Bash: Export functions for use in xarg -

when bash scripts start getting complex, break them functions. applies complex pipes, sequence of complicated pipe commands (e.g. containing while-loops) can become hard read. more when parallelization wanted, xargs helpful.

i know can export functions subshell export -f, in simple case can do

export -f myfunction  some-command | xargs -iline bash -c "myfunction 'line'" 

but if myfunction depends on other functions becomes hard maintain -- every time function changes such functions needed subshell executing myfunction change, export statement have changed -- seems pretty error prone.

is there general way export functions use subshells? thinking along lines of "export defined functions" command, allow code structure like

main() { ... } func1 () { ... } func2 () { ... } <export functions> main "$@" 

your question asks exporting functions. easy in bash, see below.

your question title/subject implies using functions in xargs, though script; don't know xargs can "call" bash function directly, can of course wrap use of exported function(s) in script called xargs, see below.

first, function list functions. user functions default , -v list functions:

lsfns () {    case "$1" in       -v | v*)          # verbose:          set | grep '()' --color=always          ;;       *)⋅          declare -f | cut -d" " -f3 | egrep -v "^_"          ;;    esac } 

next function export user functions:

exportfns () { export -f $(lsfns); } 

or put export -f $(lsfns) in .bashrc.

example script doit.sh:

#!/bin/bash lsfns "$@" # make use of function exported parent shell :) 

example command line (after chmod a+rx doit.sh):

echo -v | xargs doit.sh 

compare with

echo "" | xargs doit.sh 

enjoy
zenaan