In this lesson, we’ll explore how to display information and get input from the user using Python. These are the very first steps in making interactive Python programs.

📤 Displaying Information with print()

The print() function lets your program show messages to the user.

name = "Roger"
print(name)

When you run this, Python will print:

Roger

The print() function takes whatever you give it and displays it on the screen.

🧾 Getting User Input with input()

To make your program ask the user for some information, use the input() function. Here’s an example:

print('What is your age?')
age = input()
print('Your age is ' + age)

When this runs, the program will pause and wait for the user to type something, like:

What is your age?
12
Your age is 12

This is called runtime input because the program waits for the user while it’s running.

Later, you’ll learn how to collect input before the program starts running — that’s called input at invocation time.

🧠 Practice Time!

Try answering these on your own or with a friend:

  1. Write a Python program that asks for your name and then prints: "Hello, <your name>!"

  2. Write a program that asks: "What's your favorite color?" Then print a sentence like: "Wow, blue is a nice color!"

  3. Fix this code so it doesn’t give an error:

    print('Your age is ' + age)
age = input()

  4. Create a program that:

    • Asks for the user’s city
    • Prints: "You live in <city>."

  5. What do you think will happen if you write:

    name = input('What is your name? ')
print(name)

    Try it and see what’s different!

🧯 Wrap-Up

  • Use print() to show messages
  • Use input() to get user responses
  • Input at runtime pauses the program until the user presses Enter
<
Previous Post
JS REGEX 09: Using String.replace() with a Callback Function in JavaScript
>
Next Post
🎉 Build an Animated Greeting Bot with Python (GreetBot)