Read (Unix)

Summary


read is a command found on Unix and Unix-like operating systems such as Linux. It reads a line of input from standard input or a file passed as an argument to its -u flag, and assigns it to a variable. It is built into shells such as Bash.[1]

read
Operating systemUnix, Unix-like, Inferno
TypeCommand

Usage edit

The read command is used to take input from the user in shell scripts. It has a built in $REPLY variable for storing replies, but can save to other variables.[2]

Configuration edit

The command supports several options via flags. It can be configured to issue a message using -p instead of needing to use the echo command. It can also superficially hide text using the -s flag, limit the amount of characters with -n, store the result in an array with -a, and timeout after a certain amount of time with -t.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "Guide to the Linux read Command". Baeldung. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  2. ^ a b Murray, Christopher (2019-10-19). "Linux Read Command: 6 Practical Examples". linuxhandbook.com. Retrieved 2024-02-17.