From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Feb 14 19:35:32 2012
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A8D401065670
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:35:32 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from jilles@stack.nl)
Received: from mx1.stack.nl (relay02.stack.nl [IPv6:2001:610:1108:5010::104])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 452C88FC19
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:35:32 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from snail.stack.nl (snail.stack.nl [IPv6:2001:610:1108:5010::131])
	by mx1.stack.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3D86935AD5E;
	Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:35:31 +0100 (CET)
Received: by snail.stack.nl (Postfix, from userid 1677)
	id 19A7328468; Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:35:31 +0100 (CET)
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:35:31 +0100
From: Jilles Tjoelker <jilles@stack.nl>
To: Matthew Story <matthewstory@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20120214193530.GA42580@stack.nl>
References: <CAB+9ogcT3OxMKwTY+8KfzJfcBiHRBnSdSxcy2eYR6bn=uoL1UQ@mail.gmail.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <CAB+9ogcT3OxMKwTY+8KfzJfcBiHRBnSdSxcy2eYR6bn=uoL1UQ@mail.gmail.com>
User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21 (2010-09-15)
Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: xargs short-circuit
X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD
	<freebsd-hackers.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-hackers>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>,
	<mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:35:32 -0000

On Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 01:34:49PM -0500, Matthew Story wrote:
> After reading the man-page, and browsing around the internet for a minute,
> I was just wondering if there is an option in (any) xargs to short-circuit
> on first failure of [utility [arguments]].

> e.g.

> $ jot - 1 10 | xargs -e -n1 sh -c 'echo "$*"; echo exit 1' worker || echo $?
> 1
> 1

> such that any non-0 exit code in a child process would cause xargs to stop
> processing.  seems like this would be a nice feature to have.

As per xargs(1), you can do this by having the command exit on a signal
or with a value of 255.

-- 
Jilles Tjoelker