Use the READ statement to read input from the terminal and store it in symbolic variables. These variables may be defined on the READ statement or elsewhere in the CLIST. The READ statement is typically preceded by a WRITE or WRITENR statement that requests the user to enter the expected input at the terminal.

>>-+--------+--READ--+-----------------------------+-----------><
   '-label:-'        |            .--------------. |   
                     |            V              | |   
                     '-variable_1---+----------+-+-'   
                                    '-variable-'       

label

A name the CLIST can reference in a GOTO statement to branch to this READ statement. label is one-to-31 alphanumeric characters, beginning with an alphabetic character.

variable_1 / variable

Any valid variable name. The variables are positional in that values in the input data entered by the terminal user are stored sequentially into the specified variables.

If the operand is omitted the input is stored in the &SYSDVAL control variable.