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     NAME
        
        args - use standard input as arguments for command
        
     SYNOPSIS
        
        args [-v] tool [arguments]
        
     DESCRIPTION
        
        args reads the standard input file and concatenates the words found
        there  onto  the arguments passed to args.  It then spawns the tool
        "tool" with those arguments.  The first argument to args which does
        not start with a "-" is taken to be the name  of  the  tool  to  be
        invoked.   args  uses  the  same  search  path as the shell, and if
        "tool" is a script file, a  copy  of  the  shell  will  be  spawned
        reading  that  file  for  its  commands.   The optional -v argument
        causes args to display the final  command  line  on  ERROUT  before
        spawning the sub-process.
        
        The  most common use of args is as a form of argument explosion, as
        in the following example:
        
             Suppose the user wishes to delete all  files  which  have  the
             string   "tst"   somewhere  in  the  filename.   This  may  be
             accomplished with the following shell command line:

             % ls tst | args rm -v

             All of the files matching the pattern "tst"  will  be  fed  to
             args,  which  will  concatenate  the  names  onto rm's command
             line.  rm will then be spawned, and will  print  the  name  of
             each file as it is deleted.
             
        If  the  information found on standard input is so voluminous as to
        cause the argument string to be too  large,  the  command  line  is
        displayed  on ERROUT and the process is NOT spawned.  This prevents
        the user from being destroyed by his/her indescretion.
        
     FILES

        none

     SEE ALSO

        sh - command line interpreter (for search path rules)

     AUTHOR

        args was written by Joe Sventek



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     ARGS                           8/25/80                            ARGS


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