Re: User input file selection

[Rob Mahurin]

On Aug 26, 2009, at 9:32 AM, Stuart Edwards wrote:
> This is probably a trivial question, but has me stumped.  I'm writing
> a script that requires the user to input the name of a data file, and
> then load and process the contents.
>
> > datafile=input("enter the name of the datafile ", "s")
> > load datafile
>
> after inputing the file name, this returns an error 'could not find
> the file datafile'

Right, 'load datafile' is the same as 'load("datafile")'.

> > datafile=input("enter the name of the datafile ", "s")
> > load(datafile)
>
> seems to load the name of the datafile as a string and subsequent
> processing merely shuffles the characters in the file name around.
> I've tried various other syntax 'guesses' but no success.

Right, because datafile is the string containing the filename.
Try data = load(datafile).

Rob

--
Rob Mahurin
University of Manitoba, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
at:     Oak Ridge National Laboratory   865 207 2594
        Oak Ridge, Tennessee            address@hidden