xargs(1)

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

SYNOPSIS
     xargs [-ft0] [[-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.

     -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.

     -0   Read null-byte terminated pathnames from standard input as may  have
          been  produced  by  the  -print0 option of find(1).  This is a Minix
          specific extension to xargs.

     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.