3.2.13 READ

T.READ(fdesc, buffer, count) ! Fdesc,Vec,Num => Num

Read up to 'count' characters from the file descriptor 'fdesc' into 'buffer'. Return the number of characters read.

A return value less than zero indicates a severe error. A return value which is less than 'count' usually indicates that the end of the input has been reached.

When reading line oriented devices, such as terminals, a return value below 'count' may indicate the end of a line. In this case, a zero value indicates that the input stream is exhausted.

For a summary of standard descriptors (system input and output), see OPEN.

See also: OPEN, CLOSE, WRITE, SYSTEM.PIPE