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From: "Bart Schaefer" <schaefer@brasslantern.com>
Message-Id: <1020904063211.ZM5052@candle.brasslantern.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 06:32:10 +0000
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To: zsh-workers@sunsite.dk
Subject: I've committed "zargs" ...
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I got a bit carried away and implemented the entire set of options from
GNU xargs 4.1.  Rather than post the result here, I've just committed it.
I didn't write any doc for contrib.yo ... does anyone think I should?

Here's `zargs --help':

----------
Usage: zargs [options --] [input-args] [-- command [initial-args]]

If command and initial-args are omitted, "print -r --" is used.

Options:
--eof[=eof-str], -e[eof-str]
    Change the end-of-input-args string from "--" to eof-str.  If
    given as --eof=, an empty argument is the end; as --eof or -e,
    with no (or an empty) eof-str, all arguments are input-args.
--exit, -x
    Exit if the size (see --max-chars) is exceeded.
--help
    Print this summary and exit.
--interactive, -p
    Prompt before executing each command line.
--max-args=max-args, -n max-args
    Use at most max-args arguments per command line.
--max-chars=max-chars, -s max-chars
    Use at most max-chars characters per command line.
--max-lines[=max-lines], -l[max-lines]
    Use at most max-lines of the input-args per command line.
    This option is misnamed for xargs compatibility.
--max-procs=max-procs, -P max-procs
    Run up to max-procs command lines in the background at once.
--no-run-if-empty, -r
    Do nothing if there are no input arguments before the eof-str.
--null, -0
    Split each input-arg at null bytes, for xargs compatibility.
--replace[=replace-str], -i[replace-str]
    Substitute replace-str in the initial-args by each initial-arg.
    Implies --exit --max-lines=1.
--verbose, -t
    Print each command line to stderr before executing it.
--version
    Print the version number of zargs and exit.
----------

I spent much more time than I should have on getting the best --max-procs
algorithm I could come up with.  Comments welcome.

-- 
Bart Schaefer                                 Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts              http://www.brasslantern.com

Zsh: http://www.zsh.org | PHPerl Project: http://phperl.sourceforge.net