readfile(1F)      MISC. REFERENCE MANUAL PAGES       readfile(1F)



NAME
     readfile, longline - reads file, gets longest line

SYNOPSIS
     readfile file

     longline [file]

DESCRIPTION
     The readfile function reads file and copies  it  to  stdout.
     No  translation  of  NEWLINE is done.  It keeps track of the
     longest line it reads and if there is a subsequent  call  to
     longline,  the  length  of  that line, including the NEWLINE
     character, is returned.

     The longline function returns the length, including the NEW-
     LINE character, of the longest line in file.  If file is not
     specified, it uses the file named in the last call to  read-
     file.

EXAMPLES
     Here is a typical use of readfile and  longline  in  a  text
     frame definition file:

             .
             .
             .
          text="`readfile myfile`"
          columns=`longline`
             .
             .
             .

DIAGNOSTICS
     If file does not exist, readfile will  return  FALSE  (i.e.,
     the expression will have an error return).

     longline returns 0 if a readfile  has  not  previously  been
     issued.

NOTES
     More than one descriptor can call readfile in the same frame
     definition  file.   In text frames, if one of those calls is
     made from the text descriptor,  then  a  subsequent  use  of
     longline  will  always get the longest line of the file read
     by the readfile associated with the text descriptor, even if
     it was not the most recent use of readfile.

SEE ALSO
     cat(1).





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