src/usr.bin/diff/diff.1 - diff

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Diff for /src/usr.bin/diff/diff.1 between version 1.4 and 1.5

version 1.4, 2003/06/25 16:10:05

version 1.5, 2003/06/25 18:52:46

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.\"

.Dd June 30, 1993

.Dt DIFF 1

.Os BSD 4

.Os

.Sh NAME

.Nm diff

.Nd differential file and directory comparator

.Sh SYNOPSIS

.Nm diff

.Op Fl cefhn

.Op Fl biwt

.Op Fl bitw

.Ar file1 file2

.Nm diff

.Op Fl D Ns Ar string

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.Op Fl r

.Op Fl s

.Op Fl cefhn

.Op Fl biwt

.Op Fl bitw

.Op Fl S Ns Ar name

.Ar dir1 dir2

.Sh DESCRIPTION

The

.Nm diff

.Nm

utility compares the contents of

.Ar file1

and

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Output options (mutually exclusive):

.Bl -tag -width Ds

.It Fl c

produces a diff with lines of context.

Produces a diff with lines of context.

The default is to present 3 lines of context and may be changed, e.g., to 10, by

The default is to present 3 lines of context and may be changed, e.g., to 10,

.Fl c10 .

With

.Fl c

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by a line with a dozen *'s.

The lines removed from

.Ar file1

are marked with `\(mi '; those added to

are marked with

.Sq \-\ \& ;

those added to

.Ar file2

are marked `+ '. Lines which are changed from one

are marked

file to the other are marked in both files with `! '.

.Sq \+\ \& .

Changes which lie within <context> lines of each other are grouped

Lines which are changed from one file to the other are marked in

together on output. (This is a change from the previous ``diff -c''

both files with

.Sq !\ \& .

Changes which lie within

.Aq context

lines of each other are grouped together on output.

(This is a change from the previous

.Dq diff -c

but the resulting output is usually much easier to interpret.)

.It Fl e

produces output in a form suitable as input for the editor utility,

Produces output in a form suitable as input for the editor utility,

.Xr ed 1 ,

which can then be used to convert file1 into file2.

.Pp

Extra commands are added to the output when comparing directories with

.Fl e ,

so that the result is a

.Xr sh 1

script for converting text files which are common to the two directories

from their state in

.Ar dir1

to their state in

.Ar dir2 .

.It Fl f

identical output to that of the

Identical output to that of the

.Fl e

flag, but in reverse order. It cannot

flag, but in reverse order.

be digested by

It cannot be digested by

.Xr ed 1 .

.It Fl h

Invokes an alternate algorithm which can handle files of very long lengths.

There is a trade off. The algorithm can only deal with changes which are

There is a trade off.

clearly delimited and brief. Long sections of changes and overlaps will

The algorithm can only deal with changes which are clearly delimited and brief.

confuse it.

Long sections of changes and overlaps will confuse it.

.It Fl n

produces a script similar to that of

Produces a script similar to that of

.Fl e ,

but in the opposite order and with a count of changed lines on each

insert or delete command. This is the form used by

insert or delete command.

.Xr rcsdiff 1 .

This is the form used by

.Xr rcsdiff 1 .

.It Fl D Ns Ar string

creates a merged version of

Creates a merged version of

.Ar file1

and

.Ar file2

on the standard output, with C preprocessor controls included so that

a compilation of the result without defining

.Ar string

is equivalent

is equivalent to compiling

to compiling

.Ar file1 ,

while defining

.Ar string

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Comparison options:

.Bl -tag -width Ds

.It Fl b

causes trailing blanks (spaces and tabs) to be ignored, and other

Causes trailing blanks (spaces and tabs) to be ignored, and other

strings of blanks to compare equal.

.It Fl i

ignores the case of letters. E.g., ``A'' will compare equal to ``a''.

Ignores the case of letters.

E.g.,

.Dq A

will compare equal to

.Dq a .

.It Fl t

will expand tabs in output lines. Normal or

Will expand tabs in output lines.

Normal or

.Fl c

output adds character(s) to the front of each line which may screw up

the indentation of the original source lines and make the output listing

difficult to interpret. This option will preserve the original source's

difficult to interpret.

indentation.

This option will preserve the original source's indentation.

.It Fl w

is similar to

Is similar to

.Fl b

but causes whitespace (blanks and tabs) to be totally ignored. E.g.,

but causes whitespace (blanks and tabs) to be totally ignored.

``if\ (\ a\ ==\ b\ )'' will compare equal to ``if(a==b)''.

E.g.,

.Dq if (\ \&a == b \&)

will compare equal to

.Dq if(a==b) .

.El

.Pp

Directory comparison options:

.Bl -tag -width Ds

.It Fl l

long output format; each text file

Long output format; each text file

.Nm diff Ns \'d

is piped through

.Xr pr 1

to paginate it,

to paginate it;

other differences are remembered and summarized

after all text file differences are reported.

.It Fl r

causes application of

Causes application of

.Nm diff

.Nm

recursively to common subdirectories encountered.

.It Fl s

causes

Causes

.Nm diff

.Nm

to report files which are the same, which are otherwise not mentioned.

.It Fl S Ns Ar name

re-starts a directory

Re-starts a directory

.Nm diff

.Nm

in the middle beginning with file

in the middle, beginning with file

.Ar name .

.El

.Pp

If both arguments are directories,

.Nm diff

.Nm

sorts the contents of the directories by name, and then runs the

regular file

.Nm diff

.Nm

algorithm, producing a change list,

on text files which are different.

Binary files which differ,

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and

.Ar file2

is a directory,

.Nm diff

.Nm

is applied to the non-directory file and the file contained in

the directory file with a filename that is the same as the

last component of the non-directory file.

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.Fl c ,

.Fl n

.\" -C

options)

output contains lines of these forms, where

.Va XX , YY , ZZ , QQ

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At line

.Va XX

delete

the line. The value

the line.

The value

.Va YY

tells to which line the change

tells to which line the change would bring

would bring

.Ar file1

in line with

.Ar file1 .

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to the line

.Va YY

.Ar file2.

.Ar file2 .

.It Li XX,YY Ns Ic c Ns Li ZZ

Replace the range of specified lines with the line

.Va ZZ .

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If the environment variable

.Ev TMPDIR

exists,

.Nm diff

.Nm

will use the directory specified by

.Ev TMPDIR

as the temporary directory.

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Alternate algorithm version (used by option

.Fl h ) .

.It Pa /usr/bin/diff

for directory diffs

For directory diffs.

.It Pa /usr/bin/pr

used by the

Used by the

.Fl l

option.

.El

.Sh SEE ALSO

.Xr cmp 1 ,

.Xr cc 1 ,

.Xr comm 1 ,

.Xr ed 1 ,

.Xr diff3 1

.br

.ne 1i

.Sh DIAGNOSTICS

The

.Nm diff

.Nm

utility exits with one of the following values:

.Pp

.Bl -tag -width Ds -compact -offset indent

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Line 356

No differences were found.

.It \&1

Differences were found.

.It "\&>\&1"

.It \*[Gt]\&1

An error occurred.

.El

.Sh SEE ALSO

.Xr cc 1 ,

.Xr cmp 1 ,

.Xr comm 1 ,

.Xr diff3 1 ,

.Xr ed 1

.Sh HISTORY

.Nm

command appeared in

.At v6 .

.Sh BUGS

The

.Fl f

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.Fl i

options specified,

.Nm diff

.Nm

first compares the files ala

.Ar cmp ,

.Xr cmp 1 ,

and then decides to run the

.Nm diff

.Nm

algorithm if they are not equal.

This may cause a small amount of spurious output if the files

then turn out to be identical because the only differences are

insignificant white space or case differences.

insignificant whitespace or case differences.

.Sh HISTORY

.Nm

command appeared in

.At v6 .