Reading sensor data via serial communication—often sent as ASCII strings like "TEMP: 23.5" .
are numerical data types. To perform math—like 10 + 10 = 20 —you must first "parse" the string into a numeric format. Common Methods Across Languages 13.2.9 Strings To Integers
Every HTML form input returns a string. Age, quantity, price, and ID numbers all require conversion. Reading sensor data via serial communication—often sent as
user_age = input("Enter your age: ") # Returns string age_integer = int(user_age) # Convert to integer print(f"Next year you will be age_integer + 1") Common Methods Across Languages Every HTML form input
| Do | Don't | |----|-------| | Always validate before conversion | Assume input is clean | | Use exception handling for user input | Ignore NumberFormatException | | Trim whitespace manually if needed | Use casting ( (int) "123" in Java/C#) | | Specify radix for non-base-10 strings | Convert binary strings without radix | | Test edge cases (negative, zero, overflow) | Hardcode conversion logic per use-case |
The CodeHS exercise "13.2.9: Strings To Integers" requires creating a function that uses a try/except
What if the string is "99999999999999999999" and your integer type maxes out at ~2 billion?