Linux in a Nutshell, Fifth Edition

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CVS

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Copyright © 2006 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

diff

cvs [cvs-options] diff [format-options] [options] [files ...]

Display the differences between two revisions of a file or files. By

default, diff checks the sandbox copy against the revision in the

repository that the sandbox copy was last synchronized with. If the

files argument is a directory, all files under that directory are

compared, and files in subdirectories are also compared recur-

sively. See also rdiff.

Synonyms: di, dif

Standard subcommand options: -D, -k, -l, -r, -R

The format-options determine how cvs diff displays any differences

it finds. They operate in the same way as the options to the GNU

diff program. See the entry for diff in Chapter 3.

Line and group format options

Line and group formats allow you to modify the way diff displays

line changes. The group format options control the markers that

surround the change, and the line format options control the marks

on the changed lines themselves. Group format options are often

used to create if-then-else structures for automated parsers to use.

The format options have a format string as a parameter and display

the lines they affect according to the rule provided in the format

string. The format string usually contains characters that are inter-

preted by your operating system’s shell, so the string usually ...