READ

 The READ procedure reads one or  more  file  components  into  a
 variable.

 Syntax:

    READ( [[file_variable,]] {variable-identifier
       [[:radix-specifier]]},... [[, ERROR := error-recovery]] );


 The 'file_variable' is the name associated with the input  file.
 If you omit the name of the file, the default is INPUT.

 The 'variable-identifier' is the name of the variable into which
 a   file  component  will  be  read;  multiple  identifiers  are
 separated by commas.

 The 'radix-specifier' is one of the format values BIN,  OCT,  or
 HEX.   These  values,  when  used on a variable identifier, will
 read  the  variable  in  binary,  octal,  or  hexadecimal  radix
 respectively.   You  can use a radix specifier only when reading
 from a TEXT file.

 The 'error-recovery' is the action  to  be  taken  if  an  error
 occurs  during  execution of the routine.  By default, after the
 first error, the error  message  is  printed  and  execution  is
 stopped.

 The file must be in inspection mode before READ is called.   The
 file  remains  in  inspection  mode  after  execution  of a READ
 procedure.

 By definition, the READ procedure for a nontext file performs an
 assignment  statement,  a GET procedure, and an UNLOCK procedure
 for each variable.

 The READ procedure reads from the file  until  it  has  found  a
 value  for  each  variable in the list.  The first value read is
 assigned to the first variable in the  list,  the  second  value
 read  is assigned to the second variable, and so on.  The values
 and  the  variables  must  be  of  assignment-compatible  types.
 Reading stops if an error occurs.

 For a TEXT file, more than one component (character) can be read
 into  a  single  variable.   For example, many characters can be
 read into a string or converted into a  numeric  variable.   The
 READ  procedure  repeats the assignment, GET, and UNLOCK process
 until it has read a sequence  of  characters  that  represent  a
 legal  value  for  the next variable in the parameter list.  The
 procedure continues to read components from the  file  until  it
 has assigned a value to each variable in the list.

 See the "HP Pascal Language Reference  Manual"  for  a  complete
 description of the READ procedure.