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(find.info)Interspersing File Names

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Interspersing File Names
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   `xargs' can insert the name of the file it is processing between
arguments you give for the command.  Unless you also give options to
limit the command size (Note: Limiting Command Size), this mode of
operation is equivalent to `find -exec' (Note: Single File).

`--replace[=REPLACE-STR]'
`-i[REPLACE-STR]'
     Replace occurrences 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'.  As an
     example, to sort each file the `bills' directory, leaving the
     output in that file name with `.sorted' appended, you could do:

          find bills -type f | xargs -iXX sort -o XX.sorted XX

     The equivalent command using `find -exec' is:

          find bills -type f -exec sort -o '{}.sorted' '{}' ';'