.BG
.FN parse
.TL
Parse Expressions
.CS
parse(file="", n, text, prompt, white=T)
.AG file
optional character string, giving the file from which input to the parser should
be read.
If neither `text' nor `file' is provided, or
if `file' is the empty string, the parser reads from
standard input.
.AG n
number of expressions to parse.
If negative, parsing will continue to end of file.
By default, `parse' reads to the end of the file or text,
.I except
when the file is the standard input, in which case `n=1'.
.AG text
optional character vector to use as input to parser.
.AG prompt
character string to use as prompt in interactive use of `parse'.
Default is the value of the `option' named `prompt'.
.AG white
if `TRUE', arbitrary white space can separate expressions;
otherwise, only newlines or semicolons.
.RT
an object of mode `expression', containing the parsed version of the
expression(s) read.
.SA
`options' for changing prompt and continue strings
.EX
parse(n= -1, file = "my.file") # parse everything on my.file
.KW programming
.WR
