GNU bug report logs - #17102
diff --help and multiple files

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Tim Waugh <twaugh <at> redhat.com>
To: bug-diffutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: diff --help and multiple files
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 17:13:45 +0000

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi,

I'm trying to understand the --help output from diff:

diff [OPTION]... FILES
[...]
FILES are 'FILE1 FILE2' or 'DIR1 DIR2' or 'DIR FILE...' or 'FILE... DIR'.
[...]

I'm not sure how to trigger the "FILE..." behaviour. It doesn't seem to work for me:

touch a b
mkdir -p dir
echo "A" > dir/a
echo "B" > dir/b
diff a b dir/

gives:

diff: extra operand 'dir/'
diff: Try 'diff --help' for more information.

The original bug report is here:
  https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1079076

Thanks,
Tim.
*/

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Message #10 received at 17102-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Tim Waugh <twaugh <at> redhat.com>, 17102-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: [bug-diffutils] bug#17102: diff --help and multiple files
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 11:14:58 -0700

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Tim Waugh wrote:
> I'm not sure how to trigger the "FILE..." behaviour.

Thanks, that's a typo in the --help output.  It's been there since 
commit 9a57dd54d693952dc3f63ed8baaf99f2fb695132 dated 1998, and you're 
the first to report it!  I installed the attached patch.

It would be nice to extend 'diff' in the ways that you're probably 
thinking of, and that's been proposed, but it hasn't been implemented as 
far as I know.  Should be done for 'cmp' too.

[0001-diff-fix-two-.-typos-in-help-output.patch (text/plain, attachment)]

Message #13 received at 17102 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Tim Waugh <twaugh <at> redhat.com>
To: 17102 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#17102: closed (Re: [bug-diffutils] bug#17102: diff --help
 and multiple files)
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 10:19:42 +0000

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Thanks.

I think the man page also says "DIR FILE..." and "FILE... DIR" as well.

Tim.
*/

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Message #16 received at 17102 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Tim Waugh <twaugh <at> redhat.com>, 17102 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: [bug-diffutils] bug#17102: closed (Re: bug#17102: diff --help
 and multiple files)
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:22:05 -0700

On 03/28/2014 03:19 AM, Tim Waugh wrote:
> I think the man page
It's generated automatically from "diff --help", so it should be OK.

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