DIFF(1)

User Commands

DIFF(1)

NAME

diff - compare files line by line

SYNOPSIS

diff [ OPTION]... FILES

DESCRIPTION

Compare files line by line.

-i --ignore-case: Ignore case differences in file contents.

--ignore-file-name-case: Ignore case when comparing file names.

--no-ignore-file-name-case: Consider case when comparing file names.

-E --ignore-tab-expansion: Ignore changes due to tab expansion.

-b --ignore-space-change: Ignore changes in the amount of white space.

-w --ignore-all-space: Ignore all white space.

-B --ignore-blank-lines: Ignore changes whose lines are all blank.

-I RE --ignore-matching-lines=RE: Ignore changes whose lines all match RE.

--strip-trailing-cr: Strip trailing carriage return on input.

-a --text: Treat all files as text.

-c -C NUM --context[=NUM]: Output NUM (default 3) lines of copied context.

-u -U NUM --unified[=NUM]: Output NUM (default 3) lines of unified context.

--label LABEL: Use LABEL instead of file name.

-p --show-c-function: Show which C function each change is in.

-F RE --show-function-line=RE: Show the most recent line matching RE.

-q --brief: Output only whether files differ.

-e --ed: Output an ed script.

--normal: Output a normal diff.

-n --rcs: Output an RCS format diff.

-y --side-by-side: Output in two columns.

-W NUM --width=NUM: Output at most NUM (default 130) print columns.

--left-column: Output only the left column of common lines.

--suppress-common-lines: Do not output common lines.

-D NAME --ifdef=NAME: Output merged file to show `#ifdef NAME' diffs.

--GTYPE-group-format=GFMT: Similar, but format GTYPE input groups with GFMT.

--line-format=LFMT: Similar, but format all input lines with LFMT.

--LTYPE-line-format=LFMT: Similar, but format LTYPE input lines with LFMT.

LTYPE is `old', `new', or `unchanged'.: GTYPE is LTYPE or `changed'.

: GFMT may contain:

%<: lines from FILE1

%>: lines from FILE2

%=: lines common to FILE1 and FILE2

%[-][WIDTH][.[PREC]]{doxX}LETTER: printf-style spec for LETTER

: LETTERs are as follows for new group, lower case for old group:

F: first line number

L: last line number

N: number of lines = L-F+1

E: F-1

M: L+1

: LFMT may contain:

%L: contents of line

%l: contents of line, excluding any trailing newline

%[-][WIDTH][.[PREC]]{doxX}n: printf-style spec for input line number

: Either GFMT or LFMT may contain:

%%: %

%c'C': the single character C

%c'\OOO': the character with octal code OOO

-l --paginate: Pass the output through `pr' to paginate it.

-t --expand-tabs: Expand tabs to spaces in output.

-T --initial-tab: Make tabs line up by prepending a tab.

-r --recursive: Recursively compare any subdirectories found.

-N --new-file: Treat absent files as empty.

--unidirectional-new-file: Treat absent first files as empty.

-s --report-identical-files: Report when two files are the same.

-x PAT --exclude=PAT: Exclude files that match PAT.

-X FILE --exclude-from=FILE: Exclude files that match any pattern in FILE.

-S FILE --starting-file=FILE: Start with FILE when comparing directories.

--from-file=FILE1: Compare FILE1 to all operands. FILE1 can be a directory.

--to-file=FILE2: Compare all operands to FILE2. FILE2 can be a directory.

--horizon-lines=NUM: Keep NUM lines of the common prefix and suffix.

-d --minimal: Try hard to find a smaller set of changes.

--speed-large-files: Assume large files and many scattered small changes.

-v --version: Output version info.

--help: Output this help.

FILES are `FILE1 FILE2' or `DIR1 DIR2' or `DIR FILE...' or `FILE... DIR'. If --from-file or --to-file is given, there are no restrictions on FILES. If a FILE is `-', read standard input.

AUTHOR

Written by Paul Eggert, Mike Haertel, David Hayes, Richard Stallman, and Len Tower.

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to <bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org>.

COPYRIGHT