Finding Files - 7. Reference

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# 7. Reference

Below are summaries of the command line syntax for the programs discussed in this manual.

## 7.1 Invoking `find`

    find [file...] [expression]

`find` searches the directory tree rooted at each file name file by evaluating the expression on each file it finds in the tree.

`find` considers the first argument that begins with ``-'`, ``('`, ``)'`, ``,'`, or ``!'` to be the beginning of the expression; any arguments before it are paths to search, and any arguments after it are the rest of the expression. If no paths are given, the current directory is used. If no expression is given, the expression ``-print'` is used.

`find` exits with status 0 if all files are processed successfully, greater than 0 if errors occur.

See section `find` Primary Index, for a summary of all of the tests, actions, and options that the expression can contain.

`find` also recognizes two options for administrative use:

`--help`
  Print a summary of the command-line argument format and exit.
`--version`
  Print the version number of `find` and exit.

## 7.2 Invoking `locate`

    locate [option...] pattern...

`--database=path`
`-d path`
  Instead of searching the default file name database, search the file name databases in path, which is a colon-separated list of database file names. You can also use the environment variable `LOCATE_PATH` to set the list of database files to search. The option overrides the environment variable if both are used.
`--help`
  Print a summary of the options to `locate` and exit.
`--version`
  Print the version number of `locate` and exit.

## 7.3 Invoking `updatedb`

    updatedb [option...]

`--localpaths='path...'`
  Non-network directories to put in the database. Default is ``/'`.
`--netpaths='path...'`
  Network (NFS, AFS, RFS, etc.) directories to put in the database. Default is none.
`--prunepaths='path...'`
  Directories to not put in the database, which would otherwise be. Default is ``/tmp /usr/tmp /var/tmp /afs'`.
`--output=dbfile`
  The database file to build. Default is system-dependent, but typically ``/usr/local/var/locatedb'`.
`--netuser=user`
  The user to search network directories as, using `su`(1). Default is `daemon`.

## 7.4 Invoking `xargs`

    xargs [option...] [command [initial-arguments]]

`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.

`--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.
`--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, for the purpose of counting the lines. 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. By default, 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.
`--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.

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