JTDIFF(1)

📦
version 8.3+1 · 21 versions
, in debian trixie

💖 NAME 💖

jtdiff — the Regression Test Harness, bestie!! it diffs ur test results and tells u what changed 🦋

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

📖 Usage:

jtdiff options... [directory|file]...

like, that's the whole vibe. options first, then a directory or a file (or several, she's flexible 💅).

🔍 Compare Options

these ones change what she's comparing, not just how she says it ✨

  • -r | -reason — pulls the reason string into the comparison too, not just the type (like Passed, Failed, etc.). so if two runs both failed but for different reasons, she'll clock it 👀
  • -s | -super — the SUPER-DIFF 😤✨ she goes hunting for result sets buried inside a whole directory hierarchy. and that hierarchy has to be arranged exactly like this:
PATH/PLATFORM/YEAR/DAY_OF_YEAR/TEST_RESULTS

let's break that down bc it matters:

  • PATH — given by the single directory argument u pass in
  • PLATFORM — the name of the platform the tests were run on
  • YEAR and DAY_OF_YEAR — numbers identifying when the tests were run
  • TESTSUITE_RESULTS — a fixed string that identifies where to find the result set in the hierarchy

the default value is "JTreport/text/summary.txt", but bestie u can change that by setting the system property "jtdiff.super.testResults". it can point at any source of results that a standard jtdiff invocation would accept, so go feral 🎀

oh and also — set system property jtdiff.html.compact=true for a more compact output format (yes, the original says "a more output format", we don't question the ancestors 💀), where symbols replace the actual words:

  • "pass" → check mark ✅
  • "fail" → cross ❌
  • "error" → cross in a circle
  • "not run" → horizontal bar

🎀 Output Options

options to customize the output, bc presentation is everything 🫶

  • -format:html|text — picks the output format. if u don't say anything, she infers it from the extension of the output file. she's observant like that 🌸
  • -o:<file> | -outFile:<file> — the file she writes the results into 📝
  • -title:<string> — the title to use for the results. give ur diff a little name tag 💖

🆘 Help Options

options for additional help and information, bc asking for help is main character energy 👑

  • -h [words...] | -help [words...] | --help [words...] | -usage [words...] — command line help!! give it some words and it'll show u help info containing those words, or use "-help all" to see every single bit of available help. no secrets, periodt 💅
  • -version — tells u all about which version of jtdiff u currently have. know ur roots ✨

📂 Input Files

input files can be any of:

  • work directories
  • report directories
  • or the summary.txt files inside a report directory

and plot twist — jtdiff can also be run with Ant 🐜 (not the bug, the build tool, tho honestly? slay either way)

🏠 Where she lives

she's Installed in:

/build/reproducible-path/jtreg8-8.3+1+ds1/build/images/jtreg/lib/jtreg.jar

Running on platform version 21.0.12.1 from:

/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-amd64

Built with Java(TM) 2 SDK, Version 21.0.12.1+1-1-deb13u1-De on Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:27:33 +0200.

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

the full documentation for jtdiff is maintained as a Texinfo manual 🌿 if the info and jtdiff programs are properly installed at ur site, this command:

info jtdiff

should give u access to the complete manual. so if u want the whole saga, that's where it lives 📚✨

that's the whole page bestie 💜 go forth and diff responsibly!!

— signed off with love, jtdiff version 5.2-src+1, October 2026 🎀🦋💖

📦 where this page comes from