Could someone help me understand the input() function? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 5 months ago by EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/python@programming.dev

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I'm currently learning Python and am learning about very basic functions such as int(), float(), and input().

I have the first two down pat, but I'm struggling to understand the last. The example I'm looking at is found at 12:26 of this video:

nam = input('Who are you? ')
print('Welcome', nam)

Who are you? Chuck
Welcome Chuck

In this case, wouldn't nam be a variable equal to the text on the right side of the = sign?

In which case, if nam is equal to input('Who are you? '), then wouldn't print('Welcome', nam) just result in

Welcome input(Who are you? )?

Obviously not (nor does it work in a compiler), which leads me to believe I'm clearly misunderstanding something. But I've rewatched that section of the video several times, and looked it up elsewhere on the web, and I just can't wrap my head around it.

Could someone help me with this?

Thanks.

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[-] ninjaturtle@lemmy.today 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

No, nam is a placeholder for whatever is inputed into the function input by the user when the program is ran. Input prints to screen whatever you put () when you first call it. It expects something to then be inputted by the user when the program runs by prompting the user with the message in the (). Whatever the user inputs is then referred to by the variable, in this case "Chuck" was inputted.

It will make a bit more sense when you start writing functions, you can return whatever results you want from calling a function. Those returns will be referred to by the variable you label it, word on the left of the =.

In short, whatever is returned by a function is what is "saved" in the variable.