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Console.Read Method
Updated Dec 21, 2022
Dot Net Perls
Console.Read. This reads in characters from the console. It returns, as an integer, each value until a zero is reached. This signifies the end of the user's input.
Calling Read. Typically this method should be called in a loop to get all the buffered characters. But usually ReadLine or even ReadKey are better choices.
Console.ReadLine
Console.ReadKey
Example. We look at a console program written in the C# language. It is intended to demonstrate the exact behavior of the Console.Read method when used in a while-loop.
while
Note When the Read method is first called, it blocks execution waiting for the input to be sent by the terminal window.
Finally It returns when the input is final. Then, you must call it in a loop to read the entire remaining buffer.
Detail The conditional expression here continues until zero is received from Console.Read—this occurs at the end of the input.
Detail The program outputs the integer representation and the character representation of each value in the buffer.
Console.WriteLine
Environment.NewLine
using System; class Program { static void Main() { // This program accepts console input. // ... When the enter key is pressed, // the Read method returns the first time. // ... Then, each call to Read accesses one // further character from the input. int result; while ((result = Console.Read()) != 0) { Console.WriteLine("{0} = {1}", result, (char)result); } } }
dotnetperls 100 = d 111 = o 116 = t 110 = n 101 = e 116 = t 112 = p 101 = e 114 = r 108 = l 115 = s 13 = 10 =
Notes, Read. If you just need one character, skip the loop. Read does not return until the input is final and the user presses the enter key.
Tip For most programs that require strings from the terminal, please consider the Console.ReadLine method.
Summary. We applied Console.Read in a program that prints the terminal buffer contents. This method is normally used in a loop in console programs that can accept more than one character.
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