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  charac-
     ters,  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 util-
          ity.   By default, xargs will exit immediately if util-
          ity 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 invoca-
          tion 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 speci-
          fied (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  3  specific  extension  to
          xargs.

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

     Undefined behavior may occur if utility reads from the stan-
     dard input.

     Xargs exits with an exit status of 0 if no error occurs.  If
     utility cannot be invoked, is terminated by a signal or ter-
     minates 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.