line(1)
NAME
line − read one line from user input
SYNOPSIS
line [-t timeout]
DESCRIPTION
line copies one line (up to a new-line) from the standard input and writes it on the standard output. It returns an exit code of 1 on EOF and always prints at least a new-line. It is often used within shell files to read from the user’s terminal.
Options
line recognizes the following command-line option:
-t timeout Timeout after timeout seconds where timeout is an integer value (if a non-integer value is specified, it is converted to an integer; i.e., rounded down). A blank is required between -t and the timeout argument. This option is not documented in POSIX and other industry standards, and should not be used in portable applications.
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
International Code Set Support
Single- and multi-byte character code sets are supported.
EXAMPLES
The following lines in a shell script prompt for a file name and display information about the file:
echo ’Enter file name: \c’
reply=‘line‘
ls -l $reply
To limit the response time to 10 seconds, use the form:
reply=‘line -t 10‘
then test for no response. If no response occurs before timeout expires, a default behavior should be provided.
SEE ALSO
STANDARDS CONFORMANCE
line: SVID2, SVID3, XPG2, XPG3
Hewlett-Packard Company — HP-UX Release 10.20: July 1996