How Can I Prompt for Timed User Input in Programming?

Prompting for Timed User Input

Allowing user input is straightforward in many programming languages. However, limiting user input to a specific time frame can be more challenging. This question addresses how to prompt the user for input while imposing a timeout if a response is not received within a predetermined period.

The provided solution suggests utilizing the select function. This method takes three arguments: a list of input streams (in this case, the standard input stream), a list of output streams (left empty), and a list of error streams (also left empty). The fourth argument specifies the timeout period in seconds.

Here is an example implementing this solution in Python:

import sys, select

print("You have ten seconds to answer!")

i, o, e = select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], 10)

if (i):
    print("You said", sys.stdin.readline().strip())
else:
    print("You said nothing!")

If the user enters input within the 10-second timeout, the program will print their response. If no input is received within the specified timeframe, the program will notify the user that no response was provided.

This method is portable and effective, making it a reliable solution for prompting users for timed input across various platforms and programming languages.

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