NAME

line input # - read a line from a sequential file

SYNOPSIS

line input #FileNum, StrVar

DESCRIPTION

Line input # reads a line of characters into a program variable, discarding the newline that terminates the line.  Successive line input # calls may be used to read the file line by line.  FileNum is the file number under which the file to be read was opened.  StrVar is the name of a string variable or string array element to which the line will be assigned. 

EXAMPLE

The following example uses line input # to get one line from a sequential file, and print it out. 

	open "infile" for input as #2
	line input #2, inline$
	print inline$
	close 2

SEE ALSO

line input

USAGE NOTES

In Microsoft BASIC, line input is used for input from the user’s keyboard (terminal) and line input # is used for input from disk files.  In the UNIX environment, the distinction between terminals and disk files is not as strong: standard input may be redirected to a disk file or a terminal may be open as a file.  To accommodate this flexibility, the distinction between line input and line input # must be merely syntactic rather than functional.  Thus,

line input StrVar

is the synopsis of the line input statement for disk file input (as described above) when standard input is redirected to a disk file.  Although the organization of these manual pages implies the older, less flexible system, this organization is maintained only for convenience, line input and line input # do not differ functionally.  The difference in behavior between terminal input and disk file input depends entirely upon the type of file in use. 

DIAGNOSTICS

If FileNum is less than 1 or greater than the maximum number of open files, or if FileNum is not open, a "Bad file number" error occurs. 

If FileNum is open for random access, an "Illegal function call" error occurs. 

An "Input past end" error occurs when an attempt is made to read beyond the end of the file. 

from The Basmark QuickBASIC Programmer’s Manual by Lawrence Leinweber