How to read formatted input in python

Formatted input is essential in many programming scenarios where you need to read and process structured data from various sources, such as user input, files, or external APIs. In Python, you can use various techniques to read and parse formatted input. This tutorial will cover common methods, including using the input() function for simple user input and str.split() and regular expressions for more complex cases.
The input() function is a straightforward way to read formatted input from the user. It reads a line of text, allowing you to split and process the input as needed.
In the example above, we ask the user for two numbers separated by a space. We then use the split() method to split the input into a list of strings and convert them to integers for further processing.
When working with comma-separated values (CSV) or other delimited data, you can use the split() method to read and parse formatted input. You specify the delimiter, which can be a comma, space, tab, or any character used to separate values.
In this example, we read CSV-style input and split it into a list of values using a comma as the delimiter.
Regular expressions (regex) provide a powerful way to match and extract structured data from input strings.
In this example, we use a regular expression to match and extract a date in the 'YYYY-MM-DD' format, and then we print the extracted components.
When working with files, you can read and process data line by line, or you can read and parse entire blocks of formatted data, such as JSON or XML.