read [ -rszpqAclneE ] [ -t [ num ] ] [ -k [ num ] ] [ -d delim ]
     [ -u n ] [ name[?prompt] ] [ name ...  ]
       Read one line and break it into fields using the  characters  in
       $IFS  as  separators, except as noted below.  The first field is
       assigned to the first name, the second field to the second name,
       etc.,  with  leftover fields assigned to the last name.  If name
       is omitted then REPLY is used for scalars and reply for arrays.

       -r     Raw mode: a `\' at the end of a  line  does  not  signify
              line continuation and backslashes in the line don't quote
              the following character and are not removed.

       -s     Don't echo back characters if reading from the terminal.

       -q     Read only one character from the terminal and set name to
              `y'  if  this  character was `y' or `Y' and to `n' other-
              wise.  With this flag set the return status is zero  only
              if the character was `y' or `Y'.  This option may be used
              with a timeout (see  -t);  if  the  read  times  out,  or
              encounters  end  of file, status 2 is returned.  Input is
              read from the terminal unless one of -u or -p is present.
              This option may also be used within zle widgets.

       -k [ num ]
              Read  only  one (or num) characters.  All are assigned to
              the first name, without word  splitting.   This  flag  is
              ignored  when -q is present.  Input is read from the ter-
              minal unless one of -u or -p is present.  This option may
              also be used within zle widgets.

              Note  that  despite  the  mnemonic `key' this option does
              read full characters, which may consist of multiple bytes
              if the option MULTIBYTE is set.

       -z     Read one entry from the editor buffer stack and assign it
              to the first  name,  without  word  splitting.   Text  is
              pushed  onto  the stack with `print -z' or with push-line
              from the line  editor  (see  zshzle(1)).   This  flag  is
              ignored when the -k or -q flags are present.

       -e
       -E     The  input  read is printed (echoed) to the standard out-
              put.  If the -e flag is used, no input is assigned to the
              parameters.

       -A     The  first  name is taken as the name of an array and all
              words are assigned to it.

       -c
       -l     These flags are allowed only if called inside a  function
              used  for  completion (specified with the -K flag to com-
              pctl).  If the -c flag is given, the words of the current
              command are read. If the -l flag is given, the whole line
              is assigned as a scalar.  If both flags are  present,  -l
              is used and -c is ignored.

       -n     Together with -c, the number of the word the cursor is on
              is read.  With -l, the index of the character the  cursor
              is on is read.  Note that the command name is word number
              1, not word 0, and that when the cursor is at the end  of
              the  line,  its character index is the length of the line
              plus one.

       -u n   Input is read from file descriptor n.

       -p     Input is read from the coprocess.

       -d delim
              Input is terminated  by  the  first  character  of  delim
              instead of by newline.

       -t [ num ]
              Test if input is available before attempting to read.  If
              num is present, it must begin with a digit  and  will  be
              evaluated  to  give  a  number of seconds, which may be a
              floating point number; in this case the read times out if
              input  is  not available within this time.  If num is not
              present, it is taken to be zero,  so  that  read  returns
              immediately  if  no  input  is available.  If no input is
              available, return status 1 and do not set any variables.

              This option is not available when reading from the editor
              buffer  with  -z, when called from within completion with
              -c or -l, with -q which clears  the  input  queue  before
              reading,  or  within zle where other mechanisms should be
              used to test for input.

              Note that read does not attempt to alter the  input  pro-
              cessing  mode.   The  default mode is canonical input, in
              which an entire line is read at a time, so usually  `read
              -t'  will not read anything until an entire line has been
              typed.  However, when reading from the terminal  with  -k
              input  is processed one key at a time; in this case, only
              availability of the first character is  tested,  so  that
              e.g. `read -t -k 2' can still block on the second charac-
              ter.  Use two instances of `read -t -k' if  this  is  not
              what is wanted.

       If the first argument contains a `?', the remainder of this word
       is used as a prompt on standard error when the shell is interac-
       tive.

       The  value  (exit  status)  of  read is 1 when an end-of-file is
       encountered, or when -c or -l is present and the command is  not
       called  from a compctl function, or as described for -q.  Other-
       wise the value is 0.

       The behavior of some combinations of the -k, -p, -q, -u  and  -z
       flags  is  undefined.   Presently  -q cancels all the others, -p
       cancels -u, -k cancels -z, and otherwise -z cancels both -p  and
       -u.

       The -c or -l flags cancel any and all of -kpquz.
