git-diff-files [-p] [-q] [-r] [-z] [-R] [-B] [-M] [-C] [--find-copies-harder] [-O<orderfile>] [-S<string>] [--pickaxe-all] [<path>…]
Compares the files in the working tree and the cache. When paths
are specified, compares only those named paths. Otherwise all
entries in the cache are compared. The output format is the
same as "git-diff-cache" and "git-diff-tree".
The output format from "git-diff-cache", "git-diff-tree" and
"git-diff-files" is very similar.
These commands all compare two sets of things; what are
compared are different:
-
git-diff-cache <tree-ish>
-
compares the <tree-ish> and the files on the filesystem.
-
git-diff-cache --cached <tree-ish>
-
compares the <tree-ish> and the cache.
-
git-diff-tree [-r] <tree-ish-1> <tree-ish-2> [<pattern>…]
-
compares the trees named by the two arguments.
-
git-diff-files [<pattern>…]
-
compares the cache and the files on the filesystem.
An output line is formatted this way:
in-place edit :100644 100644 bcd1234… 0123456… M file0
copy-edit :100644 100644 abcd123… 1234567… C68 file1 file2
rename-edit :100644 100644 abcd123… 1234567… R86 file1 file3
create :000000 100644 0000000… 1234567… N file4
delete :100644 000000 1234567… 0000000… D file5
unmerged :000000 000000 0000000… 0000000… U file6
That is, from the left to the right:
(1) a colon.
(2) mode for "src"; 000000 if creation or unmerged.
(3) a space.
(4) mode for "dst"; 000000 if deletion or unmerged.
(5) a space.
(6) sha1 for "src"; 0{40} if creation or unmerged.
(7) a space.
(8) sha1 for "dst"; 0{40} if creation, unmerged or "look at work tree".
(9) a space.
(10) status, followed by optional "score" number.
(11) a tab or a NUL when '-z' option is used.
(12) path for "src"
(13) a tab or a NUL when '-z' option is used; only exists for C or R.
(14) path for "dst"; only exists for C or R.
(15) an LF or a NUL when '-z' option is used, to terminate the record.
<sha1> is shown as all 0's if new is a file on the filesystem
and it is out of sync with the cache. Example:
:100644 100644 5be4a4...... 000000...... M file.c
When "git-diff-cache", "git-diff-tree", or "git-diff-files" are run
with a -p option, they do not produce the output described above;
instead they produce a patch file.
The patch generation can be customized at two levels. This
customization also applies to "git-diff-helper".
-
When the environment variable GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF is not set,
these commands internally invoke "diff" like this:
diff -L a/<path> -L a/<path> -pu <old> <new>
For added files, /dev/null is used for <old>. For removed
files, /dev/null is used for <new>
The "diff" formatting options can be customized via the
environment variable GIT_DIFF_OPTS. For example, if you
prefer context diff:
GIT_DIFF_OPTS=-c git-diff-cache -p $(cat .git/HEAD)
-
When the environment variable GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF is set, the
program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
described above.
For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF is called with 7 parameters:
path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
where:
<old|new>-file
|
are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
contents of <old|ne>,
|
<old|new>-hex
|
are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
|
<old|new>-mode
|
are the octal representation of the file modes.
|
The file parameters can point at the user's working file
(e.g. new-file in "git-diff-files"), /dev/null (e.g. old-file
when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. old-file in the
cache). GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF should not worry about unlinking the
temporary file --- it is removed when GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF exits.
For a path that is unmerged, GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF is called with 1
parameter, <path>.
What -p option produces is slightly different from the
traditional diff format.
(1) It is preceeded with a "git diff" header, that looks like
this:
diff --git a/file1 b/file2
The a/ and b/ filenames are the same unless rename/copy is
involved. Especially, even for a creation or a deletion,
/dev/null is _not_ used in place of a/ or b/ filename.
When rename/copy is involved, file1 and file2 shows the
name of the source file of the rename/copy and the name of
the file that rename/copy produces, respectively.
(2) It is followed by extended header lines that are one or
more of:
old mode <mode>
new mode <mode>
deleted file mode <mode>
new file mode <mode>
copy from <path>
copy to <path>
rename from <path>
rename to <path>
similarity index <number>
dissimilarity index <number>
Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.