ACC SHELL

read [ -rszpqAclneE ] [ -t [ num ] ] [ -k [ num ] ] [ -d delim ]
 [ -u n ] [ name[?prompt] ] [ name ...  ]
       Read  one  line and break it into fields using the characters in
       $IFS as separators, except as noted below.  The first  field  is
       assigned to the first name, the second field to the second name,
       etc., with leftover fields assigned to the last name.   If  name
       is  omitted then REPLY is used for scalars and reply for arrays.

       -r     Raw mode: a `\' at the end of a  line  does  not  signify
              line continuation and backslashes in the line don't quote
              the following character and are not removed.

       -s     Don't echo back characters if reading from the  terminal.
              Currently does not work with the -q option.

       -q     Read only one character from the terminal and set name to
              `y' if this character was `y' or `Y' and  to  `n'  other-
              wise.   With this flag set the return status is zero only
              if the character was `y' or `Y'.  Note that  this  always
              reads  from  the terminal, even if used with the -p or -u
              or -z flags or with redirected input.   This  option  may
              also be used within zle widgets.

       -k [ num ]
              Read  only  one (or num) characters.  All are assigned to
              the first name, without word  splitting.   This  flag  is
              ignored  when -q is present.  Input is read from the ter-
              minal unless one of -u or -p is present.  This option may
              also be used within zle widgets.

              Note  that  despite  the  mnemonic `key' this option does
              read full characters, which may consist of multiple bytes
              if the option MULTIBYTE is set.

       -z     Read one entry from the editor buffer stack and assign it
              to the first  name,  without  word  splitting.   Text  is
              pushed  onto  the stack with `print -z' or with push-line
              from the line  editor  (see  zshzle(1)).   This  flag  is
              ignored when the -k or -q flags are present.

       -e
       -E     The  input  read is printed (echoed) to the standard out-
              put.  If the -e flag is used, no input is assigned to the
              parameters.

       -A     The  first  name is taken as the name of an array and all
              words are assigned to it.

       -c
       -l     These flags are allowed only if called inside a  function
              used  for  completion (specified with the -K flag to com-
              pctl).  If the -c flag is given, the words of the current
              command are read. If the -l flag is given, the whole line
              is assigned as a scalar.  If both flags are  present,  -l
              is used and -c is ignored.

       -n     Together with -c, the number of the word the cursor is on
              is read.  With -l, the index of the character the  cursor
              is on is read.  Note that the command name is word number
              1, not word 0, and that when the cursor is at the end  of
              the  line,  its character index is the length of the line
              plus one.

       -u n   Input is read from file descriptor n.

       -p     Input is read from the coprocess.

       -d delim
              Input is terminated  by  the  first  character  of  delim
              instead of by newline.

       -t [ num ]
              Test if input is available before attempting to read.  If
              num is present, it must begin with a digit  and  will  be
              evaluated  to  give  a  number of seconds, which may be a
              floating point number; in this case the read times out if
              input  is  not available within this time.  If num is not
              present, it is taken to be zero,  so  that  read  returns
              immediately  if  no  input  is available.  If no input is
              available, return status 1 and do not set any  variables.

              This option is not available when reading from the editor
              buffer with -z, when called from within  completion  with
              -c  or  -l,  with  -q which clears the input queue before
              reading, or within zle where other mechanisms  should  be
              used to test for input.

              Note  that  read does not attempt to alter the input pro-
              cessing mode.  The default mode is  canonical  input,  in
              which  an entire line is read at a time, so usually `read
              -t' will not read anything until an entire line has  been
              typed.   However,  when reading from the terminal with -k
              input is processed one key at a time; in this case,  only
              availability  of  the  first character is tested, so that
              e.g. `read -t -k 2' can still block on the second charac-
              ter.   Use  two  instances of `read -t -k' if this is not
              what is wanted.  If the first argument  contains  a  `?',
              the  remainder  of this word is used as a prompt on stan-
              dard error when the shell is interactive.

       The value (exit status) of read is  1  when  an  end-of-file  is
       encountered,  or when -c or -l is present and the command is not
       called from a compctl function, or as described for -q.   Other-
       wise the value is 0.

       The  behavior  of some combinations of the -k, -p, -q, -u and -z
       flags is undefined.  Presently -q cancels  all  the  others,  -p
       cancels  -u, -k cancels -z, and otherwise -z cancels both -p and
       -u.

       The -c or -l flags cancel any and all of -kpquz.