Insert separator in Python input() function

user_14321226 0
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I'm looking for a way to insert separator in the input() function.

To be clear, my script asks the user to input a timeout in H:MM:SS, and I'd like Python to insert : by himself. So if the user types "14250", I want the terminal to display 1:42:50 (during the input, not after pressing ENTER).

Is it possible in Python?

separator input python
2 Answers

Here's a version for Linux. It is based on and very similar to the version by anurag, but Linux's getch modules does not know getwch and putwch, so those have to be substituted.

from getch import getche as getc

def gettime():
    timestr = ''
    print('Enter time in 24-hr format (hh:mm:ss): ', end='', flush=True)
    for i in range(6):
        timestr += getc()  # get and echo character
        if i in (1, 3):    # add ":" after 2nd and 4th digit
            print(":", end="", flush=True)
            timestr += ':'
    print()                # complete the line
    return timestr

time = gettime()
print("The time is", time)

Sample output:

Enter time in 24-hr format (hh:mm:ss): 12:34:56
The time is 12:34:56

I think this would also work on Windows with from msvcrt import getwche as getc but I can not test this.

user_16396250

There is a way to achieve the result (to some extent), tested on Windows 10, Python 3.7:

import msvcrt as osch

def main():
    timestr = ''
    print('Enter time in 24-hr format (hh:mm:ss): ', end='', flush=True)
    for i in range(6):
        ch = osch.getwch()
        
        if i!=0 and i%2==0:
            osch.putwch(':')
            timestr += ':'
        osch.putwch(ch)
        timestr += ch
    return timestr


if __name__ == "__main__":
    res = main()
    print('\n')
    print(res)

Please note that the variable timestr was created merely as storage for future use. Also, you can apply all kinds of validity checks. In my opinion, this method can't be used to parse a time input of type 14923 into 1:49:23 as lookahead is not available and there is no way of knowing whether user is going to input 12-hr time or 24-hr time. I am going for 24-hr time, which means, instead of 14923, user will be required to enter 014923.

user_147397590
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