sdiff

Merge two files interactively. Show the differences, with output to outfile.

Syntax
 sdiff -o outfile [options] from-file to-file
Options
 Multiple single letter options (unless they take an argument)
 can be combined into a single command line argument.
 -a
 --text Treat all files as text and compare them line-by- line,
 even if they do not appear to be text.
 -b
 --ignore-space-change
 Ignore changes in amount of white space.
 -B
 --ignore-blank-lines
 Ignore changes that just insert or delete blank lines.
 -d
 --minimal
 Change the algorithm to perhaps find a smaller set of changes.
 This makes sdiff slower (sometimes much slower).
 -H
 --speed-large-files
 Use heuristics to speed handling of large files that have numerous scattered small changes.
 -i
 --ignore-case
 Ignore changes in case; consider upper- and lower-case to be the same.
 -I regexp
 Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match regexp.
 --ignore-all-space
 Ignore white space when comparing lines.
 --ignore-matching-lines=regexp
 Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match regexp.
 -l
 --left-column
 Print only the left column of two common lines.
 -o file
 --output=file
 Put merged output into file. This option is required for merging.
 -s
 --suppress-common-lines
 Do not print common lines.
 -t
 --expand-tabs
 Expand tabs to spaces in the output, to preserve the alignment of tabs
 in the input files.
 -v
 --version
 Output the version number of sdiff.
 -w columns
 --width=columns
 Use an output width of columns. Note that for historical reasons,
 this option is -W in diff, -w in sdiff.

Long named options can be abbreviated to any unique prefix of their name.

If from-file is a directory and to-file is not, sdiff compares the file in from-file whose file name is that of to-file, and vice versa. from-file and to-file can not both be directories.

sdiff options begin with -, so normally from-file and to-file can not begin with -. However, -- as an argument by itself treats the remaining arguments as file names even if they begin with -.

You can not use - as an input file.

sdiff without -o (or --output) produces a side-by-side difference. This usage is obsolete; use diff --side-by-side instead.

An exit status of 0 means no differences were found, 1 means some differences were found, and 2 means trouble.

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it" ~ Norman Maclean

Related Linux commands

cmp - Compare two files.
comm(1).
diff - Display the differences between two files.
diff3 - Show differences among three files.
Equivalent Windows commands: COMP / FC - Compare and display Characters/Lines which do not match.