lineoriented

Lineoriented, also written line-oriented or line-based, describes a mode of data processing and communication in which information is organized into discrete lines. In line-oriented systems, each line typically constitutes a complete unit—such as a command, a record, or a message—and is processed or transmitted separately, using the newline character as the primary delimiter.

In computing, line-oriented I/O contrasts with character-oriented or block-oriented methods. It is common in simple command shells and in line editors (for example, the classic ed) where user input is entered one line at a time and commands are parsed line by line.

Line-oriented data formats and protocols rely on newline-delimited lines. End-of-line sequences vary by platform (LF, CRLF, or CR). Examples include SMTP, many text-based HTTP headers, and line-based chat protocols such as IRC, where a complete instruction or message is transmitted per line.

Advantages include straightforward parsing and suitability for interactive usage. Disadvantages include inefficiency for structured binary data and potential issues with embedded newlines or differing newline conventions, requiring careful encoding and normalization when exchanging data between systems.

Implementation considerations include choosing a consistent line delimiter, using buffered I/O to read lines, and applying portable libraries that normalize line endings. Programmers often rely on language primitives such as readLine or fgets to operate in a line-oriented fashion.