UNSHAR(1)                                               UNSHAR(1)

NAME
       unshar - unpack a shar file

SYNOPSIS
       unshar [ options ] [ file ... ]

DESCRIPTION
       Unshar  scans  mail  messages  looking  for the start of a
       shell archive.  It then passes the archive through a  copy
       of the shell to unpack it.  It will accept multiple files.
       If no files are given, standard input is used.

OPTIONS
       Options have a one letter version starting  with  -  or  a
       long  version  starting  with --.  The exception is --help
       and --version, which does not have a short version.

       --version
              Print the version number of the program on standard
              output, then immediately exits.

       --help Print a help summary on standard output, then imme-
              diately exits.

       -d DIRECTORY  --directory=DIRECTORY
              Change directory to DIRECTORY before unpacking  any
              files.

       -c  --overwrite
              Passed  as  an option to the shar file.  Many shell
              archive scripts (including those produced by `shar'
              3.40  and  newer) accepts a -c argument to indicate
              that existing files should be overwritten.

       -e  --exit-0
              This option exists mainly for  people  who  collect
              many  shell  archives  into  a  single mail folder.
              With this option, `unshar' isolates each  different
              shell  archive  from the others which have been put
              in the same file, unpacking each in turn, from  the
              beginning  of the file towards its end.  Its proper
              operation relies on the fact that many  shar  files
              are  terminated by a `exit 0' at the beginning of a
              line.

              Option -e is internally equivalent to -E "exit  0".

       -E STRING  --split-at=STRING
              This  option  works  like  -e, but it allows you to
              specify the string that separates archives if `exit
              0' isn't appropriate.

              For  example, noticing that most `.signatures' have
              a `--' on a line right before them, one  can  some-
              times   use  `--split-at=--'  for  splitting  shell
              archives which lack the `exit 0' line at end.   The
              signature  will then be skipped altogether with the
              headers of the following message.

       -f  --force
              The same as -c.

SEE ALSO
       shar(1)

DIAGNOSTICS
       Any message from the shell may be displayed.

AUTHORS
       The shar and unshar programs is  the  collective  work  of
       many  authors.  Many people contributed by reporting prob-
       lems, suggesting various improvements or submitting actual
       code.  A list of these people is in the THANKS file in the
       sharutils distribution.

                        September 10, 1995                      1