Console.ReadLine() max length?

Question

When running a small piece of C# code, when I try to input a long string into Console.ReadLine() it seems to cut off after a couple of lines.

Is there a max length to Console.Readline(), if so is there a way to increase that?

Answer 1

An issue with stack72's answer is that if the code is used in a batch-script the input is no longer line buffered. I found an alternative version at averagecoder.net that keeps the ReadLine call. Note that StreamReader also must have a length argument, since it has a fixed buffer as well.

byte[] inputBuffer = new byte[1024];  Stream inputStream = Console.OpenStandardInput(inputBuffer.Length); Console.SetIn(new StreamReader(inputStream, Console.InputEncoding, false, inputBuffer.Length)); string strInput = Console.ReadLine(); 

Answer 2

Without any modifications to the code it will only take a maximum of 256 characters ie; It will allow 254 to be entered and will reserve 2 for CR and LF.

The following method will help to increase the limit:

private static string ReadLine()     {         Stream inputStream = Console.OpenStandardInput(READLINE_BUFFER_SIZE);         byte[] bytes = new byte[READLINE_BUFFER_SIZE];         int outputLength = inputStream.Read(bytes, 0, READLINE_BUFFER_SIZE);         //Console.WriteLine(outputLength);         char[] chars = Encoding.UTF7.GetChars(bytes, 0, outputLength);         return new string(chars);     }