xargs(1L)

     NAME
          xargs - build and execute command lines from standard input

     SYNOPSIS
          xargs [-0prtx] [-e[eof-str]] [-i[replace-str]] [-l[max-
          lines]] [-n max-args] [-s max-chars] [-P max-procs] [--null]
          [--eof[=eof-str]] [--replace[=replace-str]] [--max-
          lines[=max-lines]] [--interactive] [--max-chars=max-chars]
          [--verbose] [--exit] [--max-procs=max-procs] [--max-
          args=max-args] [--no-run-if-empty] [--version] [--help]
          [command [initial-arguments]]

     DESCRIPTION
          This manual page documents the GNU version of xargs.  xargs
          reads arguments from the standard input, delimited by blanks
          (which can be protected with double or single quotes or a
          backslash) or newlines, and executes the command (default is
          /bin/echo) one or more times with any initial-arguments
          followed by arguments read from standard input.  Blank lines
          on the standard input are ignored.

          xargs exits with the following status:
          0 if it succeeds
          123 if any invocation of the command exited with status 1-125
          124 if the command exited with status 255
          125 if the command is killed by a signal
          126 if the command cannot be run
          127 if the command is not found
          1 if some other error occurred.

        OPTIONS
          --null, -0
               Input filenames are terminated by a null character
               instead of by whitespace, and the quotes and backslash
               are not special (every character is taken literally).
               Disables the end of file string, which is treated like
               any other argument.  Useful when arguments might
               contain white space, quote marks, or backslashes.  The
               GNU find -print0 option produces input suitable for
               this mode.

          --eof[=eof-str], -e[eof-str]
               Set the end of file string to eof-str.  If the end of
               file string occurs as a line of input, the rest of the
               input is ignored.  If eof-str is omitted, there is no
               end of file string.  If this option is not given, the
               end of file string defaults to "_".

          --help
               Print a summary of the options to xargs and exit.

          --replace[=replace-str], -i[replace-str]
               Replace occurences of replace-str in the initial
               arguments with names read from standard input.  Also,
               unquoted blanks do not terminate arguments.  If
               replace-str is omitted, it defaults to "{}" (like for
               `find -exec').  Implies -x and -l 1.

          --max-lines[=max-lines], -l[max-lines]
               Use at most max-lines nonblank input lines per command
               line; max-lines defaults to 1 if omitted.  Trailing
               blanks cause an input line to be logically continued on
               the next input line.  Implies -x.

          --max-args=max-args, -n max-args
               Use at most max-args arguments per command line.  Fewer
               than max-args arguments will be used if the size (see
               the -s option) is exceeded, unless the -x option is
               given, in which case xargs will exit.

          --interactive, -p
               Prompt the user about whether to run each command line
               and read a line from the terminal.  Only run the
               command line if the response starts with `y' or `Y'.
               Implies -t.

          --no-run-if-empty, -r
               If the standard input does not contain any nonblanks,
               do not run the command.  Normally, the command is run
               once even if there is no input.

          --max-chars=max-chars, -s max-chars
               Use at most max-chars characters per command line,
               including the command and initial arguments and the
               terminating nulls at the ends of the argument strings.
               The default is as large as possible, up to 20k
               characters.

          --verbose, -t
               Print the command line on the standard error output
               before executing it.

          --version
               Print the version number of xargs and exit.

          --exit, -x
               Exit if the size (see the -s option) is exceeded.

          --max-procs=max-procs, -P max-procs
               Run up to max-procs processes at a time; the default is
               1.  If max-procs is 0, xargs will run as many processes
               as possible at a time.  Use the -n option with -P;
               otherwise chances are that only one exec will be done.

     SEE ALSO
          find(1L), locate(1L), locatedb(5L), updatedb(1) Finding
          Files (on-line in Info, or printed)