+@chapter Specifying Names to @code{tar}
+
+When specifying the names of files or members to @code{tar}, it by
+default takes the names of the files from the command line. There are
+other ways, however, to specify file or member names, or to modify the
+manner in which @code{tar} selects the files or members upon which to
+operate. In general, these methods work both for specifying the names
+of files and archive members.
+
+@section Reading Names from a File
+
+Instead of giving the names of files or archive members on the command
+line, you can put the names into a file, and then use the
+@samp{--files-from=@var{file-name-list}} (@samp{-T
+@var{file-name-list}}) option to @code{tar}. Give the name of the file
+which contains the list as the argument to @samp{--files-from}. The
+file names should be separated by newlines in the list.
+
+If you want to specify names that might contain newlines, use the
+@samp{--null} option. Then, the filenames should be separated by NUL
+characters (ASCII 000) instead of newlines. In addition, the
+@samp{--null} option turns off the @samp{-C} option (@pxref{Changing
+Directory}).
+
+@section Excluding Some Files
+
+The @samp{--exclude=@var{pattern}} option will prevent any file or
+member which matches the regular expression @var{pattern} from being
+operated on. For example, if you want to create an archive with all the
+contents of @file{/tmp} except the file @file{/tmp/foo}, you can use the
+command @samp{tar --create --file=arch.tar --exclude=foo}.
+
+If there are many files you want to exclude, you can use the
+@samp{--exclude-from=@var{exclude-list}} (@samp{-X @var{exclude-list}})
+option. This works just like the
+@samp{--files-from=@var{file-name-list}} option: specify the name of a
+file as @var{exclude-list} which contains the list of patterns you want
+to exclude.
+
+@xref{Regular Expressions} for more information on the syntax and
+meaning of regular expressions.
+
+@section Operating Only on New Files
+
+The @samp{--newer=@var{date}} (@samp{--after-date=@var{date}} or
+@samp{-N @var{date}}) limits @code{tar} to only operating on files which
+have been modified after the date specified. (For more information on
+how to specify a date, @xref{Date Formats}.) A file is considered to
+have changed if the contents have been modified, or if the owner,
+permissions, and so forth, have been changed.
+
+If you only want @code{tar} make the date comparison on the basis of the
+actual contents of the file's modification, then use the
+@samp{--newer-mtime=@var{date}} option.
+
+You should not depend on this option for making incremental dumps. To
+learn how to use @code{tar} to make backups, @ref{Making Backups}.
+
+XXXX MIB XXXX
+
+
+