NAME

line − Reads one line from standard input

SYNOPSIS

line

DESCRIPTION

The line command copies one line from standard input and writes it to standard output.  Use this command within a shell command file to read from your terminal.  The line command always writes at least a newline character. 

EXAMPLES

To read a line from the keyboard and append it to a file, enter:

echo ’Enter comments for the log:’
echo ’: \c’
line >>log

This shell procedure displays the message:

Enter comments for the log:

It then reads a line of text from the keyboard and adds it to the end of the file log.  The echo ’: \c’ command displays a : (colon) prompt.  See the echo command for information about the \c escape sequence. 

EXIT VALUES

The line command returns an exit value of 1 on an End-of-File; otherwise, it returns a value of 0 (zero). 

NOTES

The line utility has no internationalization features and is considered obsolete. Use the read utility instead. 

RELATED INFORMATION

Commands:  echo(1), ksh(1), sh(1). 

Functions:  read(2).