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

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


NAME
     xargs - construct argument list(s) and execute utility

SYNOPSIS
     xargs [ -t ][[ -x ] -n number ][ -s size ][ utility [ argu-
     ments...  ]]

DESCRIPTION
     The xargs utility reads space, tab, newline and end-of-file
     delimited arguments from the standard input and executes the
     specified utility with them as arguments.

     The utility and any arguments specified on the command line
     are given to the utility upon each invocation, followed by
     some number of the arguments read from standard input.  The
     utility is repeatedly executed until standard input is
     exhausted.

     Spaces, tabs and newlines may be embedded in arguments using
     single (`` ' '') or double (``"'') quotes or backslashes
     (``\'').  Single quotes escape all non-single quote charac-
     ters, excluding newlines, up to the matching single quote.
     Double quotes escape all non-double quote characters,
     excluding newlines, up to the matching double quote.  Any
     single character, including newlines, may be escaped by a
     backslash.

     The options are as follows:

     -n number Set the maximum number of arguments taken from
	       standard input for each invocation of the utility.
	       An invocation of utility will use less than number
	       standard input arguments if the number of bytes
	       accumulated (see the s option) exceeds the speci-
	       fied size or there are fewer than number arguments
	       remaining for the last invocation of utility.  The
	       current default value for number is 5000.

     -s size   Set the maximum number of bytes for the command
	       line length provided to utility.  The sum of the
	       length of the utility name and the arguments
	       passed to utility (including /dev/null termina-
	       tors) will be less than or equal to this number.
	       The current default value for size is ARG_MAX -
	       2048.

     -t        Echo the command to be executed to standard error
	       immediately before it is executed.

     -x        Force xargs to terminate immediately if a command
	       line containing number arguments will not fit in
	       the specified (or default) command line length.


Printed 11/26/99	  June 6, 1993				1


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


     If no utility is specified, echo(1) is used.

     Undefined behavior may occur if utility reads from the stan-
     dard input.

     The xargs utility exits immediately (without processing any
     further input) if a command line cannot be assembled, util-
     ity cannot be invoked, an invocation of the utility is ter-
     minated by a signal or an invocation of the utility exits
     with a value of 255.

     The xargs utility exits with a value of 0 if no error
     occurs.  If utility cannot be invoked, xargs exits with a
     value of 127.  If any other error occurs, xargs exits with a
     value of 1.

SEE ALSO
     echo(1), find(1)

STANDARDS
     The xargs utility is expected to be IEEE Std 1003.2("POSIX")
     compliant.


Printed 11/26/99	  June 6, 1993				2