How to accept only 5 possible inputs

Question

In my program I have a menu that looks like this:

MenuChoice = ''
while MenuChoice != 'x':
print("Type 1 to enter the first option")
print("Type 2 to enter the second option")
print("Type 3 to enter the third option")
print("Type 4 to enter the fourth option")
print("Press x to quit")
try: 
    MenuChoice = str(input("Please enter your choice here ----------------->>>>>")) 
except ValueError: 
    print("Please enter one of the menu choices above, TRY AGAIN ")

I just want to know a way in which I can insure that only the numbers 1 to 5 are accepted and that if anything else is entered then the program asks the question again.

Please dont roast me.

Thanks

why do poeple keep saying that my posts are unuseful? you guys are all like pro coders this would take you like twio seconds — PortableGibbon, Oct 16 '16 at 11:04
You may find the top answer here helpful: [Asking the user for input until they give a valid response](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/23294658/asking-the-user-for-input-until-they-give-a-valid-response). Also, you should fix the indentation in your code: correct indentation is _vital_ in Python. BTW, if you notice a mistake in a comment you just made you have a few minutes in which you can edit the comment. — PM 2Ring, Oct 16 '16 at 11:07
See the function `sanitised_input` in [this question](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/23294658/asking-the-user-for-input-until-they-give-a-valid-response): just use `MenuChoice = sanitised_input('Please enter your choice here ----------------->>>>>', ['1','2','3','4','5','x','X'])`. Your downvotes are because this is a duplicate question, already asked and answered. — Rory Daulton, Oct 16 '16 at 11:09
`str(input(` is pointless: `input()` always returns a string. And it won't raise a `ValueError`, no matter what the user types in. — PM 2Ring, Oct 16 '16 at 11:10

TerryA · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-16T11:11:57.060

1

You're right to use a while loop, but think of what condition you want. You want only the numbers 1-5 right? So it would make sense to do:

MenuChoice = 0
print("Type 1 to enter the first option")
print("Type 2 to enter the second option")
print("Type 3 to enter the third option")
print("Type 4 to enter the fourth option")
print("Press x to quit")
while not (1 <= MenuChoice <= 4):
    MenuChoice = input("Please enter your choice here ----------------->>>>>")
    if MenuChoice == 'x' : break
    try:
        MenuChoice = int(MenuChoice)
    except ValueError:
        print("Please enter one of the menu choices above, TRY AGAIN ") 
        MenuChoice = 0 # We need this in case MenuChoice is a string, so we need to default it back to 0 for the conditional to work

We make our input an integer so that we can see if it's between 1-5. Also, you should put your beginning print statements outside of the loop so it doesn't continually spam the reader (unless this is what you want).

edited Oct 16 '16 at 11:11

answered Oct 16 '16 at 11:10

TerryA

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@RoryDaulton Fixed – TerryA Oct 16 '16 at 11:14
thaks so much for all your support guys I really wouldnt be where I am today without you – PortableGibbon Oct 16 '16 at 14:03
I am trying to do this now: – PortableGibbon Oct 16 '16 at 14:38
MenuChoice = 0 print("Type 1 to enter option 1") print("Type 2 to enter option 2") print("Type 3 to enter option 3") print("Press x to quit") while not (1 <= MenuChoice <=4): MenuChoice = input("Please enter your choice here ----------------->>>>>") if MenuChoice == 'x': break try: MenuChoice = int(MenuChoice) except ValueError: print("Please enter one of the menu choices above, TRY AGAIN ") MenuChoice = 0 if MenuChoice == "1": print("hello") – PortableGibbon Oct 16 '16 at 14:40
Ignore all the above, when I have finished using menu option 1, It finshes the prgram when what I actually want is for it to loop back and re print the menu so that options 2-5 can be used – PortableGibbon Oct 16 '16 at 14:48
I am using your code @TerryA but how would I loop the menu so that after option 1 has been selected the menu prints again so that the user can select another option? – PortableGibbon Oct 17 '16 at 14:59
@PortableGibbon set it in a function and call it each time at the end – TerryA Oct 17 '16 at 20:40

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 16 '16 at 11:48

I think he needs a While true loop . Did using python 2.X

import time
print("Type 1 to enter the first option")
print("Type 2 to enter the second option")
print("Type 3 to enter the third option")
print("Type 4 to enter the fourth option")
print("Press x to quit")

while True:
    try:
        print ("Only Use number 1 to 4 or x to Quit... Thanks please try again")
        MenuChoice = raw_input("Please enter your choice here ----------------->>>>> ")
        try:
            MenuChoice = int(MenuChoice)
        except:
            MenuChoice1 = str(MenuChoice)
        if MenuChoice1 == 'x' or 1 <= MenuChoice <= 4:
            print "You selected %r Option.. Thank you & good bye"%(MenuChoice)
            time.sleep(2)
            break
    except:
        pass

@PortableGibbon says the program should ask again if anything other than the needed input is entered — Shekhar Samanta, Oct 16 '16 at 11:50

How to accept only 5 possible inputs

2 Answers2