[Tutor] Getting multi-line input from user

[bob gailer]

wormwood_3 wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'd like to prompt the user for input and get back multiple lines, for 
> example if someone wanted to enter a few paragraphs. Then I'd like to 
> be able to print their input out and preserve formatting. Here's what 
> I have so far:
>
> control = True
> user_input = []
> while control:
>     if not user_input:
>         entry = raw_input("Enter text, 'done' on its own line to quit: 
> \n")
>         user_input.append(entry)
>     else:
>         entry = raw_input("")
>         user_input.append(entry)
>         if entry == "done":
>             del user_input[-1]
>             control = False
> user_input = ' '.join(user_input)
> print user_input
>
> So you end up with:
>
> Enter text, 'done' on its own line to quit:
> I am some text.
> And I am more.
>
> I am a new paragraph.
> done
> I am some text. And I am more.  I am a new paragraph.
>
> 1) Is there a more elegant/common way to get multi-line user input 
> than this sort of thing?

For starters you can simplify things a lot:

user_input = []
entry = raw_input("Enter text, 'done' on its own line to quit: \n")
while entry != "done":
    user_input.append(entry)
    entry = raw_input("")
user_input = ' '.join(user_input)
print user_input

> 2) How can I combine and print the output so that paragraphs and the 
> like are preserved?

I don't understand. Please give an example.


-- 
Bob Gailer
Chapel Hill NC 
919-636-4239