NameError from Python input() function [duplicate]

Question

input_var = input ("Press 'E' and 'Enter' to Exit: ")

NameError: name 'e' is not defined

I am using Python 2.5. How I can overcome this error?

@ShinTakezou: if that works fine for you, you're not using Python 2.5. — Wooble
– Wooble, Commented May 9, 2013 at 14:32
@Wooble using python 2.5 r25:51908 (but it would be the same with 2.7) and guess: it works just fine. In fact the problem is not the line itself (but the provided input and the wrong usage of the input)... there's a rude answer for that, it's rtfm, I've just avoided that, but can I politely pour the doubt so that people may think they need to inspect the problem more deeply to get what's going on while waiting for an actual help? I did so, or so I think. Very likely, failed. Enlightening it's such a hard matter. — ShinTakezou
– ShinTakezou, Commented May 10, 2013 at 6:59
The whole issue is input() in Python 2. If you type e at the prompt, you will get an error, so it doesn't "work fine". — Wooble
– Wooble, Commented May 10, 2013 at 11:20
If everyone would just read the manual, and could work out which sections of which manual to read, 90% of SO would evaporate. ;) — poolie
– poolie, Commented Jul 2, 2013 at 4:12

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:10:48Z

48

input reads and evaluates a Python expression. When it tries to evaluate it, it looks for a variable e, which is not defined, and fails.

You almost always want to use raw_input instead. (And in Python3, input has this behaviour.)

Or, better, on Unix, use readline so the user can edit their input.

CommunityBot

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answered May 9, 2013 at 8:24

poolie

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