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

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#17102: closed (diff --help and multiple files)
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:16:01 +0000

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Your message dated Wed, 26 Mar 2014 11:14:58 -0700
with message-id <53331922.1080200 <at> cs.ucla.edu>
and subject line Re: [bug-diffutils] bug#17102: diff --help and multiple files
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #17102,
regarding diff --help and multiple files
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


-- 
17102: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=17102
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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

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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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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

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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)]

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