read

The "read" command line tool is used to read a line of input from the user or from a file. It allows the user to enter data interactively or to read input from files in the terminal console.

When used without any options, the "read" command simply reads a line of input from the user and assigns it to a variable. For example, the command "read name" will read a line of text input from the user and store it in the variable called "name".

Additionally, you can provide options to modify the behavior of the "read" command. Some commonly used options include:

• "-p" option: Used to prompt the user with a custom message. For example, "read -p 'Enter your name: ' name" will display the message "Enter your name: " before reading the user's input.

• "-r" option: By default, the "read" command interprets backslashes ("\") as escape characters, but the "-r" option can be used to treat them as literal characters instead.

• "-a" option: This option is used to read multiple inputs into an array. For example, "read -a numbers" will read multiple space-separated inputs from the user and store them in the array called "numbers".

In addition to reading input from the user, the "read" command can also read input from files by specifying the file name as an argument. It will read each line of the file and assign it to the specified variable.

The "read" command is a versatile tool for capturing user input or reading input from files, making it useful for various tasks in shell scripting and automation.