Click on the "getPref" button to read a user prefs file from the Plug-In Support folder on your hard drive. This movie is pre-configured to read the "shocking.txt" file written by the companion setPref movie, but it will read any text file within the proper folder if you enter the name of the file in the field above.
You do not need to supply any path information when reading prefs files, as Shockwave can only interact with the Plug-In Support directory and will find it automatically. The actual name of this directory may vary depending on browser and platform.
This, and all the NetLingo demo movies, will only work if viewed from inside a web browser.