APPLY(1)
NAME
apply − apply a command to a set of arguments
USAGE
apply [ −ac ] [ −n ] command args ...
DESCRIPTION
Apply runs the named command on each argument arg in turn.
OPTIONS
−n Specify n as the number of arguments to be passed to command. (Normally, arguments are chosen individually.) If n is zero, run command without arguments once for each arg. Replace character sequences of the form %d in command, where d is a digit from 1 to 9, by the dth following the unused arg. If any such sequences occur, ignore n, and make the number of arguments passed to command the maximum value of d in command.
−ac Change the % character to the value of c.
EXAMPLES
To perform a comparison between the a and b files shown on the command line below, use the following:
apply −2 cmp a1 b1 a2
To run the who (1) command five times, type this:
apply −0 who 1 2 3
To link all files in the current directory to the directory /usr/joe, execute the following command:
apply ´ln %1 /usr/joe´ *
CAUTIONS
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 argument expansion character.