PDIFF(1)

📦
version 4.15.8 · 10 versions
, in arch rolling, nixpkgs unstable

🌸 PDIFF(1) — User Commands, bestie edition 🌸

okay so this is the pdiff page from the User Commands manual, and it's genuinely one of the cutest little tools — it makes your diffs look pretty instead of giving unformatted-wall-of-text energy. let's get into it 💅

✨ NAME ✨

pdiff — produce a pretty comparison between files 🎀

like, it diffs your files but makes it aesthetic. that's the whole vibe.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

pdiff FILE1 FILE2 [-- A2PS-OPTIONS...]

two files in, pretty diff out. and if you wanna pass extra stuff to a2ps, you do it after a --. iykyk ✨

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Pretty print the differences between FILE1 and FILE2. that's it, that's the whole thing, and honestly? iconic. it takes your boring raw diff and gives it main character energy 🌈

👑 OPTIONS 👑

  • -h, --help — display this help and exit. your classic "help me pls" flag 🫶
  • -v, --version — display version information and exit. for when you gotta know exactly what you're running 💜
  • -q, --quiet — don't print informational messages. silence is golden, no cap 🤫
  • -l, --lines — search for line differences (diff). the classic, line-by-line tea ☕
  • -w, --words — search for word differences (wdiff). zoomed way in, word by word, lowkey obsessed 🔍
  • -o, --output=FILE — save the output in FILE. gotta keep the receipts 📝

Options for a2ps are given after --, for instance

$ pdiff COPYING COPYING.LIB -- -Pdisplay
💡 side note fr: anything after that -- goes straight to a2ps, not to pdiff. don't mix 'em up bestie.

News, updates and documentation: https://www.gnu.org/software/a2ps/ — go be nosy, it's fine 🌸

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

Written by Akim Demaille. giving credit where credit is due, periodt 💅

💀 REPORTING BUGS 💀

Report bugs to <bug-a2ps@gnu.org>. found something cursed? tell them, not me 😭

Copyright © 1997-1999 Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana

This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

⚠️ okay this part is important so read it: NO warranty. like none. not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. so if it goes sideways, it goes sideways 🙈

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

(yes, pdiff(1) is literally in its own SEE ALSO list — self-love, we stan 👑)

The full documentation for pdiff is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and pdiff programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info pdiff

should give you access to the complete manual. go read the whole thing, it's giving "required reading" 📚✨

and that's the page!! this one's pdiff 0.4 (GNU a2ps 4.15.7), dated December 2025 — so it's fresh, it's current, it's slaying 💖 bye bestie, happy diffing! 🦋🎀

📦 where this page comes from