Introduction

Linux Command xargs is a powerful command line utility that allows users to build and execute commands from standard input. It reads input from the standard input, delimited by blanks (space, tab, newline) or newlines, and executes the specified command one or more times with any initial-arguments followed by items read from standard input. It is commonly used in combination with other commands such as find, grep, and rm to perform operations on large numbers of files. Xargs is a great tool for automating tasks and can be used to perform a variety of tasks such as searching for files, deleting files, and running commands on multiple files.

Examples

1. ls: The ls command is used to list the contents of a directory.

Syntax: ls [options] [file|dir]

Example: ls -l

2. cd: The cd command is used to change the current working directory.

Syntax: cd [directory]

Example: cd /home/user

3. mv: The mv command is used to move or rename files and directories.

Syntax: mv [options] source destination

Example: mv file1.txt file2.txt

4. cp: The cp command is used to copy files and directories.

Syntax: cp [options] source destination

Example: cp file1.txt file2.txt

5. rm: The rm command is used to remove files and directories.

Syntax: rm [options] file

Example: rm -rf file1.txt

6. mkdir: The mkdir command is used to create directories.

Syntax: mkdir [options] directory

Example: mkdir mydir

7. chmod: The chmod command is used to change the permissions of a file or directory.

Syntax: chmod [options] mode file

Example: chmod 777 file1.txt

8. grep: The grep command is used to search for patterns in files.

Syntax: grep [options] pattern [files]

Example: grep -i “hello” file1.txt

9. find: The find command is used to search for files and directories.

Syntax: find [options] path expression

Example: find / -name “file1.txt”

10. xargs: The xargs command is used to build and execute command lines from standard input.

Syntax: xargs [options] [command]

Example: find . -name “*.txt” | xargs rm -f

Xargs Linux Command

The xargs command in Linux is a powerful command line utility that allows users to pass arguments and commands from standard input to a command. It is used to build and execute commands from standard input. It reads items 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 items read from standard input. Xargs is usually used in combination with other commands like find, grep, and ls.

Syntax

The syntax for the xargs command is as follows:

xargs [OPTION]... COMMAND [INITIAL-ARGS]...

Options

The xargs command has several options that can be used to modify its behavior. Some of the most commonly used options are:

• -n: This option specifies the maximum number of arguments that can be passed to the command.
• -p: This option prompts the user for confirmation before executing the command.
• -s: This option specifies the maximum size of the argument list that can be passed to the command.
• -I: This option specifies a replacement string for the arguments that are passed to the command.

Examples

Here are some examples of how to use the xargs command:

• To list all the files in the current directory:

  ls | xargs

• To list all the files in the current directory with their full path:

  ls | xargs -I {} echo {}

• To delete all the files in the current directory:

  ls | xargs -I {} rm {}

• To find all the files in the current directory that contain the word “test”:

  find . -name "*test*" | xargs

Conclusion

The xargs command is a powerful command line utility that can be used to pass arguments and commands from standard input to a command. It is often used in combination with other commands like find, grep, and ls. It has several options that can be used to modify its behavior. With the xargs command, you can easily automate tasks and make your life easier.