In this article, we will explain how to set an input time limit in Python. It is one of the easiest programming languages which is not only dynamically typed but also garbage collected. Here we will look at different methods to set an input time limit. Below are the methods we will use in this article.
Methods to Set an Input Time Limit in Python
- Using the inputimeout module
- Using the select module
- Using the signal module
- Using the threading module
Set an Input Time Limit using the inputimeout module
Inputimeout: The module in Python helps users to take input on multiple platforms but also handles the timed input. This module can be installed in Python through the following command:
pip install inputimeout
Example:
First of all, import the libraries. Now, create a try-except statement, the try block to execute lines of code and except to handle errors in the program. Here, we used the inputimeout() function, which will take timed input in Python. Then, handle the errors using except block and declare the timeout statement. Finally, print the statement on timeout.
# Import the libraries inputimeout, TimeoutOccurred from inputimeout import inputimeout
# Try block of code # and handle errors try :
# Take timed input using inputimeout() function
time_over = inputimeout(prompt = 'Name your best friend:' , timeout = 3 )
# Catch the timeout error except Exception:
# Declare the timeout statement
time_over = 'Your time is over!'
print (time_over)
# Print the statement on timeoutprint(time_over) |
Output:
Set an Input Time Limit using the select module
Select: This module that provides a connection to platform-specific input-output monitoring functions. You can install the select module in Python through the following command:
pip install select
Example:
First of all, import the required libraries. Now, define the question or print any line if you want and return three new lists containing a subset of content. Here, you can also declare the time in seconds after which timeout is done and the statement is returned. Moreover, run the if-else loop where the if statement will read the input and print the result till the time is running. Finally, define the else statement to catch the timeout statement and print it.
# Import the libraries select, sys import sys
import select
# Print the question or any line you want print ( "Who is your best friend?" )
print ( "\nYou have ten seconds to answer!" )
# Return 3 new list containing subset of content # with timeout after which statement returns a, b, c = select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], 10 )
# Run if statement till the time is running if (a):
# Read the input and print result
print ( "\nYou stated your best friend name as: " ,
sys.stdin.readline().strip())
# Run else when time is over else :
# Print the timeout statement
print ( "\nYour time got over" )
|
Output:
Set an Input Time Limit using the signal module
Signal: This module receives information from the operating system and passes it to the program in the form of signals. The signal module can be installed by running the following command in Python.
pip install signal
Example:
First of all, import the required library. Now, define custom handlers to be executed on receiving the signal using the signal() function. Also, define an alarm clock for the delivery of signals using SIGALRM. Then, create a function to take the input from the user. In the function, run the try-except statement to take input and handle the errors if any. In the try block, print any line of your choice or the question to be answered and return the taken input from the user.
Moreover, create an alarm using the alarm() function with the time specified in seconds. Next, run the function time_input() to capture the input of the user. Later on, disable the alarm after success. Finally, print the result, i.e., the value inputted by the user.
# Import the library signal import signal
# Define an alarm clock for delivery of signal signal.signal(signal.SIGALRM, lambda signum,
frame: print ( '\nYour time got over' ))
# Create a function to input def raw_input ():
# Create a try block to take the input
try :
# Print the question or line of choice
print ( "Who is your best friend?" )
print ( "You have ten seconds to answer!" )
# Take input from user
foo = input ( "Enter your name!!" )
# Return the input to print result
return foo
# Define except block to catch timeout exception
except Exception:
return
# Create an alarm using alarm function # with timer signal.alarm( 10 )
# Run the function to # capture the input of user user_input = raw_input ()
# Disable the alarm after success signal.alarm( 0 )
# Print the result input by user print ( 'You stated your best friend name as: ' , user_input)
|
Output:
Set an Input Time Limit using the threading module
Threading: The Python module which allows various tasks to run at the same time is known as the Threading module. It has an entry, execution, and endpoint. The thread module has a timer() function, which delays a certain action to be performed.
pip install threading
Example:
Now, we will take the time in seconds as input from the user. This will be the time allocated to the user for answering the question. Then, print the question for which the user needs to give the answer. Now, set the timer using the Timer() function with the time specified by the user and a message to print when the time will be over. Then, we start the timer using the start() function. Further, give an alert message to the user about his time has started. Moreover, take the input from the user and store it in a variable. Finally, stop the timer using the cancel() function.
# Import the libraries from threading import Timer
# Take seconds as integer input # for the time limit per question input_time = int ( input ( "Set time limit in seconds: " ))
# Print the question to display print ( "Who is your best friend?" )
# Set the timer for the specified time and call the # function to print the message when time is over t = Timer(input_time, lambda : print (
"\nYour writing time is over!!\nEnter / to quit the program" ))
# Start the timer t.start() # Print a message for user specifying number of seconds print ( "You have" , str (input_time), " seconds to write the answer" )
# Get value from user answer = input ()
# Stop the timer t.cancel() |
Output: