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.
- --tabsize=NUM
- Tab stops are every NUM (default 8) print columns.
- --suppress-blank-empty
- Suppress space or tab before empty output lines.
- -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. Exit status is 0 if inputs are the same, 1 if different, 2 if trouble.
AUTHOR
Written by Paul Eggert, Mike Haertel, David Hayes, Richard Stallman,
and Len Tower.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to: bug-diffutils@gnu.org GNU diffutils home page:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/> General help using GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (C) 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU
GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
SEE ALSO
- The full documentation for diff is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If
the info and diff programs are properly installed at your site, the
command
- info diff
- should give you access to the complete manual.