--- a/Stream.st	Wed May 15 17:33:59 1996 +0200
+++ b/Stream.st	Wed May 15 17:51:12 1996 +0200
@@ -140,25 +140,35 @@
 
 contents
     "return the entire contents of the stream
-     - we do not know here how to do it, it must be redefined in subclass"
+     - we do not know here how to do it, it must be redefined in subclasses."
 
     ^ self subclassResponsibility
+
+    "Modified: 15.5.1996 / 17:36:29 / cg"
 !
 
 signalAtEnd
-    "return signalAtEnd"
+    "return the signalAtEnd flag setting. If true, reading past the end
+     will raise an EndOfStream exception. If false, no exception is
+     raised and nil is returned from all reading messages.
+     The default is (currently) to NOT raise a signal."
 
     ^ signalAtEnd
 
     "Created: 5.2.1996 / 18:24:53 / stefan"
+    "Modified: 15.5.1996 / 17:35:55 / cg"
 !
 
-signalAtEnd:something
-    "set signalAtEnd"
+signalAtEnd:aBoolean
+    "set the signalAtEnd flag setting. If true, reading past the end
+     will raise an EndOfStream exception. If false, no exception is
+     raised and nil is returned from all reading messages.
+     The default is (currently) to NOT raise a signal."
 
-    signalAtEnd := something.
+    signalAtEnd := aBoolean.
 
     "Created: 5.2.1996 / 18:24:53 / stefan"
+    "Modified: 15.5.1996 / 17:36:12 / cg"
 ! !
 
 !Stream methodsFor:'closing'!
@@ -263,13 +273,67 @@
 !Stream methodsFor:'misc'!
 
 binary
-    "switch to binary mode. ignored here, but added to make
-     internalStreams protocol compatible with externStreams."
+    "switch to binary mode. In binary mode, reading of text streams
+     returns byte-valued integers instead of characters; writing expects
+     byte-valued integers respectively.
+     Ignored here, but added to make internalStreams protocol compatible 
+     with externalStreams."
 
+    "Modified: 15.5.1996 / 17:38:36 / cg"
 ! !
 
 !Stream methodsFor:'non homogenous reading'!
 
+nextAlphaNumericWord
+    "read the next word (i.e. up to non letter-or-digit).
+     Return a string containing those characters.
+     Any leading whitespace is skipped.
+     This method does not advance over any non-alphanumeric characters;
+     i.e. it will stick and continue to continue to return nil in
+     this case. Only call for it in a loop, AFTER you have checked for
+     the next character to really be alphanumeric (using #peek)"
+
+    |s c|
+
+    [self atEnd not
+     and:[(c := self peek) isSeparator]] whileTrue:[
+        self next 
+    ].
+
+    self atEnd ifTrue:[^ nil].
+
+    s := ''.
+
+    [self atEnd not
+     and:[(c := self peek) isLetterOrDigit]] whileTrue:[ 
+        s := s copyWith:c. 
+        self next 
+    ].
+
+    s size == 0 ifTrue:[^ nil].
+    ^ s.
+
+    "
+     |s|
+
+     s := 'hello world 1234 foo1 foo2' readStream.
+     [s atEnd] whileFalse:[
+        Transcript showCr:(s nextAlphaNumericWord).
+     ].
+
+
+   notice: streams end never reached this way (sticking at the '+'-character:
+     |s|
+
+     s := 'hello world 1234 foo1+foo2' readStream.
+     10 timesRepeat:[
+        Transcript showCr:(s nextAlphaNumericWord).
+     ].
+    "
+
+    "Modified: 15.5.1996 / 17:50:32 / cg"
+!
+
 nextLine
     "return the characters upTo (but excluding) the next cr character.
      Added for protocol compatibility with externalStreams."
@@ -455,7 +519,13 @@
 !
 
 nextWord
+    "return the next characters which form an alphanumeric word
+     (i.e. everything upTo (but excluding) the next non alphanumeric
+      element)"
+
     ^ self nextAlphaNumericWord
+
+    "Modified: 15.5.1996 / 17:39:32 / cg"
 ! !
 
 !Stream methodsFor:'non homogenous writing'!
@@ -1106,6 +1176,6 @@
 !Stream class methodsFor:'documentation'!
 
 version
-    ^ '$Header: /cvs/stx/stx/libbasic/Stream.st,v 1.39 1996-05-15 15:33:59 cg Exp $'
+    ^ '$Header: /cvs/stx/stx/libbasic/Stream.st,v 1.40 1996-05-15 15:51:12 cg Exp $'
 ! !
 Stream initialize!