/sys$common/syshlp/helplib.hlb PASCAL, Input Output, Seq Access Input, READ  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

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