PHP readline() Function: Reading a Line from User Input

The readline() function in PHP reads a line from the user input and returns it as a string without the trailing newline character.

It accepts an optional $prompt parameter, which allows you to display a custom prompt message to the user.

The function returns the entered line as a string; you must manually add the line to the history using readline_add_history() if you want it stored.

Example usage:

<?php
// get 3 commands from user
for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) {
    $line = readline("Command: ");
    readline_add_history($line);
}
// dump history
print_r(readline_list_history());
// dump variables
print_r(readline_info());

This example prompts the user three times for a command, stores each command in the readline history, then prints the entire history and the current readline information.