@verb #139:"read" this none this rxdo #55
@program #139:"read" this none this
"$blob:read(con[, length]) => BLOB - reads 'length' characters from 'con'"
"  con - network connection to read from"
"  con - network connection to read from"
"  length - number of characters to read.  If not specified, stops after one read() call."
"If more bytes are returned than are requested by 'length', the remainder are force_inputted back into the beginning of the connections buffer.  This means that they will be parsed next, if hold-input is 0, or will be read next if hold-input is 1."
{con, ?len = E_NONE} = args
set_task_perms(caller_perms())
v = {}
while (1)
  if (connection_option(con, "binary"))
    packet = read(con)
  else
    try
      set_connection_option(con, "binary", 1)
      packet = read(con)
    finally
      set_connection_option(con, "binary", 0)
    endtry
  endif
  packet = decode_binary(packet, 1)
  v = {@v, @packet}
  if (len == E_NONE || length(v) >= len)
    break
  endif
endwhile
if (typeof(len) != ERR && length(v) > len)
  rest = v[len + 1..$]
  v = v[1..len]
  if (connection_option(con, "binary"))
    force_input(con, encode_binary(rest), 1)
  else
    try
      set_connection_option(con, "binary", 1)
      force_input(con, encode_binary(rest), 1)
    finally
      set_connection_option(con, "binary", 0)
    endtry
  endif
endif
return $blob:new(@v)
"Last modified by manta (#7165) on Tue Mar 20 09:36:59 2001 MST."
"This verb previously owned by manta (#7165), and chowned to $slacker upon dewizarding (Sat Aug 17 14:50:05 2002 MDT)."
"Last modified by Dax (#789) on Sat Aug 17 14:50:05 2002 MDT."
.