Can the input() function in Python dynamically detect the input's data type?

Question

So I was making a console application using Python 3.7; that heavily depends on input (wowz).

The application's function is to "swap" between two integer variables' values. And that is not where the problem is at, the problem is when I try to validate the user's input by checking the data-type for the input using a couple "if statements", and no matter what the user inputs using the "input()" function; the input's data-type will always be defined as ""

I just want this little piece of ART to run dynamically. (I want the input() function to dynamically detect the data-type of the input and assign it to the variable? plsss)

P.S.: I didn't try anything, since all I found was useless; I guess. (tells me to use the int() function, e.g.: {

# Works just fine when input is fully composed of integral numbers. 
a = int(input("Enter an integer as a value for A: "))

} (EDIT OF Line 5 BELOW)

I don't want to use the int() function; since it'll cause a pile of problems, if the user's input was a string that was not fully composed of integral numbers. (ValueError)

def swap(x, y):
    return y, x
aValid = 1
bValid = 1
a = input("Enter an integer as a value for A: ")
if (str(type(a)) != "<class 'int'>"):
    print("Please take us seriously, we're watching you.\n")
    aValid = 0
    while (aValid == 0):
        a = input("Enter an integer as a  value for A: ")
        if str(type(a)) != "<class 'int'>":
            print("Please take us seriously, we're watching you.\n")
            aValid = 0
        else:
            aValid = 1

# ! To be worked on:

b = input("Now, Please enter the value for B: ")
print("A = " , a)
print ("B = ", b)

a, b = swap(a, b)

print("Now:\nA = ", a)
print("B = ", b)

I expected the input() function in Python 3.7 (32bit) to dynamically detect the data-type of the input and assign it to the variable along with the input itself.

But what actually happens is that it always assigns the input's data-type as "< class 'str' >"; (no spaces after < and before >, ) which causes the program to go into an infinite loop, and it is giving me a headache; my stupidity.

Answer 1

So, in python 2 the input() function would detect the type of the user's input. However, in python3 input() refers to raw_input() in python 2. In order to dynamically detect the type, you can use the ast, specifically ast.literal_eval.

You could potentially write your own input function as follows:

import ast

def input_detect(s):
    return ast.literal_eval(input(s))

and then your code would look like:

import ast

def input_detect(s):
    return ast.literal_eval(input(s))

def swap(x, y):
    return y, x
aValid = 1
bValid = 1
a = input_detect("Enter an integer as a value for A: ")
if (str(type(a)) != "<class 'int'>"):
    print("Please take us seriously, we're watching you.\n")
    aValid = 0
    while (aValid == 0):
        a = input_detect("Enter an integer as a  value for A: ")
        if str(type(a)) != "<class 'int'>":
            print("Please take us seriously, we're watching you.\n")
            aValid = 0
        else:
            aValid = 1

# ! To be worked on:

b = input_detect("Now, Please enter the value for B: ")
print("A = " , a)
print ("B = ", b)

a, b = swap(a, b)

print("Now:\nA = ", a)
print("B = ", b)