# 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.