Procedural Python:
Inputs, Variables and
Outputs
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Lesson Objectives
Lesson Objectives
• Understand how to program outputs in python,
• Understand how to program inputs in python,
• Understand the need to store inputs in python,
• Understand how to store inputs into variables in python,
Lesson Outcomes
• Carrying out a number of programming tasks.
Literacy – Key Words
Input Values which get sent from the user into the computer
Variable The place where inputs get stored by the program
Output The values which get sent from the computer to the user
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Hands up if you can tell me the following…
“The Python Code needed
to display some words on
the screen”
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…in Python we use print()
Output
The print() statement will output the contents of its brackets.
If we wish it to print some text, the text must be surrounded by quotes!
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Lets Practice
• On your whiteboard…
Write the code to display your name on the
screen
Did you…
1) Write the word print (with a lowercase p?)
2) Write brackets after the word print?
3) Write your name inside the brackets?
4) Write your name within quotes (inside the brackets)?
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Lets Practice
• On your whiteboard…
Write the code to display a message of your
choice on the screen
Did you…
1) Write the word print (with a lowercase p?)
2) Write brackets after the word print?
3) Write your message inside the brackets?
4) Write your message within quotes (inside the brackets)?
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Quick Class Task
1. Visit coder.computerscienceuk.com/coder/
2. Write the first program ever made…get your program to display
the text HELLO WORLD, when the program is run
3. If you get this working, make it display a message of your choice
TIPS:
• You will need to use the print() statement
• To run the program, click the rocket icon!
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Can you tell me the following…
1. The python code needed to display a word on
the screen
2. The python code needed to ask the user for an
input
3. The way python can store user inputs
…let’s look at inputs and storage then!!
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Programming Inputs & Storing Inputs
In python to request user inputs, we
use the input statement:
input
()
input(“what is your
name?”)
But we also need to store what the user types in, otherwise the input will be
lost!
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How does a computer store inputs?
• In programming, inputs and data are stored in something
called a variable.
• It can simply be thought of as a storage box.
• Technically though, it is a reference to a memory location
where the data is to be stored.
• The variable must be given a name, and it can hold a single
data item
Variable called ‘ANSWER’ Contents is anything we type
in
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Storing Inputs in PYTHON
input(“what is your
name?”)
As we saw before, the problem with the above is that whatever the user types in, it
doesn’t actually go anywhere
We need to STORE IT…
answer = input(“what is your
name?”)
What the user types in (e.g. their name)
ANSWER
Now, whatever’s typed in, is stored in a variable called answer.
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Programming Inputs & Storing Inputs in PYTHON
In Python, the ‘input’ statement would
allow our program to ask the user to
enter an input.
The ‘answer’ variable would store the
input.
Output
And we could use the answer variable with a ‘print’
statement to output the inputted value.
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Programming Inputs & Storing
Inputs
Summary
• ‘answer’ is the variable (memory location) where the user’s input will be stored
• input(“What is your name?”) displays the “what is your name?” message onto the screen and waits for
the users input.
• Once the user has typed in their name the input is stored in the variable labelled “answer”
• print(answer) then simply displays the contents of variable “answer” onto the screen
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Can you tell me the following
now?
1. The python code needed
to display a word on the
screen?
2. The python code needed
to ask the user for an
input?
3. The way python can store
user inputs?
Computer Science UK www.computerscienceuk.com
An important difference between a print and an input
statement
PRINT Just
displays a
message!
INPUT Displays
a message and
waits for a user
input!
So, it needs to be assigned
to a variable if we want to
store what the user types
in…
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Lesson Activity
• Read the information in the lesson’s workbook
• Complete the PRIMM tasks provided.
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