redhat man page for diffstat

DIFFSTAT(1)						      General Commands Manual						       DIFFSTAT(1)

NAME
       diffstat - make histogram from diff-output

USAGE
       diffstat [options] [file-specifications]

SYNOPSIS
       This program reads the output of diff and displays a histogram of the insertions, deletions, and modifications per-file.

DESCRIPTION
       Diffstat  is a program that is useful for reviewing large, complex patch files.	It reads from one or more input files which contain output
       from diff, producing a histogram of the total lines changed for each file referenced.  If the input filename ends with  .bz2,  .Z  or  .gz,
       diffstat will read the uncompressed data via a pipe.

       Diffstat recognizes the most popular types of output from diff:

	      unified
		     preferred by the patch utility.

	      context
		     best for readability, but not very compact.

	      default
		     not good for much, but simple to generate.

       Diffstat  detects  the lines that are output by diff to tell which files are compared, and then counts the markers in the first column that
       denote the type of change (insertion, deletion or modification).  These are shown in the histogram as "+", "-" and "!" characters.

       If no filename is given on the command line, diffstat reads the differences from the standard input.

OPTIONS
       -c     prefix each line of output with "#", making it a comment-line for shell scripts.

       -f format
	      specify 0 for concise, 1 for normal output.

       -k     suppress the merging of filenames in the report.

       -n number
	      specify the minimum width used for filenames.  If you don't specify this, diffstat uses the length of the  longest  filename,  after
	      stripping common prefixes.

       -p number
	      override the logic that strips common pathnames, simulating the patch "-p" option.

       -u     suppress the sorting of filenames in the report.

       -V     prints the current version number

       -w number
	      specify  the  maximum  width  of	the histogram.	The plot will never be shorter than 10 columns, just in case the filenames get too
	      large.

ENVIRONMENT
       Diffstat runs in a portable UNIX(R) environment.

FILES
       Diffstat is a single binary module, which uses no auxiliary files.

BUGS
       Diffstat makes a lot of assumptions about the format of a diff file.

       There's no easy way to determine the degree of overlap between the "before" and "after" displays of modified lines.

SEE ALSO
       diff (1).

AUTHOR
       Thomas Dickey <dickey@invisible-island.net>.

																       DIFFSTAT(1)