4.3BSD-Reno/share/man/cat1/xargs.0

XARGS(1)		      1990			 XARGS(1)



NNAAMMEE
     xargs - construct argument list(s) and execute utility.

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     xxaarrggss [[--tt]] [[--nn nnuummbbeerr]] [[--ss ssiizzee]] [[uuttiilliittyy [[aarrgguummeenntt ......]]]]

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
     The _x_a_r_g_s _u_t_i_l_i_t_y reads space, tab, and newline delimited
     arguments from the standard input and executes the specified
     _u_t_i_l_i_t_y with them as arguments.  Any arguments specified on
     the command line are given to the _u_t_i_l_i_t_y upon each invoca-
     tion, followed by some number of the arguments read from
     standard input.  The _u_t_i_l_i_t_y is repeatedly executed until
     standard input is exhausted.

     Spaces and tabs may be embedded in arguments using single
     (`` ' '') or double (``"'') quotes or backslashes (``\'').
     Single or double quotes escape all characters to the next
     matching quote character, backslashes escape the next char-
     acter.  Newlines may not be escaped.

     The following options are available:

     -n number
	  Set the maximum number of arguments used from standard
	  input for each invocation of the utility.  An invoca-
	  tion of _u_t_i_l_i_t_y will use less than _n_u_m_b_e_r standard
	  input arguments if the number of bytes accumulated (see
	  the -_s option) exceeds the specified size or the last
	  invocation of _u_t_i_l_i_t_y has fewer than _n_u_m_b_e_r arguments
	  remaining.  The default value for _n_u_m_b_e_r is 255.

     -s size
	  Set the maximum number of bytes to which the last com-
	  ponent of the _u_t_i_l_i_t_y name, the command-line arguments,
	  and the arguments read in from standard input may sum.
	  The default value for _s_i_z_e is 2048.

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

     If no _u_t_i_l_i_t_y is specified, _e_c_h_o(1) is used.

     _U_t_i_l_i_t_y should never read from the standard input.

     _X_a_r_g_s exits with 0 if no error occurred, and 1 otherwise.

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     echo(1)

SSTTAANNDDAARRDDSS
     The _x_a_r_g_s utility is expected to be POSIX 1003.2 compliant.



Printed 7/27/90               April				1