a default value."""
3    result = input(f"{prompt} [{default}]: ").strip()
4    return result if result else default
5
6name = input_with_default("Username", "admin")
7port = int(input_with_default("Port", "8080"))
8
9# Using walrus operator (Python 3.8+)
10name = val if (val := input("Name [admin]: ").strip()) else "admin"

Secure Input (Passwords)

python
1import getpass
2
3# getpass hides the typed characters
4password = getpass.getpass("Enter password: ")
5# User types but nothing is displayed on screen
6
7# Confirm password pattern
8password = getpass.getpass("Password: ")
9confirm = getpass.getpass("Confirm: ")
10if password != confirm:
11    print("Passwords do not match!")

getpass.getpass() works like input() but suppresses the echo, making it suitable for password entry.

Common Pitfalls

  • Using raw_input() in Python 3: This raises NameError: name 'raw_input' is not defined. Replace all raw_input() calls with input(). Use find-and-replace or the 2to3 tool for automated migration.
  • Forgetting that input() always returns a string: input("Age: ") returns "25" (a string), not 25 (an integer). Arithmetic like input() + 1 raises TypeError. Always cast explicitly with int(), float(), etc.
  • Using Python 2's input() for user data: Python 2's input() calls eval() on the result, which executes arbitrary code. If porting from Python 2, replace input() with raw_input() first, then rename to input() for Python 3. Never use eval(input()) in production code.
  • Not handling ValueError on type conversion: int(input()) crashes if the user types non-numeric text. Always wrap conversions in try/except ValueError or validate the input string before converting.
  • input() blocking in scripts that read from pipes: When stdin is redirected (e.g., echo "data" | python script.py), input() reads from the pipe, not the terminal. Use sys.stdin.isatty() to detect whether input is interactive, and sys.stdin for line-by-line processing of piped data.

Summary

  • Python 3 renamed raw_input() to input() — both return a string
  • Python 2's input() (which eval'd the result) was removed for security
  • Always convert input() results explicitly: int(input()), float(input())
  • Use try/except ValueError for safe type conversion of user input
  • For Python 2/3 compatibility, use try: input = raw_input or the six library
  • Use getpass.getpass() for password input that hides typed characters
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