Q27385: LINE INPUT to Fixed-Length String Crashes QB.EXE Interpreter

Article: Q27385
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 4.00
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | ptm37 fixlistbc6.00 buglist4.00 fixlist4.00b fixlist4.50 | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 7-NOV-1988

Using a fixed-length string to accept input in a LINE INPUT statement
can hang the QB.EXE Interpreter.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Version 4.00. This
problem was corrected in QuickBASIC Versions 4.00b and 4.50, and in
the Microsoft BASIC Compiler Version 6.00 for MS-DOS and OS/2.

The following is an example program showing the problem:

   DIM C AS STRING * 10
   LINE INPUT C
   PRINT C

Run the program and type 1 in response to the LINE INPUT. This will
hang QB.EXE.

The workaround for this problem is to LINE INPUT into a
variable-length string and then assign to a fixed-length string.