Reads values from a data list and assigns them to variables.
READ variable_list
variable_list is a list of variables separated by commas. READ and DATA statements work hand in hand to assign values to these variables.
READ statement variables may be numeric or string, and the values read must agree with the variable types specified. If they do not agree, a Syntax error results.
A single READ statement may access one or more DATA statements. They are accessed in order. Several READ statements may access the same DATA statement.
If the number of variables in list of variables exceeds the number of elements in the DATA statement(s), an Out of data message is printed.
If the number of variables specified is fewer than the number of elements in the DATA statement(s), subsequent READ statements begin reading data at the first unread element. If there are no subsequent READ statements, the extra data is ignored.
To reread DATA statements from the start, use the RESTORE statement.
FOR I = 1 TO 10
READ A(I)
NEXT I
DATA 3.08, 5.19, 3.12, 3.98, 4.24
DATA 5.08, 5.55, 4.00, 3.16, 3.37
This program segment reads the values from the DATA statements into array A. After execution, the value of A(1) is 3.08, and so on. The DATA statement may be placed anywhere in the program; they may even be placed ahead of the READ statement.
PRINT
PRINT "CITY", "STATE", "ZIP"
READ C$, S$, Z
DATA "DENVER,", "COLORADO", 80211
PRINT C$, S$, Z
This program reads string and numeric data from the DATA statement.