# in statement

The in statement accepts a single raw
character of input from the keyboard, without displaying a prompt
character or requiring pressing ENTER following the input.

Note: **For Windows:** Null input is not supported.

## Syntax

```
in var{for time.exp then|else statement.block}
```

## Parameter(s)

| time.exp | Specifies the maximum amount of time that the system waits for input before returning to the FlashBASIC or BASIC program. When a character is entered, the then clause is taken. When a character is not entered in the allocated time, the else clause is taken. |
| --- | --- |

## Description

A character is retrieved from
the type-ahead buffer without being processed and is converted to
its equivalent decimal value before being assigned to the variable.

For example, when the BACKSPACE key is pressed, the in statement retrieves an 8. When the LINEFEED key is pressed, the
value is 10.

The time expression is expressed in tenths of a
second, as a positive integer from 1 to 32767. If *time.exp* is zero and there is at least one character in the input buffer,
the first character is returned and the then clause
is taken. If *time.exp* is zero, and there is no
character available in the input buffer, the in statement returns immediately and the else clause
is taken. If *time.exp* is negative, then no time-out
is in effect. The system waits indefinitely for the character.

A *length.exp* of zero is allowed in the input statement. This syntax is more consistent with other
implementations of D3.

Note: The data statement
cannot be used to pass data to the in statement.

## Example(s)

This program loops until a carriage
return (char(13)) is pressed.

```
loop
in key
until key = 13 do repeat
```
In this example, the system waits for key for 30 seconds.
If no keystroke is provided within 30 seconds, `time-out occurred` displays and the program stops.

```
maxtime = 300 ;* 30 seconds
in key for maxtime else
 crt ’time-out occurred’
end
```

```
input x,0
x = seq(x)
```
These two lines perform exactly the same as:

```
in x
```

---
Source: https://d3codex.com/pickbasic-flashbasic/in-statement/ - part of the D3Codex reference.