Standardinn

Standardinn, also known as standard input, is the default input stream for a computer program. It provides the primary source of data the program reads during execution and is treated as a separate data channel from other inputs or stored files.

In computing, most programs rely on three standard streams: standard input (stdin), standard output (stdout), and standard error (stderr). Standard input is typically connected to the keyboard when a program starts, but it can be redirected from files, devices, or the output of another program. In many environments, especially in Unix-like systems, it can also participate in pipelines where the output of one process becomes the input of another.

Usage across programming languages varies but follows a common pattern: reading from standard input without needing explicit file handling. In C, programs read from stdin using functions like scanf or fgets. In Python, the built-in input() function reads a line from stdin. In Java, System.in supplies an input stream that can be wrapped by Scanner or BufferedReader to read text from standard input.

Redirection and piping are common ways to interact with standard input. A shell command such as program < input.txt redirects the contents of input.txt to the program’s stdin, while echo "data" | program pipes the string directly into the program. These techniques enable flexible data flow without modifying the program logic.

Notes: the concept originates from the separation of input, output, and error streams and remains a core part of many programming environments. The term standardinn reflects the Norwegian translation of standard input and is used in Norwegian-language technical contexts.