WDIFF(1)

📦
version 1.2.2 · 6 versions
, in arch rolling, debian bookworm, debian trixie, nixos 26.05, opensuse-leap 16.0, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 WDIFF 💖

okay so bestie, we're looking at wdiff, and it lives in section 1 of the manual — that's User Commands, the section where all the stuff you actually run from your shell hangs out. buckle up, it's giving word-diff realness 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

wdiff — display word differences between text files

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

wdiff [OPTION]... FILE1 FILE2
wdiff -d [OPTION]... [FILE]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

wdiff — compares words in two files and report differences. literally its whole personality 🫶

mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. (yes bestie, if it's required for the long one, it's required for the short one. no skipping.)

  • -C, --copyright — display copyright then exit
  • -1, --no-deleted — inhibit output of deleted words
  • -2, --no-inserted — inhibit output of inserted words
  • -3, --no-common — inhibit output of common words
  • -a, --auto-pager — automatically calls a pager
  • -d, --diff-input — use single unified diff as input
  • -h, --help — display this help then exit
  • -i, --ignore-case — fold character case while comparing
  • -l, --less-mode — variation of printer mode for "less"
  • -n, --avoid-wraps — do not extend fields through newlines
  • -p, --printer — overstrike as for printers
  • -s, --statistics — say how many words deleted, inserted etc.
  • -t, --terminal — use termcap as for terminal displays
  • -v, --version — display program version then exit
  • -w, --start-delete=STRING — string to mark beginning of delete region
  • -x, --end-delete=STRING — string to mark end of delete region
  • -y, --start-insert=STRING — string to mark beginning of insert region
  • -z, --end-insert=STRING — string to mark end of insert region

🎀 COMPATIBILITY 🎀

some options that used to provide some unique functionality are no longer recommended, but still recognized for the sake of backwards compatibility. (elder options. we respect them. we just don't recommend them anymore 🙈)

  • -K, --no-init-term — now synonymous to --terminal, which never initializes the terminal.

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Written by Franc,ois Pinard <pinard@iro.umontreal.ca>.

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

Report bugs to <wdiff-bugs@gnu.org>.

Copyright © 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

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

bestie this is the part where they yell NO WARRANTY in all caps and they mean it fr fr 😤

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

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

info wdiff

should give you access to the complete manual.

and that's the whole page, bestie ✨ you're now officially fluent in wdiff. this was wdiff 1.2.2, dated April 2014 — iconic behavior from a manual that has been serving word-diff realness since forever 💖 periodt 🎀

📦 where this page comes from