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diff --git a/doc/zutils.info b/doc/zutils.info
index bf99e2d..2de6d3b 100644
--- a/doc/zutils.info
+++ b/doc/zutils.info
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-This is zutils.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.13+ from
-zutils.texi.
+This is zutils.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.13+ from zutils.texi.
INFO-DIR-SECTION Data Compression
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
@@ -12,7 +11,7 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Top, Next: Introduction, Up: (dir)
Zutils Manual
*************
-This manual is for Zutils (version 1.8, 1 January 2019).
+This manual is for Zutils (version 1.9, 27 June 2020).
* Menu:
@@ -29,10 +28,10 @@ This manual is for Zutils (version 1.8, 1 January 2019).
* Concept index:: Index of concepts
- Copyright (C) 2009-2019 Antonio Diaz Diaz.
+ Copyright (C) 2009-2020 Antonio Diaz Diaz.
- This manual is free documentation: you have unlimited permission to
-copy, distribute and modify it.
+ This manual is free documentation: you have unlimited permission to copy,
+distribute, and modify it.

File: zutils.info, Node: Introduction, Next: Common options, Prev: Top, Up: Top
@@ -41,45 +40,45 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Introduction, Next: Common options, Prev: Top, Up:
**************
Zutils is a collection of utilities able to process any combination of
-compressed and uncompressed files transparently. If any given file,
-including standard input, is compressed, its decompressed content is
-used. Compressed files are decompressed on the fly; no temporary files
-are created.
+compressed and uncompressed files transparently. If any file given,
+including standard input, is compressed, its decompressed content is used.
+Compressed files are decompressed on the fly; no temporary files are
+created.
- These utilities are not wrapper scripts but safer and more efficient
-C++ programs. In particular the '--recursive' option is very efficient
-in those utilities supporting it.
+ These utilities are not wrapper scripts but safer and more efficient C++
+programs. In particular the option '--recursive' is very efficient in those
+utilities supporting it.
-The utilities provided are zcat, zcmp, zdiff, zgrep, ztest and zupdate.
-The formats supported are bzip2, gzip, lzip and xz.
-Zutils uses external compressors. The compressor to be used for each
-format is configurable at runtime.
+The utilities provided are zcat, zcmp, zdiff, zgrep, ztest, and zupdate.
+The formats supported are bzip2, gzip, lzip, and xz.
+Zutils uses external compressors. The compressor to be used for each format
+is configurable at runtime.
zcat, zcmp, zdiff, and zgrep are improved replacements for the shell
-scripts provided by GNU gzip. ztest is unique to zutils. zupdate is
-similar to gzip's znew.
+scripts provided by GNU gzip. ztest is unique to zutils. zupdate is similar
+to gzip's znew.
- NOTE: Bzip2 and lzip provide well-defined values of exit status,
-which makes them safe to use with zutils. Gzip and xz may return
-ambiguous warning values, making them less reliable back ends for
-zutils. *Note compressor-requirements::.
+ NOTE: Bzip2 and lzip provide well-defined values of exit status, which
+makes them safe to use with zutils. Gzip and xz may return ambiguous warning
+values, making them less reliable back ends for zutils. *Note
+compressor-requirements::.
- FORMAT NOTE 1: The '--format' option allows the processing of a
-subset of formats in recursive mode and when trying compressed file
-names: 'zgrep foo -r --format=bz2,lz somedir somefile.tar'.
+ FORMAT NOTE 1: The option '--format' allows the processing of a subset
+of formats in recursive mode and when trying compressed file names:
+'zgrep foo -r --format=bz2,lz somedir somefile.tar'.
- FORMAT NOTE 2: If the '--force-format' option is given, the files
-are passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying their
-format, allowing for example the processing of compress'd (.Z) files
-with gzip: 'zcmp --force-format=gz file.Z file.lz'.
+ FORMAT NOTE 2: If the option '--force-format' is given, the files are
+passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying their format,
+allowing for example the processing of compress'd (.Z) files with gzip:
+'zcmp --force-format=gz file.Z file.lz'.
- LANGUAGE NOTE: Uncompressed = not compressed = plain data; it may
-never have been compressed. Decompressed is used to refer to data which
-have undergone the process of decompression.
+ LANGUAGE NOTE: Uncompressed = not compressed = plain data; it may never
+have been compressed. Decompressed is used to refer to data which have
+undergone the process of decompression.
- Numbers given as arguments to options (positions, sizes) may be
-followed by a multiplier and an optional 'B' for "byte".
+ Numbers given as arguments to options (positions, sizes) may be followed
+by a multiplier and an optional 'B' for "byte".
Table of SI and binary prefixes (unit multipliers):
@@ -99,9 +98,9 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Common options, Next: The zutilsrc file, Prev: Intro
2 Common options
****************
-The following options are available in all the utilities. Rather than
-writing identical descriptions for each of the programs, they are
-described here.
+The following options: are available in all the utilities. Rather than
+writing identical descriptions for each of the programs, they are described
+here. *Note Argument syntax: (arg_parser)Argument syntax.
'-h'
'--help'
@@ -110,19 +109,19 @@ described here.
'-V'
'--version'
- Print the version number on the standard output and exit. This
- version number should be included in all bug reports.
+ Print the version number on the standard output and exit. This version
+ number should be included in all bug reports.
'-M FORMAT_LIST'
'--format=FORMAT_LIST'
- Process only the formats listed in the comma-separated
- FORMAT_LIST. Valid formats are 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz', 'xz' and 'un'
- for 'uncompressed', meaning "any file name without a known
- extension". This option excludes files based on extension, instead
- of format, because it is more efficient. The exclusion only
- applies to names generated automatically (for example when adding
- extensions to a file name or when operating recursively on
- directories). Files given in the command line are always processed.
+ Process only the formats listed in the comma-separated FORMAT_LIST.
+ Valid formats are 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz', 'xz', and 'un' for
+ 'uncompressed', meaning "any file name without a known extension".
+ This option excludes files based on extension, instead of format,
+ because it is more efficient. The exclusion only applies to names
+ generated automatically (for example when adding extensions to a file
+ name or when operating recursively on directories). Files given in the
+ command line are always processed.
Each format in FORMAT_LIST enables file names with the following
extensions:
@@ -141,17 +140,20 @@ described here.
'--gz=COMMAND'
'--lz=COMMAND'
'--xz=COMMAND'
- Set program (may include arguments) to be used as (de)compressor
- for the given format. The name of the program can't begin with
- '-'. These options override the values set in 'zutilsrc'. The
- compression program used must meet three requirements:
+ Set program to be used as (de)compressor for the corresponding format.
+ COMMAND may include arguments. For example '--lz='plzip --threads=2''.
+ The program set with '--lz' is used for both compression and
+ decompression. The other three are used only for decompression. The
+ name of the program can't begin with '-'. These options override the
+ values set in 'zutilsrc'. The compression program used must meet three
+ requirements:
- 1. When called with the '-d' option, it must read compressed
- data from the standard input and produce decompressed data on
- the standard output.
+ 1. When called with the option '-d', it must read compressed data
+ from the standard input and produce decompressed data on the
+ standard output.
- 2. If the '-q' option is passed to zutils, the compression
- program must also accept it.
+ 2. If the option '-q' is passed to zutils, the compression program
+ must also accept it.
3. It must return 0 if no errors occurred, and a non-zero value
otherwise.
@@ -164,23 +166,23 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: The zutilsrc file, Next: Zcat, Prev: Common options,
*******************
'zutilsrc' is the runtime configuration file for zutils. In it you may
-define the compressor name and options to be used for each format. The
-'zutilsrc' file is optional; you don't need to install it in order to
-run zutils.
+define the compressor name and options to be used for each format. The
+'zutilsrc' file is optional; you don't need to install it in order to run
+zutils.
- The compressors specified in the command line override those
-specified in the 'zutilsrc' file.
+ The compressors specified in the command line override those specified
+in the 'zutilsrc' file.
You may copy the system 'zutilsrc' file '${sysconfdir}/zutilsrc' to
-'$HOME/.zutilsrc' and customize these options as you like. The file
-syntax is fairly obvious (and there are further instructions in it):
+'$HOME/.zutilsrc' and customize these options as you like. The file syntax
+is fairly obvious (and there are further instructions in it):
1. Any line beginning with '#' is a comment line.
- 2. Each non-comment line defines the command to be used for the given
- format, with the syntax:
+ 2. Each non-comment line defines the command to be used for the
+ corresponding format, with the syntax:
<format> = <compressor> [options]
- where <format> is one of 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz' or 'xz'.
+ where <format> is one of 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz', or 'xz'.

File: zutils.info, Node: Zcat, Next: Zcmp, Prev: The zutilsrc file, Up: Top
@@ -188,26 +190,26 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Zcat, Next: Zcmp, Prev: The zutilsrc file, Up: Top
4 Zcat
******
-zcat copies each given file to standard output. If any given file is
-compressed, its decompressed content is used. If a given file does not
-exist, and its name does not end with one of the known extensions, zcat
-tries the compressed file names corresponding to the formats supported.
-If a file fails to decompress, zcat continues copying the rest of the
-files.
+zcat copies each FILE argument to standard output in sequence. If any file
+given is compressed, its decompressed content is copied. If a file given
+does not exist, and its name does not end with one of the known extensions,
+zcat tries the compressed file names corresponding to the formats
+supported. If a file fails to decompress, zcat continues copying the rest
+of the files.
If a file is specified as '-', data are read from standard input,
decompressed if needed, and sent to standard output. Data read from
standard input must be of the same type; all uncompressed or all in the
-same compression format.
+same compressed format.
- If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current
-working directory, and nonrecursive searches read standard input.
+ If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current working
+directory, and nonrecursive searches read standard input.
The format for running zcat is:
zcat [OPTIONS] [FILES]
-Exit status is 0 if no errors occurred, non-zero otherwise.
+Exit status is 0 if no errors occurred, 1 otherwise.
zcat supports the following options:
@@ -217,8 +219,8 @@ Exit status is 0 if no errors occurred, non-zero otherwise.
'-b'
'--number-nonblank'
- Number all nonblank output lines, starting with 1. The line count
- is unlimited.
+ Number all nonblank output lines, starting with 1. The line count is
+ unlimited.
'-e'
Equivalent to '-vE'.
@@ -229,16 +231,14 @@ Exit status is 0 if no errors occurred, non-zero otherwise.
'-n'
'--number'
- Number all output lines, starting with 1. The line count is
- unlimited.
+ Number all output lines, starting with 1. The line count is unlimited.
'-O FORMAT'
'--force-format=FORMAT'
- Force the given compression format. Valid values for FORMAT are
- 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz' and 'xz'. If this option is used, the files are
- passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying their
- format, and the exact file name must be given. Other names won't
- be tried.
+ Force the compressed format given. Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2',
+ 'gz', 'lz', and 'xz'. If this option is used, the files are passed to
+ the corresponding decompressor without verifying their format, and the
+ exact file name must be given. Other names won't be tried.
'-q'
'--quiet'
@@ -247,8 +247,8 @@ Exit status is 0 if no errors occurred, non-zero otherwise.
'-r'
'--recursive'
For each directory operand, read and process all files in that
- directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links in the command line,
- but skip symlinks that are encountered recursively.
+ directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links given in the command
+ line, but skip symbolic links that are encountered recursively.
'-R'
'--dereference-recursive'
@@ -282,28 +282,27 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Zcmp, Next: Zdiff, Prev: Zcat, Up: Top
5 Zcmp
******
-zcmp compares two files ('-' means standard input), and if they differ,
-tells the first byte and line number where they differ. Bytes and lines
-are numbered starting with 1. If any given file is compressed, its
-decompressed content is used. Compressed files are decompressed on the
-fly; no temporary files are created.
+zcmp compares two files and, if they differ, writes to standard output the
+first byte and line number where they differ. Bytes and lines are numbered
+starting with 1. A hyphen '-' used as a FILE argument means standard input.
+If any file given is compressed, its decompressed content is used.
+Compressed files are decompressed on the fly; no temporary files are
+created.
The format for running zcmp is:
zcmp [OPTIONS] FILE1 [FILE2]
-This compares FILE1 to FILE2. If FILE2 is omitted zcmp tries the
+This compares FILE1 to FILE2. The standard input is used only if FILE1 or
+FILE2 refers to standard input. If FILE2 is omitted zcmp tries the
following:
- 1. If FILE1 is compressed, compares its decompressed contents with
- the corresponding uncompressed file (the name of FILE1 with the
- extension removed).
+ - If FILE1 is compressed, compares its decompressed contents with the
+ corresponding uncompressed file (the name of FILE1 with the extension
+ removed).
- 2. If FILE1 is uncompressed, compares it with the decompressed
- contents of FILE1.[lz|bz2|gz|xz] (the first one that is found).
-
- 3. If no suitable file is found, compares FILE1 with data read from
- standard input.
+ - If FILE1 is uncompressed, compares it with the decompressed contents
+ of FILE1.[lz|bz2|gz|xz] (the first one that is found).
An exit status of 0 means no differences were found, 1 means some
differences were found, and 2 means trouble.
@@ -312,17 +311,16 @@ differences were found, and 2 means trouble.
'-b'
'--print-bytes'
- Print the differing bytes. Print control bytes as a '^' followed by
- a letter, and precede bytes larger than 127 with 'M-' (which stands
- for "meta").
+ Print the differing bytes. Print control bytes as a '^' followed by a
+ letter, and precede bytes larger than 127 with 'M-' (which stands for
+ "meta").
'-i SIZE'
'--ignore-initial=SIZE'
Ignore any differences in the first SIZE bytes of the input files.
- Treat files with fewer than SIZE bytes as if they were empty. If
- SIZE is in the form 'SIZE1:SIZE2', ignore the first SIZE1 bytes of
- the first input file and the first SIZE2 bytes of the second input
- file.
+ Treat files with fewer than SIZE bytes as if they were empty. If SIZE
+ is in the form 'SIZE1:SIZE2', ignore the first SIZE1 bytes of the
+ first input file and the first SIZE2 bytes of the second input file.
'-l'
'-v'
@@ -337,20 +335,20 @@ differences were found, and 2 means trouble.
'-O [FORMAT1][,FORMAT2]'
'--force-format=[FORMAT1][,FORMAT2]'
- Force the given compression formats. Any of FORMAT1 or FORMAT2 may
- be omitted and the corresponding format will be automatically
- detected. Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz' and 'xz'.
- If at least one format is specified with this option, the file is
- passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying its
- format, and the exact file names of both FILE1 and FILE2 must be
- given. Other names won't be tried.
+ Force the compressed formats given. Any of FORMAT1 or FORMAT2 may be
+ omitted and the corresponding format will be automatically detected.
+ Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz', and 'xz'. If at least
+ one format is specified with this option, the file is passed to the
+ corresponding decompressor without verifying its format, and the exact
+ file names of both FILE1 and FILE2 must be given. Other names won't be
+ tried.
'-q'
'-s'
'--quiet'
'--silent'
- Don't print anything; only return an exit status indicating
- whether the files differ.
+ Don't print anything; only return an exit status indicating whether the
+ files differ.

@@ -359,34 +357,33 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Zdiff, Next: Zgrep, Prev: Zcmp, Up: Top
6 Zdiff
*******
-zdiff compares two files ('-' means standard input), and if they
-differ, shows the differences line by line. If any given file is
-compressed, its decompressed content is used. zdiff is a front end to
-the diff program and has the limitation that messages from diff refer to
-temporary file names instead of those specified.
+zdiff compares two files and, if they differ, writes to standard output the
+differences line by line. A hyphen '-' used as a FILE argument means
+standard input. If any file given is compressed, its decompressed content
+is used. zdiff is a front end to the program diff and has the limitation
+that messages from diff refer to temporary file names instead of those
+specified.
The format for running zdiff is:
zdiff [OPTIONS] FILE1 [FILE2]
-This compares FILE1 to FILE2. If FILE2 is omitted zdiff tries the
+This compares FILE1 to FILE2. The standard input is used only if FILE1 or
+FILE2 refers to standard input. If FILE2 is omitted zdiff tries the
following:
- 1. If FILE1 is compressed, compares its decompressed contents with
- the corresponding uncompressed file (the name of FILE1 with the
- extension removed).
+ - If FILE1 is compressed, compares its decompressed contents with the
+ corresponding uncompressed file (the name of FILE1 with the extension
+ removed).
- 2. If FILE1 is uncompressed, compares it with the decompressed
- contents of FILE1.[lz|bz2|gz|xz] (the first one that is found).
-
- 3. If no suitable file is found, compares FILE1 with data read from
- standard input.
+ - If FILE1 is uncompressed, compares it with the decompressed contents
+ of FILE1.[lz|bz2|gz|xz] (the first one that is found).
An exit status of 0 means no differences were found, 1 means some
differences were found, and 2 means trouble.
- zdiff supports the following options (some options only work if the
-diff program used supports them):
+ zdiff supports the following options (some options only work if the diff
+program used supports them):
'-a'
'--text'
@@ -421,13 +418,13 @@ diff program used supports them):
'-O [FORMAT1][,FORMAT2]'
'--force-format=[FORMAT1][,FORMAT2]'
- Force the given compression formats. Any of FORMAT1 or FORMAT2 may
- be omitted and the corresponding format will be automatically
- detected. Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz' and 'xz'.
- If at least one format is specified with this option, the file is
- passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying its
- format, and the exact file names of both FILE1 and FILE2 must be
- given. Other names won't be tried.
+ Force the compressed formats given. Any of FORMAT1 or FORMAT2 may be
+ omitted and the corresponding format will be automatically detected.
+ Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz', and 'xz'. If at least
+ one format is specified with this option, the file is passed to the
+ corresponding decompressor without verifying its format, and the exact
+ file names of both FILE1 and FILE2 must be given. Other names won't be
+ tried.
'-p'
'--show-c-function'
@@ -467,31 +464,29 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Zgrep, Next: Ztest, Prev: Zdiff, Up: Top
7 Zgrep
*******
-zgrep is a front end to the grep program that allows transparent search
-on any combination of compressed and uncompressed files. If any given
-file is compressed, its decompressed content is used. If a given file
-does not exist, and its name does not end with one of the known
-extensions, zgrep tries the compressed file names corresponding to the
-formats supported. If a file fails to decompress, zgrep continues
-searching the rest of the files.
+zgrep is a front end to the program grep that allows transparent search on
+any combination of compressed and uncompressed files. If any file given is
+compressed, its decompressed content is used. If a file given does not
+exist, and its name does not end with one of the known extensions, zgrep
+tries the compressed file names corresponding to the formats supported. If
+a file fails to decompress, zgrep continues searching the rest of the files.
If a file is specified as '-', data are read from standard input,
-decompressed if needed, and fed to grep. Data read from standard input
-must be of the same type; all uncompressed or all in the same
-compression format.
+decompressed if needed, and fed to grep. Data read from standard input must
+be of the same type; all uncompressed or all in the same compressed format.
- If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current
-working directory, and nonrecursive searches read standard input.
+ If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current working
+directory, and nonrecursive searches read standard input.
The format for running zgrep is:
zgrep [OPTIONS] PATTERN [FILES]
-An exit status of 0 means at least one match was found, 1 means no
-matches were found, and 2 means trouble.
+An exit status of 0 means at least one match was found, 1 means no matches
+were found, and 2 means trouble.
- zgrep supports the following options (some options only work if the
-grep program used supports them):
+ zgrep supports the following options (some options only work if the grep
+program used supports them):
'-a'
'--text'
@@ -518,7 +513,7 @@ grep program used supports them):
Print N lines of output context.
'--color[=WHEN]'
- Show matched strings in color. WHEN is 'never', 'always' or 'auto'.
+ Show matched strings in color. WHEN is 'never', 'always', or 'auto'.
'-e PATTERN'
'--regexp=PATTERN'
@@ -531,9 +526,9 @@ grep program used supports them):
'-f FILE'
'--file=FILE'
Obtain patterns from FILE, one per line.
- When searching in several files at once, command substitution can
- be used with '-e' to read FILE only once, for example if FILE is
- not a regular file: 'zgrep -e "$(cat FILE)" file1.lz file2.gz'
+ When searching in several files at once, command substitution can be
+ used with '-e' to read FILE only once, for example if FILE is not a
+ regular file: 'zgrep -e "$(cat FILE)" file1.lz file2.gz'
'-F'
'--fixed-strings'
@@ -541,8 +536,8 @@ grep program used supports them):
'-h'
'--no-filename'
- Suppress the prefixing of file names on output when multiple files
- are searched.
+ Suppress the prefixing of file names on output when multiple files are
+ searched.
'-H'
'--with-filename'
@@ -577,22 +572,21 @@ grep program used supports them):
'-O FORMAT'
'--force-format=FORMAT'
- Force the given compression format. Valid values for FORMAT are
- 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz' and 'xz'. If this option is used, the files are
- passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying their
- format, and the exact file name must be given. Other names won't
- be tried.
+ Force the compressed format given. Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2',
+ 'gz', 'lz', and 'xz'. If this option is used, the files are passed to
+ the corresponding decompressor without verifying their format, and the
+ exact file name must be given. Other names won't be tried.
'-q'
'--quiet'
- Suppress all messages. Exit immediately with zero status if any
- match is found, even if an error was detected.
+ Suppress all messages. Exit immediately with zero status if any match
+ is found, even if an error was detected.
'-r'
'--recursive'
For each directory operand, read and process all files in that
- directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links in the command line,
- but skip symlinks that are encountered recursively.
+ directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links given in the command
+ line, but skip symbolic links that are encountered recursively.
'-R'
'--dereference-recursive'
@@ -625,42 +619,43 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Ztest, Next: Zupdate, Prev: Zgrep, Up: Top
8 Ztest
*******
-ztest verifies the integrity of the specified compressed files.
+ztest verifies the integrity of the compressed files specified.
Uncompressed files are ignored. If a file is specified as '-', the
integrity of compressed data read from standard input is verified. Data
-read from standard input must be all in the same compression format. If
-a file fails to decompress, ztest continues verifying the rest of the
-files.
+read from standard input must be all in the same compressed format. If a
+file fails to decompress, does not exist, can't be opened, or is a
+terminal, ztest continues verifying the rest of the files. A final
+diagnostic is shown at verbosity level 1 or higher if any file fails the
+test when testing multiple files.
- If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current
-working directory, and nonrecursive searches read standard input.
+ If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current working
+directory, and nonrecursive searches read standard input.
Note that error detection in the xz format is broken. First, some xz
files lack integrity information. Second, not all xz decompressors can
-verify the integrity of all xz files. Third, section 2.1.1.2 'Stream
-Flags' of the xz format specification allows xz decompressors to
-produce garbage output without issuing any warning. Therefore, xz files
-can't always be verified as reliably as files in the other formats can.
+verify the integrity of all xz files. Third, section 2.1.1.2 'Stream Flags'
+of the xz format specification allows xz decompressors to produce garbage
+output without issuing any warning. Therefore, xz files can't always be
+verified as reliably as files in the other formats can.
The format for running ztest is:
ztest [OPTIONS] [FILES]
-The exit status is 0 if all compressed files verify OK, 1 if
-environmental problems (file not found, invalid flags, I/O errors, etc),
-2 if any compressed file is corrupt or invalid.
+The exit status is 0 if all compressed files verify OK, 1 if environmental
+problems (file not found, invalid flags, I/O errors, etc), 2 if any
+compressed file is corrupt or invalid.
ztest supports the following options:
'-O FORMAT'
'--force-format=FORMAT'
- Force the given compression format. Valid values for FORMAT are
- 'bz2', 'gz', 'lz' and 'xz'. If this option is used, the files are
- passed to the corresponding decompressor without verifying their
- format, and any files in a format that the decompressor can't
- understand will fail. For example, '--force-format=gz' can test
- gzipped (.gz) and compress'd (.Z) files if the compressor used is
- GNU gzip.
+ Force the compressed format given. Valid values for FORMAT are 'bz2',
+ 'gz', 'lz', and 'xz'. If this option is used, the files are passed to
+ the corresponding decompressor without verifying their format, and any
+ files in a format that the decompressor can't understand will fail.
+ For example, '--force-format=gz' can test gzipped (.gz) and compress'd
+ (.Z) files if the compressor used is GNU gzip.
'-q'
'--quiet'
@@ -669,8 +664,8 @@ environmental problems (file not found, invalid flags, I/O errors, etc),
'-r'
'--recursive'
For each directory operand, read and process all files in that
- directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links in the command line,
- but skip symlinks that are encountered recursively.
+ directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links given in the command
+ line, but skip symbolic links that are encountered recursively.
'-R'
'--dereference-recursive'
@@ -689,68 +684,69 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Zupdate, Next: Problems, Prev: Ztest, Up: Top
9 Zupdate
*********
-zupdate recompresses files from bzip2, gzip, and xz formats to lzip
-format. Each original is compared with the new file and then deleted.
-Only regular files with standard file name extensions are recompressed,
-other files are ignored. Compressed files are decompressed and then
-recompressed on the fly; no temporary files are created. If an error
-happens while recompressing a file, zupdate exits immediately without
-recompressing the rest of the files. The lzip format is chosen as
-destination because it is the most appropriate for long-term data
-archiving.
+zupdate recompresses files from bzip2, gzip, and xz formats to lzip format.
+Each original is compared with the new file and then deleted. Only regular
+files with standard file name extensions are recompressed, other files are
+ignored. Compressed files are decompressed and then recompressed on the fly;
+no temporary files are created. If an error happens while recompressing a
+file, zupdate exits immediately without recompressing the rest of the files.
+The lzip format is chosen as destination because it is the most appropriate
+for long-term data archiving.
- If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current
-working directory, and nonrecursive searches do nothing.
+ If no files are specified, recursive searches examine the current working
+directory, and nonrecursive searches do nothing.
If the lzip compressed version of a file already exists, the file is
-skipped unless the '--force' option is given. In this case, if the
-comparison with the existing lzip version fails, an error is returned
-and the original file is not deleted. The operation of zupdate is meant
-to be safe and not produce any data loss. Therefore, existing lzip
-compressed files are never overwritten nor deleted.
+skipped unless the option '--force' is given. In this case, if the
+comparison with the existing lzip version fails, an error is returned and
+the original file is not deleted. The operation of zupdate is meant to be
+safe and not cause any data loss. Therefore, existing lzip compressed files
+are never overwritten nor deleted.
- Combining the '--force' and '--keep' options, as in
-'zupdate -f -k *.gz', verifies that there are no differences between
-each pair of files in a multiformat set of files.
+ Combining the options '--force' and '--keep', as in
+'zupdate -f -k *.gz', verifies that there are no differences between each
+pair of files in a multiformat set of files.
The names of the original files must have one of the following
-extensions: '.bz2', '.tbz', '.tbz2', '.gz', '.tgz', '.xz', '.txz'. The
-files produced have the extensions '.lz' or '.tar.lz'.
-
- Recompressing a file is much like copying or moving it; therefore
-zupdate preserves the access and modification dates, permissions, and,
-when possible, ownership of the file just as 'cp -p' does. (If the user
-ID or the group ID can't be duplicated, the file permission bits S_ISUID
-and S_ISGID are cleared).
+extensions:
+'.bz2', '.gz', and '.xz' are recompressed to '.lz'.
+'.tbz', '.tbz2', '.tgz', and '.txz' are recompressed to '.tlz'.
+Keeping the combined extensions ('.tgz' -> '.tlz') may be useful when
+recompressing Slackware packages, for example.
+
+ Recompressing a file is much like copying or moving it; therefore zupdate
+preserves the access and modification dates, permissions, and, when
+possible, ownership of the file just as 'cp -p' does. (If the user ID or
+the group ID can't be duplicated, the file permission bits S_ISUID and
+S_ISGID are cleared).
The format for running zupdate is:
zupdate [OPTIONS] [FILES]
-Exit status is 0 if all the compressed files were successfully
-recompressed (if needed), compared and deleted (if requested). Non-zero
-otherwise.
+Exit status is 0 if all the compressed files were successfully recompressed
+(if needed), compared, and deleted (if requested). Non-zero otherwise.
zupdate supports the following options:
'-f'
'--force'
- Don't skip a file for which a lzip compressed version already
- exists. '--force' compares the content of the input file with the
- content of the existing lzip file and deletes the input file if
- both contents are identical.
+ Don't skip a file for which a lzip compressed version already exists.
+ '--force' compares the content of the input file with the content of
+ the existing lzip file and deletes the input file if both contents are
+ identical.
'-k'
'--keep'
- Keep (don't delete) the input file after comparing it with the
- lzip file.
+ Keep (don't delete) the input file after comparing it with the lzip
+ file.
'-l'
'--lzip-verbose'
- Pass a '-v' option to the lzip compressor so that it shows the
- compression ratio for each file processed. Using lzip 1.15 and
- newer, a second '-l' shows the progress of compression. Use it
- together with '-v' to see the name of the file.
+ Pass one option '-v' to the lzip compressor so that it shows the
+ compression ratio for each file processed. Using lzip 1.15 or newer, a
+ second '-l' shows the progress of compression. Use it together with
+ '-v' to see the name of the file.
'-q'
'--quiet'
@@ -759,8 +755,8 @@ otherwise.
'-r'
'--recursive'
For each directory operand, read and process all files in that
- directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links in the command line,
- but skip symlinks that are encountered recursively.
+ directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links given in the command
+ line, but skip symbolic links that are encountered recursively.
'-R'
'--dereference-recursive'
@@ -769,12 +765,13 @@ otherwise.
'-v'
'--verbose'
- Verbose mode. Show the files being processed. A second '-v' also
- shows the files being ignored.
+ Verbose mode. Show the files being processed. A second '-v' also shows
+ the files being ignored.
'-0 .. -9'
- Set the compression level of lzip. By default zupdate passes '-9'
- to lzip.
+ Set the compression level of lzip. By default zupdate passes '-9' to
+ lzip. Custom compression options can be passed to lzip with the option
+ '--lz'. For example '--lz='lzip -9 -s64MiB''.

@@ -783,14 +780,14 @@ File: zutils.info, Node: Problems, Next: Concept index, Prev: Zupdate, Up: T
10 Reporting bugs
*****************
-There are probably bugs in zutils. There are certainly errors and
-omissions in this manual. If you report them, they will get fixed. If
-you don't, no one will ever know about them and they will remain unfixed
-for all eternity, if not longer.
+There are probably bugs in zutils. There are certainly errors and omissions
+in this manual. If you report them, they will get fixed. If you don't, no
+one will ever know about them and they will remain unfixed for all
+eternity, if not longer.
If you find a bug in zutils, please send electronic mail to
-<zutils-bug@nongnu.org>. Include the version number, which you can find
-by running 'zupdate --version'.
+<zutils-bug@nongnu.org>. Include the version number, which you can find by
+running 'zupdate --version'.

File: zutils.info, Node: Concept index, Prev: Problems, Up: Top
@@ -801,34 +798,34 @@ Concept index
* Menu:
-* bugs: Problems. (line 6)
-* common options: Common options. (line 6)
-* getting help: Problems. (line 6)
-* introduction: Introduction. (line 6)
-* the zutilsrc file: The zutilsrc file. (line 6)
-* zcat: Zcat. (line 6)
-* zcmp: Zcmp. (line 6)
-* zdiff: Zdiff. (line 6)
-* zgrep: Zgrep. (line 6)
-* ztest: Ztest. (line 6)
-* zupdate: Zupdate. (line 6)
+* bugs: Problems. (line 6)
+* common options: Common options. (line 6)
+* getting help: Problems. (line 6)
+* introduction: Introduction. (line 6)
+* the zutilsrc file: The zutilsrc file. (line 6)
+* zcat: Zcat. (line 6)
+* zcmp: Zcmp. (line 6)
+* zdiff: Zdiff. (line 6)
+* zgrep: Zgrep. (line 6)
+* ztest: Ztest. (line 6)
+* zupdate: Zupdate. (line 6)

Tag Table:
Node: Top222
-Node: Introduction1149
+Node: Introduction1148
Node: Common options3773
-Ref: compressor-requirements5596
-Node: The zutilsrc file5968
-Node: Zcat6893
-Node: Zcmp9445
-Node: Zdiff11904
-Node: Zgrep14608
-Node: Ztest18603
-Node: Zupdate20938
-Node: Problems24364
-Node: Concept index24898
+Ref: compressor-requirements5844
+Node: The zutilsrc file6216
+Node: Zcat7149
+Node: Zcmp9712
+Node: Zdiff12202
+Node: Zgrep14942
+Node: Ztest18944
+Node: Zupdate21451
+Node: Problems25123
+Node: Concept index25657

End Tag Table