Commands

Commands

comm

[OPTION] FILE1 FILE2

This command compares two files and prints the results in three-column output for example,

unique to file  1unique to file2  common lines

The files must be sorted before comm can be used.

Example: To compare the entries in two database files, t1old.db and t1new.db, use

comm t1old.db t1new.db

cmp

OPTIONS FROM-FILE [TO-FILE]

-1	Suppress printing of column 1.
-2	Suppress printing of column 2.
-3	Suppress printing of column 3.

cmp compares two files and outputs the first byte and line number where they differ.

Use cmp, rather than diff, to compare binary files.

 

Example: To compare file1.txt and file2.txt, skipping the initial 1024 bytes and including the characters in the display, use

cmp --ignore-initial=1024 -c file1 file2

-c	Include the differing characters in the display.
--ignore-initial=BYTES	Skip over the specified number of bytes before beginning to compare.
-l	Include the offsets and octal values of any differing bytes in the output.
--print-chars	Include the differing characters in the output.
--quiet, -s, --silent	Don't output anything.
--verbose	Include offsets and octal values of any differing bytes in the output.
-v, --version	Output the version number.

diff

OPTIONS from-file to-file

Displays the differences between the two files specified on the command line.

Example: To display the difference between a file recently modified and an older version of the same file, use

diff source.c source.old

Example: To display the differences between a file recently modified and an older version of the same file, excluding any changes to VAR1, use

diff -exclude=VAR1 source.c source.old

-LINE_CNT	Include the specified number of lines of context when outputting differences. (This command is obsolete.)
-a	Treat all files (including binaries) as text.
-b	Do not report differences in amount of white space.
-B	Do not report differences in number of blank lines.
--binary	Perform comparisons in binary mode.
--brief	Report only if differences exist; do not list differences.
-c	Output using context format.
-C LINES, --context[=LINES]	Output using context format, including the specified number of lines with each difference.
--changed-group-format=FORMAT	Use FORMAT to output a line group containing differing lines from both files in if-then-else format.
-d	Use a different (usually slower) algorithm, which may return fewer changes.
-DNAME	Make merged "#ifdef" format output, conditional on the preprocessor macro NAME.
-e, --ed	Format output as an "ed" script.
--exclude=PATTERN	When performing a recursive comparison on subdirectories, ignore any whose names match PATTERN.
--exclude-from=FILE	When performing a recursive comparison on subdirectories, ignore any whose names match the patterns contained in FILE.
--expand-tabs	Convert tabs to some number of spaces.
-f	Format output similar to an ed script, but has changes ordered as they appear in the file.
-FREGEXP	Output, along with some surrounding lines (for context), any value that matches REGEXP.
--forward-ed	Format output similar to an ed script, but has changes ordered as they appear in the file.
-h	This option has no effect. It is included for backward compatibility.
-H	Process files using heuristics. (It may speed processing of large files.)
--horizon-lines=LINES	Do not discard the last LINES lines of the common prefix and the first LINES lines of the common suffix.
-i	Treat upper- and lowercase letters as equivalent.
-IREGEXP	Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match REGEXP.
--ifdef=NAME	Make merged if-then-else output by using NAME.
--ignore-all-space	Ignore any white spaces (including <TAB>s) when comparing lines.
--ignore-blank-lines	Ignore any changes that involve entirely blank lines.
--ignore-case	Treat upper- and lowercase letters as equivalent.
--ignore-matching-lines =REGEXP	Ignore differences that involve lines matching REGEXP.
--ignore-space-change	Ignore changes in the amount of white space.
--initial-tab	Prefix a tab, instead of a space when formatting output.
-l	Paginate output using "pr".
-LLABEL	Substitute LABEL for the filename when outputting in context format.
--label=LABEL	Substitute LABEL for the filename when outputting in context format.
--left-column	When outputting in side-by-side format, output only the left column of two common lines.
--line-format=FORMAT	Use the specified FORMAT to output all input lines.
--minimal	Use a different algorithm to find a (possibly) smaller group of changes.
-n	Format output in RCS format.
-N, --new-file	When comparing directories, if a file exists in one, pretend it is (at least) present in other directories.
--new-group-format=FORMAT	Output a group of lines taken from just the second file in if-then-else format.
--new-line-format=FORMAT	Use FORMAT to output a line taken from just the second file in if-then-else format.
--old-group-format=FORMAT	Use FORMAT to output a group of lines taken from just the first file in if-then-else format.
--old-line-format=FORMAT	Use FORMAT to output a line taken from just the first file in if-then-else format.
-p	When diffing C files, include the function name in any output.
-P	When comparing directories, if a file appears only in the second directory of the two, treat it as present, but empty in the other.
--paginate	Pass the output through "pr" to paginate it.
-q	Report only whether the files differ, not the details of the differences.
-r	When comparing directories, recursively compare any subdirectories found.
--rcs	Output RCS-format diffs; like "-f", except that each command specifies the number of lines affected.
--recursive	When comparing directories, recursively compare any subdirectories found.
--report-identical-files	Report when two files are the same.
-s	Report when two files are the same.
-SFILE	Specify a start file to use when comparing directories.
--sdiff-merge-assist	Include extra information (of use only to sdiff) in output.
--show-c-function	When diffing C files, include the function name in any output.
--show-function-line=REGEXP	When outputting in context or unified format, include some of the last preceding line that matches REGEXP.
--side-by-side	Format output side by side.
--speed-large-files	Use heuristics to speed handling of large files.
--starting-file=FILE	When comparing directories, start with the specified FILE.
--suppress-common-lines	When outputting in side-by-side format, do not print common lines.
-t	Expand any tabs to spaces.
-T	Prefix any output with a tab, rather than a space.
--text	Treat all tiles (including binaries) as text.
-u	Output using the unified output format.
--unchanged-group-format=FORMAT	Use FORMAT to output a group of common lines taken from both files in if-then-else format.
--unchanged-line-format =FORMAT	Use FORMAT to output a line common to both files in if-then-else format.
--unidirectional-new-file	When comparing directories, if a file appears only in the second directory of the two, treat it as present, but empty in the other.
-ULINES,--unified[=LINES]	Output in unified output format, displaying LINES lines of context.
-v, --version	Output the version number of "diff".
-w	Ignore white space when comparing lines.
-W COLUMNS, --width=COLUMNS	Specifies an output width of COLUMNS when using side-by-side format.
-xPATTERN	When comparing directories, skip over files and subdirectories whose names match PATTERN.
-XFILE	When comparing directories, skip over files and subdirectories whose names match any pattern contained in FILE.

diff3

OPTIONS MOD1 ORIGINAL MOD2

Compares three files. Any of the three may be standard input (specified by "-").

Example: To show the overlapping changes between three text files, use

diff3 -overlap-only f1.c f2.c f3.c

-a	Treat all files as text.
-A	Incorporate all changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1.
-e	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1.
-E	Generate an "ed" script as in -e option, but include bracket lines from first and third files of overlapping changes.
--ed	Output an "ed" script that incorporates any changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1.
--easy-only	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1, but include only nonoverlapping changes.
-i	Include commands at the end of any "ed" script.
--initial-tab	Prefix any output with a tab, rather than spaces.
-LLABEL,--label=LABEL	Use the specified LABEL for any brackets output by the -A, -E, or -X options.
-m, --merge	Apply the edit script to the MOD1 file and send the result to standard output.
--overlap-only	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1, but output only changes that overlap.
--show-all	Incorporate into MOD1 any changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2. Show overlaps with bracket lines.
--show-overlap	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1, except bracket lines from first and third files of overlapping changes.
-T	Prefix any output with a TAB, rather than spaces.
--text	Treat all files (including binaries) as text.
-v, --version	Display the version number.
-x	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1, except output only the overlapping changes.
-X	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1, except output only the overlaping changes and surround changes with a bracket.
-3	Generate an "ed" script that incorporates all the changes from ORIGINAL to MOD2 into MOD1, except output only the nonoverlapping changes.

sdiff

-o OUTFILE OPTIONS FROM-FILE TO-FILE

Merges two files and outputs the results to OUTFILE.

Example: To interactively merge the files source1 and source2 into the file result, use

sdiff -o result source1 source2

-a	Treat all files (including binaries) as text.
-b	Do not consider changes in the amount of white space.
-B	Do not consider changes involving blank lines.
-d	Use a different algorithm that (may) return a smaller set of changes.
-H	Use a heuristic designed to speed handling of large files.
--expand-tabs	When outputting, expand tabs to spaces.
-i	Treat uppercase and lowercase letters as equivalent.
-IREGEXP	Do not consider addition/subtraction of lines which match REGEXP.
--ignore-all-space	Ignore white space when comparing lines.
--ignore-blank-lines	Ignore changes that just insert or delete blank lines.
--ignore-case	Treat uppercase and lowercase letters as equivalent.
--ignore-matching-lines=REGEXP	Do not consider addition/subtraction of lines which match REGEXP.
--ignore-space-change	Ignore changes in amount of white space.
-l, --left-column	Output only the left column of two common lines.
--minimal	Use different algorithm that finds a smaller set of changes.
-oFILE,--output=FILE	Send merged output to FILE.
-s, --suppress-common-lines	Suppress output of common lines.
--speed-large-files	Use a heuristic designed to speed handling of large files.
-t	When outputting, expand tabs into spaces.
--text	Treat all files (including binaries) as text.
-v, --version	Display the version number.
-w COLUMNS, --width=COLUMNS	Output using the specified column width.
-W	Do not consider horizontal white space when comparing lines.