XARGS(1)                                                 XARGS(1)


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

SYNOPSIS
       xargs  [-ft] [[-x] -n number] [-s size] [utility [argument
       ...]]

DESCRIPTION
       The xargs utility reads space, tab,  newline  and  end-of-
       file  delimited arguments from the standard input and exe-
       cutes 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, fol-
       lowed 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 back-
       slashes (``\'').   Single  quotes  escape  all  non-single
       quote  characters,  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:

       -f     Force  xargs  to ignore the exit status returned by
              utility.  By default, xargs will  exit  immediately
              if utility exits with a non-zero exit status.  This
              does not include ignoring utility exiting due to  a
              signal or without calling exit(2).

       -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  NULL  terminators) 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



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XARGS(1)                                                 XARGS(1)


              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.

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

       Undefined behavior may occur if  utility  reads  from  the
       standard input.

       Xargs  exits  with an exit status of 0 if no error occurs.
       If utility cannot be invoked, is terminated by a signal or
       terminates  without  calling  exit(2), xargs exits with an
       exit status of 127.  If utility exits with an exit  status
       other  than  0, xargs exits with that exit status.  Other-
       wise, xargs exits with an exit status of 1.

SEE ALSO
       echo(1), find(1)

STANDARDS
       The xargs utility is expected to be POSIX  1003.2  compli-
       ant.

































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