Python call function from user input

Question

Can you call functions from user input? Something like this:

def testfunction(function):
    function()

a = raw_input(\"fill in function name: \"
testfuncti         


        

Answer 1

What you are doing is bad bad bad :P However, it's perfectly possible.

a = raw_input("Fill in function name:")
if a in locals().keys() and callable(locals()['a']):
    locals()['a']()
else:
    print 'Function not found'

locals() returns a dictionary of all the objects currently avalible, and their names. So when we say a in locals().keys() we are saying, "Is there any object called ". If there is, we then get it by doing locals()['a'] and then test if it is a function using callable. If that is True aswell, then we call the function. If it is not, we simply print "Function not found".