parallel port interfacing - 16f84

[devil6600]

Parallel port operation is well document throughout the Internet, literally millions of hits on a Google search as well as here.
As far as using an 'F84, how many bits do you plan on transferring at a time?
8 bits is going to be a bit difficult and still have enough pins left over to control....anything...
How much other PIC programming have you done so far?

I haven't used any other PIC.

well, what I want to do is to store the incoming data from the parallel port into a variable. Now, let us suppose once the PORTA has been set to be input (trisa = %11111111), then how to read the value of all the pins in PORTA and store them in a variable?

suppose if the incoming data is say "2" whose binary equivalent is 00000010, so now how to read this value on PORTA pins & store it in a variable?

thanks