in reply to Read in fasta format

Perhaps you can clarify your question a bit. As I read it, there are at least two possible meanings: Are you seeking:

  1. help on how to read a file in fasta format into your program?
    or
  2. suggestions about where to "read into" (in the British sense of the phrase) the fasta format?
    I think the generic English for the latter would be: "read about the fasta format;" "study the fasta format" or similar).

http://bioinformaticsweb.net/tutorial.html may lead you to answers on either. Or, perhaps, one of the bio-monks will happen by and have a better idea, but in the meantime, you may wish to use Super Search with fasta, bioinformatics or bioperl as a search term. Here's a small sample of what's available here.