[Solution] Python raw_input() Deprecated — Use input() Instead

In Python 2, there were two input functions: raw_input() (which returned a string) and input() (which called eval() on the input). Python 3 removed raw_input() entirely and renamed it to input(). The old input() behavior was removed entirely for security reasons.

What You’ll See

If you run Python 2 code with raw_input() under Python 3:

name = raw_input("Enter your name: ")

You get:

NameError: name 'raw_input' is not defined

Why Deprecated

The change was made to eliminate a dangerous confusion:

Python 2 raw_input(): Read input as a string. This is what most developers wanted.
Python 2 input(): Read input, then passed it through eval(). This meant a user could enter arbitrary Python expressions, which is a serious security vulnerability.
Python 3 input(): Always reads input as a string, equivalent to Python 2’s raw_input().
Python 3 eval(input()): Explicitly used when you actually want to evaluate the input (rare and dangerous).

The rename made the safe behavior the default and forced developers to be explicit about evaluating input.

Old Code (Python 2)

# Read a string
name = raw_input("Enter your name: ")
print "Hello, " + name

# Read a number and convert
age = int(raw_input("Enter your age: "))

# Read with a prompt
choice = raw_input("Do you want to continue? (y/n): ")

# The dangerous Python 2 input() — do NOT use this
secret = input("Enter a Python expression: ")
# User could type: __import__('os').system('rm -rf /')

New Code (Python 3)

# Read a string — direct replacement
name = input("Enter your name: ")
print("Hello, " + name)

# Read a number and convert
age = int(input("Enter your age: "))

# Read with a prompt
choice = input("Do you want to continue? (y/n): ")

# If you actually need to evaluate input (use with extreme caution)
secret = eval(input("Enter a Python expression: "))
# Better: use ast.literal_eval for safe evaluation of literals
import ast
safe_value = ast.literal_eval(input("Enter a value: "))

Migration Using 2to3

The 2to3 tool handles this conversion automatically:

# Preview changes
2to3 -f raw_input -d script.py

# Apply changes
2foraw_input -w script.py

The tool will replace all raw_input() calls with input() and all input() calls with eval(input()) (which is correct but should be reviewed for security).

Python 2/3 Compatibility

If you need code that runs under both Python 2 and Python 3:

import sys

if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
    input_func = input
else:
    input_func = raw_input

# Use input_func throughout your code
name = input_func("Enter your name: ")

Or simpler, using the six library:

from six.moves import input

name = input("Enter your name: ")

Migration Steps

Find all raw_input() calls:

grep -rn "raw_input" --include="*.py" /path/to/project/

Replace every raw_input() with input(). This is a direct rename with no behavior change.
Find all input() calls and determine if they rely on the Python 2 eval() behavior. Replace those with eval(input()) or better yet, ast.literal_eval(input()).
Run 2to3 if you have many files:

2to3 -f raw_input -w /path/to/project/

Test all user input paths in your application to verify prompts and data handling still work correctly.
Search for other Python 2 patterns that may also need migration:

grep -rn "print " --include="*.py" /path/to/project/
grep -rn "has_key\|except.*," --include="*.py" /path/to/project/