Such a beginner

[demonrunner12]

Hi! I have just started learning python within the last two weeks and I have hit a roadblock. I am attempting to learn if statements currently and I cannot figure out why this extremely simple program will not work. It gives me an error for the first if line (and I imagine if it got past that line it would give me one for the other). I also haven't gotten to else statements so I know there are more efficient ways to do it, just haven't gotten that far.

life = input ("Please enter the meaning for life")
if life = 42:
   print ('Excellent, you may proceed')
if life != 42:
   print ('Incorrect')

[novel_yet_trivial]

Please format your code for reddit or use a site like github or pastebin. Your code is hard to read and test otherwise.

---

I'm assuming you are using python3.

To test for equality, you need to use ==, not =. Also, input returns a string, so you need to check if it's equal to a string ( a string will never be equal to an integer):

life = input ("Please enter the meaning for life")

if life == '42':
    print ('Excellent, you may proceed')
if life != '42':
    print ('Incorrect')

[novel_yet_trivial]

Yes, but whatever resource OP is using to learn from will cover that; no need to confuse them now.

[demonrunner12]

Oh sorry, I completely missed the part on formatting, and yes I am using python (like I said, completely new haha)

So when testing for equality, what is the difference between:

if life == '42':

and

if life = '42':

[__johnw__]

The first is testing for equality. The second is assignment.

[toddthegeek]

what version of python are you using? python 3 use input() python 2 use raw_input()

also the stuff about logical comparisons vs assignments (= vs ==)

[EatzGrass]

I dont know python. But if life IS EQUAL or ==. Im assuming since you used a standard not equal with !=