Effect

Retrieves a complete string from the keyboard or a sequential file, storing the input of maximum 254 characters into a variable.

Note: Contrary to INPUT, this instruction does not go to text screen mode when it is executed in a graphic screen mode but the input is not done correctly.

Syntaxes

• LINE INPUT["<Prompt>";]<Variable>

• LINE INPUT#<FileNumber>,<Variable>

Parameters

<Prompt> is the text displayed to ask what you need to input, but contrary to INPUT, it is not followed by a question mark.

<Variable> is a string variable that will take the input string.

<FileNumber> is the number of file opened by OPEN.

Note: With this parameter and device "CON", only the characters that has been typed will be retrieved, other characters on same input line will not be retrieved.

Examples

10 LINE INPUT "What is your favorite computer system ?";A$
20 PRINT A$
 
RUN

What is your favorite computer system ?
MSX

10 OPEN "CAS:DATA" FOR INPUT AS #1
20 IF EOF(1) THEN 40
30 LINE INPUT#1,A$ : PRINT A$ : GOTO 20
40 CLOSE#1 : END

10 COLOR 15,4,4: SCREEN 2
20 OPEN"con" FOR INPUT AS #1
30 LINE INPUT#1,A$: CLOSE#1
40 PSET(124-(LEN(A$)*4),92),4
50 OPEN"grp:" AS #1
60 PRINT#1,A$: CLOSE#1
70 IF NOT STRIG(0)THEN 70 ' Press Space key to exit

Data

Retrieved from keyboard

The data retrieved from the keyboard are stored in only one value (not several values) and it's always a string (never a number).

LINE INPUT accepts all types of characters. Only pressing the RETURN/ENTER key will specify the end of the string.

Read from sequential file

The data read from a sequential file are stored in only one value (not several values) and it's always a string (never a number).

LINE INPUT accepts all types of characters. Only a RETURN character is viewed as the end of a string.

This instruction is very useful to read a MSX-BASIC program as datafile, if it was saved (by using the SAVE instruction) in ASCII text.

Related to

INPUT, INPUT$, OPEN, PRINT, SAVE

Compatibility

MSX-BASIC 1.0 or higher