The function readstat reads the next statement from the input stream (the terminal or a file) and returns the value of that statement.

If a prompt is specified, it will be displayed.

If the ditto3, ditto2, and ditto1 arguments are given, they must be lists, and the values of their contents will be substituted for any occurrences of %%%, %%, and % respectively in the statement read.

If an incomplete statement is entered, readstat will redisplay the prompt to allow further input. This will continue until a complete statement is entered.

If a syntax error is discovered, readstat will produce a syntax error message, and redisplay the prompt, expecting a new statement.

The readstat function always reads as many entire lines as needed to parse a complete statement. If the last line contains additional characters after the end of the complete statement, a warning is generated, and the remaining input is discarded. Therefore, multiple statements per line are not permitted.

x := readstat("x will be assigned ");

readstat("Something: ",[A],[B],[C]);

readstat("Hello? ");