++++++++++++++++++++++++ -->

<p class=name id="receive">
client:<b>receive(</b>[pattern [, prefix]]<b>)</b>
</p>

<p class=description>
Reads data from a client object, according to the specified <em>read
pattern</em>.  Patterns follow the Lua file I/O format, and the difference in performance between all patterns is negligible.
</p>

<p class=parameters>
<tt>Pattern</tt> can be any of the following:
</p>

<ul>
<li> '<tt>*a</tt>':  reads from  the  socket  until the  connection  is
closed. No end-of-line t