@settitle GNU tar
@finalout
@smallbook
+@setchapternewpage odd
@c %**end of header
@c ======================================================================
@set xref-file @xref{file}
@set pxref-file @pxref{file}
-@set op-files-from @kbd{--files-from=@var{file-of-names}} (@kbd{-I @var{file-of-names}}, @kbd{-T @var{file-of-names}})
+@set op-files-from @kbd{--files-from=@var{file-of-names}} (@kbd{-T @var{file-of-names}})
@set ref-files-from @ref{files}
@set xref-files-from @xref{files}
@set pxref-files-from @pxref{files}
@defindex op
@syncodeindex op cp
-@ifinfo
+@dircategory GNU Packages
+@direntry
+Tar: (tar). Making tape (or disk) archives.
+@end direntry
+
+@dircategory Individual utilities
@direntry
-* tar: (tar). Making tape (or disk) archives.
+* tar: (tar)tar invocation. Invoking @sc{gnu} @command{tar}
@end direntry
+@ifinfo
This file documents @sc{gnu} @command{tar}, which creates and extracts
files from archives.
-Published by the Free Software Foundation,
-59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
-Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA
-
-Copyright 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 Free Software
+Copyright 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
@end ifinfo
-@setchapternewpage odd
-
@shorttitlepage @sc{gnu} @command{tar}
@titlepage
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
-Copyright @copyright{} 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 Free Software
-Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright @copyright{} 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001
+Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1
default. @FIXME-xref{}
@item --files-from=@var{file}
-@itemx -I @var{file}
@itemx -T @var{file}
@command{tar} will use the contents of @var{file} as a list of archive members
@itemx -N
When creating an archive, @command{tar} will only add files that have changed
-since @var{date}. @FIXME-xref{}
+since @var{date}. If @var{date} begins with @samp{/} or @samp{.}, it
+is taken to be the name of a file whose last-modified time specifies
+the date. @FIXME-xref{}
-@item --newer-mtime
+@item --newer-mtime=@var{date}
-In conjunction with @samp{--newer}, @command{tar} will only add files whose
+Like @samp{--newer}, but add only files whose
contents have changed (as opposed to just @samp{--newer}, which will
also back up files for which any status information has changed).
@item --no-recursion
-With this option, @command{tar} will not recurse into directories unless a
-directory is explicitly named as an argument to @command{tar}. @FIXME-xref{}
+With this option, @command{tar} will not recurse into directories.
+@FIXME-xref{}
@item --no-same-owner
@samp{--incremental}
-@item -I
-
-@samp{--files-from}
-
@item -K
@samp{--starting-file}
@table @kbd
@item --files-from=@var{file name}
-@itemx -I @var{file name}
@itemx -T @var{file name}
Get names to extract or create from file @var{file name}.
@end table
If you give a single dash as a file name for @samp{--files-from}, (i.e.,
-you specify either @samp{--files-from=-} or @samp{-I -}) or @samp{-T
--}), then the file names are read from standard input.
+you specify either @samp{--files-from=-} or @samp{-T -}), then the file
+names are read from standard input.
Unless you are running @command{tar} with @samp{--create}, you can not use
both @samp{--files-from=-} and @samp{--file=-} (@samp{-f -}) in the same
@item
In earlier versions of @command{tar}, what is now the
@samp{--exclude-from=@var{file-of-patterns}} option was called
-@samp{--exclude-@var{pattern}} instead. Now,
+@samp{--exclude=@var{pattern}} instead. Now,
@samp{--exclude=@var{pattern}} applies to patterns listed on the command
line and @samp{--exclude-from=@var{file-of-patterns}} applies to
patterns listed in a file.
The @value{op-after-date} option causes @command{tar} to only work on files
whose modification or inode-changed times are newer than the @var{date}
-given. If you use this option when creating or appending to an archive,
+given. If @var{date} starts with @samp{/} or @samp{.}, it is taken to
+be a file name; the last-modified time of that file is used as the date.
+If you use this option when creating or appending to an archive,
the archive will only include new files. If you use @samp{--after-date}
when extracting an archive, @command{tar} will only extract files newer
than the @var{date} you specify.
Acts on files only if their modification or inode-changed times are
later than @var{date}. Use in conjunction with any operation.
+If @var{date} starts with @samp{/} or @samp{.}, it is taken to be a file
+name; the last-modified time of that file is used as the date.
+
@item --newer-mtime=@var{date}
Acts like @value{op-after-date}, but only looks at modification times.
@end table
@xref{incremental and listed-incremental}.
@end quotation
-To select files newer than the modification time of a file that already
-exists, you can use the @samp{--reference} (@samp{-r}) option of @sc{gnu}
-@command{date}, available in @sc{gnu} shell utilities 1.13 or later. It returns
-the time stamp of the already-existing file; this time stamp expands to
-become the referent date which @samp{--newer} uses to determine which
-files to archive. For example, you could say,
-
-@example
-$ @kbd{tar -cf @var{archive.tar} --newer="`date -r @var{file}`" /home}
-@end example
-
@noindent
@FIXME{which tells -- need to fill this in!}
@command{tar} @emph{usually} recursively descends on directories, they have
to use the @samp{@w{! -d}} option to @command{find} @FIXME{needs more
explanation or a cite to another info file}as they usually do not want
-all the files in a directory. They then use the @value{op-file-from}
+all the files in a directory. They then use the @value{op-files-from}
option to archive the files located via @command{find}.
The problem when restoring files archived in this manner is that the
tell @command{tar} to grab only the directory entries given to it, adding
no new files on its own.
+The @value{op-no-recursion} option also applies when extracting: it
+causes @command{tar} to extract only the matched directory entries, not
+the files under those directories.
+
@FIXME{example here}
@node one
projects / chaz / tar / blobdiff