diff3 Examples (with examples)

Use Case 1: Compare files

The diff3 command is used to compare three files line by line. This can be useful when you want to see the differences between multiple versions of a file.

Code:

diff3 path/to/file1 path/to/file2 path/to/file3

Motivation:

You may want to compare different versions of a file to see what changes have been made. This can help you understand the evolution of the file and identify any conflicts or inconsistencies.

Explanation:

In this use case, you provide the paths to three files that you want to compare. The diff3 command then compares these files line by line and displays the differences between them.

Example Output:

<<<<<<< file1
This is the content of file1.
=======
This is the content of file2.
>>>>>>> file2
This is some common content.
<<<<<<< file3
This is additional content in file3.
=======
This is additional content in file2.
>>>>>>> file2

In the example output above, you can see that there are differences between the three files. The lines marked with <<<<<<< indicate the content in file1 that is not present in file2 or file3. The lines marked with ======= indicate the content in file2 that is different from file1 and file3. The lines marked with >>>>>>> indicate the content in file2 or file3 that is not present in file1.

Use Case 2: Show all changes, outlining conflicts

The --show-all option can be used with the diff3 command to display all changes between the three files, including conflicts.

Code:

diff3 --show-all path/to/file1 path/to/file2 path/to/file3

Motivation:

You may want to see not only the differences between the files, but also any conflicts that exist. This can help you identify areas where the files have conflicting changes that need to be resolved.

Explanation:

In this use case, you provide the paths to three files that you want to compare, along with the --show-all option. The diff3 command then compares the files line by line and displays all changes, including conflicts.

Example Output:

<<<<<<< file1
This is the content of file1.
=======
This is the content of file2.
>>>>>>> file2
This is some common content.
<<<<<<< file3
This is additional content in file3.
=======
This is additional content in file2.
>>>>>>> file2

In this example output, you can see the same differences as in the previous use case. However, with the --show-all option, the conflicts are outlined with <<<<<<<, =======, and >>>>>>> markers. This makes it easier to visually identify the conflicting changes between the files.