How do I prompt for input in a Linux shell script?

read -e -p "Enter the path to the file: " -i "/usr/local/etc/" FILEPATH
 
# one can also use "select"

Note: Since BASH4, you can now suggest an answer (-i), so the user only have to press return to enter it :

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/226703/how-do-i-prompt-for-input-in-a-linux-shell-script