INPUT()

• Source: https://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=KeyPgInputnum
• Last revised: 2025-06-03

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Reads a number of characters from console or file

Syntax

declare function Input ( n as integer ) as string
declare function Input ( n as integer, filenum as integer ) as string

Usage

` result = Input[$]( n [, [#]filenum ] )

`

Parameters

n

Number of bytes to read.

filenum

File number of a bound file or device.

Return Value

Returns a String of the characters read.

Description

Reads a number of characters from the console, or a bound file/device specified by filenum.

The first version waits for and reads n characters from the keyboard buffer. Extended keys are not read. The characters are not echoed to the screen.

The second version waits for and reads n characters from a file or device. The file position is updated.

Note: Using Input() is dedicated to Input Access file mode, but it is also allowed in Binary/Random Access file mode with some restrictions on the values of n (for random mode, n must be equal to the record length set by the LEN clause (or implicit value) in the OPEN statement).

Examples

start GeSHi

Print "Select a color by number"
Print "1. blue"
Print "2. red"
Print "3. green"
Dim choice As String
Do
   choice = Input(1)
Loop Until choice >= "1" And choice <= "3"

end GeSHi

Dialect Differences

• The string type suffix "$" is required in the -lang qb dialect.
• The string type suffix "$" is optional in the -lang fblite dialect.
• The string type suffix "$" is ignored in the -lang fb dialect, warn only with the -w suffix compile option (or -w pedantic compile option).

Differences from QB

• None in the -lang qb dialect.

See also

• Winput()
• Getkey
• Inkey

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