2.11BSD#431 - /usr/man/cat1/apply.0

APPLY(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		 APPLY(1)


NAME
     apply - apply a command to a set of arguments

SYNOPSIS
     apply [ -ac ] [ -n ] command args ...

DESCRIPTION
     Apply runs the named command on each argument arg in turn.
     Normally arguments are chosen singly; the optional number n
     specifies the number of arguments to be passed to command.
     If n is zero, command is run without arguments once for each
     arg. Character sequences of the form %d in command, where d
     is a digit from 1 to 9, are replaced by the d'th following
     unused arg. If any such sequences occur, n is ignored, and
     the number of arguments passed to command is the maximum
     value of d in command. The character `%' may be changed by
     the -a option.

     Examples:
	  apply echo *
     is similar to ls(1);
	  apply -2 cmp a1 b1 a2 b2 ...
     compares the `a' files to the `b' files;
	  apply -0 who 1 2 3 4 5
     runs who(1) 5 times; and
	  apply 'ln %1 /usr/joe' *
     links all files in the current directory to the directory
     /usr/joe.

SEE ALSO
     sh(1)

AUTHOR
     Rob Pike

BUGS
     Shell metacharacters in command may have bizarre effects; it
     is best to enclose complicated commands in single quotes
     ' '.

     There is no way to pass a literal `%2' if `%' is the argu-
     ment expansion character.


Printed 11/26/99	 April 29, 1985                         1