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(sharutils.info)Kinds

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Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Producing different kinds of shars
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`-V'
`--vanilla-operation'
     This option produces "vanilla" shars which rely only upon the
     existence of `echo', `test' and `sed' in the unpacking environment.

     The `-V' disables options offensive to the "network cop" (or
     "brown shirt").  It also changes the default from mixed mode `-M'
     to text mode `-T'.  Warnings are produced if option `-B', `-z',
     `-Z', `-p' or `-M' is specified (any of which does or might
     require `uudecode', `gzip' or `compress' in the unpacking
     environment).

`-P'
`--no-piping'
     In the shar file, use a temporary file to hold the file to
     `uudecode', instead of using pipes.  This option is mandatory when
     you know the unpacking `uudecode' is unwilling to merely read its
     standard input.  Richard Marks wrote what is certainly the most
     (in)famous of these, for MSDOS :-).

     (Here is a side note from the maintainer.  Why isnt't this option
     the default?  In the past history of `shar', it was decided that
     piping was better, surely because it is less demanding on disk
     space, and people seem to be happy with this.  Besides, I think
     that the `uudecode' from Richard Marks, on MSDOS, is wrong in
     refusing to handle `stdin'.  So far that I remember, he has the
     strong opinion that a program without any parameters should give
     its `--help' output.  Besides that, should I say, his `uuencode'
     and `uudecode' programs are full-featured, one of the most
     complete set I ever saw.  But Richard will not release his
     sources, he wants to stay in control.)

`-x'
`--no-check-existing'
     Overwrite existing files without checking.  If neither `-x' nor
     `-X' is specified, when unpacking itself, the shell archive will
     check for and not overwrite existing files (unless `-c' is passed
     as a parameter to the script when unpacking).

`-X'
`--query-user'
     Interactively overwrite existing files.

     Use of `-X' produces shars which _will_ cause problems with some
     `unshar'-style procedures, particularily when used together with
     vanilla mode (`-V').  Use this feature mainly for archives to be
     passed among agreeable parties.  Certainly, `-X' is _not_ for
     shell archives which are to be submitted to Usenet or other public
     networks.

     The problem is that `unshar' programs or procedures often feed
     `/bin/sh' from its standard input, thus putting `/bin/sh' and the
     shell archive script in competition for input lines.  As an
     attempt to alleviate this problem, `shar' will try to detect if
     `/dev/tty' exists at the receiving site and will use it to read
     user replies.  But this does not work in all cases, it may happen
     that the receiving user will have to avoid using `unshar' programs
     or procedures, and call `/bin/sh' directly.  In vanilla mode,
     using `/dev/tty' is not even attempted.

`-m'
`--no-timestamp'
     Avoid generating `touch' commands to restore the file modification
     dates when unpacking files from the archive.

     When the timestamp relationship is not preserved, some files like
     `configure' or `*.info' may be uselessly remade after unpacking.
     This is why, when this option is not used, a special effort is
     made to restore timestamps,

`-Q'
`--quiet-unshar'
     Verbose _off_ at `unshar' time.  Disables the inclusion of
     comments to be output when the archive is unpacked.

`-f'
`--basename'
     Use only the last file name component of each input file name,
     ignoring any prefix directories.  This is sometimes useful when
     building a shar from several directories, or another directory.
     If a directory name is passed to `shar', the substructure of that
     directory will be restored whether `-f' is specified or not.