Execute New Command With Each Argument

Run a command for each argument passed through xargs with limited maximum arguments.

Terminal

<arguments_source> | xargs -n 1 <command>

<arguments_source> | xargs -n 1 <command>

#!/bin/bash

# Execute New Command With Each Argument
{{arguments_source}} | xargs {{[-n|--max-args]}} 1 {{command}}

When To Use

When you need to process batches of arguments in controlled sizes to avoid overloading commands.

Pro Tip

Using the '-P' option can run multiple commands in parallel to speed up processing when IO is a bottleneck.

Command Builder

Tune the command before you copy it

Generated Command

<arguments_source> | xargs -n 1 <command>

Anatomy of Output

Processing file1.txt with command: echo file1.txt Command Executed

Demonstrates execution of the command for each argument.

file1.txt Output

Output from the executed command.

Processing file2.txt with command: echo file2.txt Command Executed

Shows handling of the next argument.

Troubleshooting

Error: insufficient arguments

Solution: Check that arguments are being passed correctly and make sure the input is valid.

Error: argument list too long

Solution: Reduce the input size or increase limits within the environment.

Error: invalid command

Solution: Confirm the specified command exists and permissions are correct.

Command Breakdown

<arguments_source>: Base Command; The executable that performs this operation. Here it runs Arguments Source before the shell applies any redirect operators.
<arguments_source>: arguments source; The value supplied for arguments source.
-n: n| max args; The value supplied for n| max args.
<command>: command; The value supplied for command.
-n: Command Option; Tool-specific option used by this command invocation.

Alternative Approaches

Alternative system operations tools for the same job.