read

Additional Notes

read is a shell command used to read input into shell variables. It reads a line of input and splits it into variables, making it fundamental for interactive scripts and parsing.

Use -r (raw mode) to prevent backslash escapes from being interpreted. read splits input by $IFS and is specified by POSIX.

Syntax

read [arguments]

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how read behaves.
• arguments: Values consumed by the shell builtin or script command.
• command: Command line to run, test, wrap, or control.

Common Options

• --help: Show command help when supported.
• --version: Show version information when supported.

Examples

read --help
man read

Practical Notes

Options can vary by distribution and package version. Use man read, read --help, or the package documentation for exact syntax.