BSD 4_4 release

[unix-history] / usr / src / usr.bin / xargs / xargs.1

diff --git a/usr/src/usr.bin/xargs/xargs.1 b/usr/src/usr.bin/xargs/xargs.1
index e7d2826..e703c43 100644 (file)
--- a/usr/src/usr.bin/xargs/xargs.1
+++ b/usr/src/usr.bin/xargs/xargs.1
@@ -1,99 +1,161 @@
-.\" Copyright (c) 1990 The Regents of the University of California.
-.\" All rights reserved.
+.\" Copyright (c) 1990, 1991, 1993
+.\"    The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.

 .\"
 .\" This code is derived from software contributed to Berkeley by
 .\"
 .\" This code is derived from software contributed to Berkeley by

-.\" John B. Roll Jr.
+.\" John B. Roll Jr. and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
+.\" Engineers, Inc.

 .\"
 .\"

-.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted
-.\" provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
-.\" duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation,
-.\" advertising materials, and other materials related to such
-.\" distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed
-.\" by the University of California, Berkeley.  The name of the
-.\" University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived
-.\" from this software without specific prior written permission.
-.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR
-.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED
-.\" WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
+.\" are met:
+.\" 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+.\"    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+.\" 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+.\"    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
+.\"    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+.\" 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software
+.\"    must display the following acknowledgement:
+.\"    This product includes software developed by the University of
+.\"    California, Berkeley and its contributors.
+.\" 4. Neither the name of the University nor the names of its contributors
+.\"    may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
+.\"    without specific prior written permission.

 .\"
 .\"

-.\"    @(#)xargs.1     5.1 (Berkeley) 4/17/90
+.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE REGENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
+.\" ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
+.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
+.\" ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
+.\" FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
+.\" DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
+.\" OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
+.\" HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
+.\" LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
+.\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
+.\" SUCH DAMAGE.

 .\"
 .\"

-.TH XARGS 1 "April 17, 1990"
-.UC 7
-.SH NAME
-xargs \- construct argument list(s) and execute utility.
-.SH SYNOPSIS
-.ft B
-xargs [\-t] [\-n number] [\-s size] [utility [argument ...]]
-.ft R
-.SH DESCRIPTION
+.\"    @(#)xargs.1     8.1 (Berkeley) 6/6/93
+.\"
+.Dd June 6, 1993
+.Dt XARGS 1
+.Os
+.Sh NAME
+.Nm xargs
+.Nd "construct argument list(s) and execute utility"
+.Sh SYNOPSIS
+.Nm xargs
+.Op Fl t
+.Oo Op Fl x
+.Fl n Ar number
+.Oc
+.Op Fl s Ar size
+.Op Ar utility Op Ar arguments ...
+.Sh DESCRIPTION

 The
 The

-.I xargs utility
-reads space, tab, and newline delimited arguments from the standard
-input and executes the specified
-.I utility
-with them as arguments.
-Any arguments specified on the command line are given to the
-.I utility
+.Nm xargs
+utility reads space, tab, newline and end-of-file delimited arguments
+from the standard input and executes the specified
+.Ar utility
+with them as
+arguments.
+.Pp
+The utility and any arguments specified on the command line are given
+to the
+.Ar utility

 upon each invocation, followed by some number of the arguments read
 from standard input.
 The
 upon each invocation, followed by some number of the arguments read
 from standard input.
 The

-.I utility
+.Ar utility

 is repeatedly executed until standard input is exhausted.
 is repeatedly executed until standard input is exhausted.

-.PP
-Spaces and tabs may be embedded in arguments using single (`` ' '') or
-double (``"'') quotes or backslashes (``\e'').
-Single or double quotes escape all characters to the next matching quote
-character, backslashes escape the next character.
-Newlines may not be escaped.
-.PP
-The following options are available:
-.TP
--n number
-Set the maximum number of arguments used from standard input for
-each invocation of the utility.
+.Pp
+Spaces, tabs and newlines may be embedded in arguments using single
+(``\ '\ '')
+.Ek
+or double (``"'') quotes or backslashes (``\e'').
+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.
+.Pp
+The options are as follows:
+.Bl -tag -width indent
+.It Fl n Ar number
+Set the maximum number of arguments taken from standard input for each
+invocation of the utility.

 An invocation of
 An invocation of

-.I utility
+.Ar utility

 will use less than
 will use less than

-.I number
+.Ar number

 standard input arguments if the number of bytes accumulated (see the
 standard input arguments if the number of bytes accumulated (see the

-.I \-s
-option) exceeds the specified size or the last invocation of
-.I utility
-has fewer than
-.I number
-arguments remaining.
-The default value for
-.I number
-is 255.
-.TP
--s size
-Set the maximum number of bytes to which the last component of the
-.I utility
-name, the command-line arguments, and the arguments read in from
-standard input may sum.
-The default value for
-.I size
-is 2048.
-.TP
--t
+.Fl s
+option) exceeds the specified
+.Ar size
+or there are fewer than
+.Ar number
+arguments remaining for the last invocation of
+.Ar utility .
+The current default value for
+.Ar number
+is 5000.
+.It Fl s Ar size
+Set the maximum number of bytes for the command line length provided to
+.Ar utility .
+The sum of the length of the utility name and the arguments passed to
+.Ar utility
+(including
+.Dv NULL
+terminators) will be less than or equal to this number.
+The current default value for
+.Ar size
+is
+.Dv ARG_MAX
+- 2048.
+.It Fl t

 Echo the command to be executed to standard error immediately before it
 is executed.
 Echo the command to be executed to standard error immediately before it
 is executed.

-.PP
+.It Fl x
+Force
+.Nm xargs
+to terminate immediately if a command line containing
+.Ar number
+arguments will not fit in the specified (or default) command line length.
+.El
+.Pp

 If no
 If no

-.I utility
+.Ar utility

 is specified,
 is specified,

-.IR echo (1)
+.Xr echo 1

 is used.
 is used.

-.PP
-.I Utility
-should never read from the standard input.
-.PP
-.I Xargs
-exits with 0 if no error occurred, and 1 otherwise.
-.SH "SEE ALSO"
-echo(1)
-.SH STANDARDS
+.Pp
+Undefined behavior may occur if
+.Ar utility
+reads from the standard input.
+.Pp
+The
+.Nm xargs
+utility exits immediately (without processing any further input) if a
+command line cannot be assembled,
+.Ar utility
+cannot be invoked, an invocation of the utility is terminated by a signal
+or an invocation of the utility exits with a value of 255.
+.Pp
+The
+.Nm xargs
+utility exits with a value of 0 if no error occurs.
+If
+.Ar utility
+cannot be invoked,
+.Nm xargs
+exits with a value of 127.
+If any other error occurs,
+.Nm xargs
+exits with a value of 1.
+.Sh SEE ALSO
+.Xr echo 1 ,
+.Xr find 1
+.Sh STANDARDS

 The
 The

-.I xargs
-utility is expected to be POSIX 1003.2 compliant.
+.Nm xargs
+utility is expected to be
+.St -p1003.2
+compliant.