2.9.20 Requesting Input

Mathematica usually works by taking whatever input you give, and then processing it. Sometimes, however, you may want to have a program you write explicitly request more input. You can do this using Input and InputString.

Input[ ]	read an expression as input
InputString[ ]	read a string as input
Input["prompt"]	issue a prompt, then read an expression
InputString["prompt"]	issue a prompt then read a string

Exactly how Input and InputString work depends on the computer system and Mathematica interface you are using. With a text-based interface, they typically just wait for standard input, terminated with a newline. With a notebook interface, however, they typically get the front end to put up a "dialog box", in which the user can enter input.

In general, Input is intended for reading complete Mathematica expressions. InputString, on the other hand, is for reading arbitrary strings.