XARGS(1)                       1991                      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
       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  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
              specified 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.




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XARGS(1)                       1991                      XARGS(1)


       -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.

       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.
       Otherwise, 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
       compliant.
































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