| 1 | \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- |
| 2 | @c documentation for Ediff |
| 3 | @c Written by Michael Kifer |
| 4 | |
| 5 | @comment %**start of header (This is for running Texinfo on a region.) |
| 6 | |
| 7 | @comment Using ediff.info instead of ediff in setfilename breaks DOS. |
| 8 | @comment @setfilename ediff |
| 9 | @comment @setfilename ediff.info |
| 10 | @setfilename ../../info/ediff |
| 11 | |
| 12 | @settitle Ediff User's Manual |
| 13 | @synindex vr cp |
| 14 | @synindex fn cp |
| 15 | @synindex pg cp |
| 16 | @synindex ky cp |
| 17 | |
| 18 | @iftex |
| 19 | @finalout |
| 20 | @end iftex |
| 21 | @c @smallbook |
| 22 | @comment %**end of header (This is for running Texinfo on a region.) |
| 23 | |
| 24 | @copying |
| 25 | This file documents Ediff, a comprehensive visual interface to Unix diff |
| 26 | and patch utilities. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, |
| 29 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | @quotation |
| 32 | Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document |
| 33 | under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or |
| 34 | any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no |
| 35 | Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'', |
| 36 | and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license |
| 37 | is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''. |
| 38 | |
| 39 | (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and |
| 40 | modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in |
| 41 | developing GNU and promoting software freedom.'' |
| 42 | @end quotation |
| 43 | @end copying |
| 44 | |
| 45 | @dircategory Emacs |
| 46 | @direntry |
| 47 | * Ediff: (ediff). A visual interface for comparing and merging programs. |
| 48 | @end direntry |
| 49 | |
| 50 | @titlepage |
| 51 | @title Ediff User's Manual |
| 52 | @sp 4 |
| 53 | @subtitle Ediff version 2.81.2 |
| 54 | @sp 1 |
| 55 | @subtitle November 2008 |
| 56 | @sp 5 |
| 57 | @author Michael Kifer |
| 58 | @page |
| 59 | |
| 60 | @vskip 0pt plus 1filll |
| 61 | @insertcopying |
| 62 | @end titlepage |
| 63 | |
| 64 | |
| 65 | @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir) |
| 66 | |
| 67 | |
| 68 | @menu |
| 69 | * Introduction:: About Ediff. |
| 70 | * Major Entry Points:: How to use Ediff. |
| 71 | * Session Commands:: Ediff commands used within a session. |
| 72 | * Registry of Ediff Sessions:: Keeping track of multiple Ediff sessions. |
| 73 | * Session Groups:: Comparing and merging directories. |
| 74 | * Remote and Compressed Files:: You may want to know about this. |
| 75 | * Customization:: How to make Ediff work the way YOU want. |
| 76 | * Credits:: Thanks to those who helped. |
| 77 | * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation. |
| 78 | * Index:: |
| 79 | @end menu |
| 80 | |
| 81 | @node Introduction, Major Entry Points, Top, Top |
| 82 | @chapter Introduction |
| 83 | |
| 84 | @cindex Comparing files and buffers |
| 85 | @cindex Merging files and buffers |
| 86 | @cindex Patching files and buffers |
| 87 | @cindex Finding differences |
| 88 | |
| 89 | Ediff provides a convenient way for simultaneous browsing through |
| 90 | the differences between a pair (or a triple) of files or buffers |
| 91 | (which are called @samp{variants} for our purposes). The |
| 92 | files being compared, file-A, file-B, and file-C (if applicable) are |
| 93 | shown in separate windows (side by side, one above the another, or in |
| 94 | separate frames), and the differences are highlighted as you step |
| 95 | through them. You can also copy difference regions from one buffer to |
| 96 | another (and recover old differences if you change your mind). |
| 97 | |
| 98 | Another powerful feature is the ability to merge a pair of files into a |
| 99 | third buffer. Merging with an ancestor file is also supported. |
| 100 | Furthermore, Ediff is equipped with directory-level capabilities that |
| 101 | allow the user to conveniently launch browsing or merging sessions on |
| 102 | groups of files in two (or three) different directories. |
| 103 | |
| 104 | In addition, Ediff can apply a patch to a file and then let you step through |
| 105 | both files, the patched and the original one, simultaneously, |
| 106 | difference-by-difference. You can even apply a patch right out of a mail |
| 107 | buffer, i.e., patches received by mail don't even have to be saved. Since |
| 108 | Ediff lets you copy differences between variants, you can, in effect, apply |
| 109 | patches selectively (i.e., you can copy a difference region from |
| 110 | @file{file.orig} to @file{file}, thereby undoing any particular patch that |
| 111 | you don't like). |
| 112 | |
| 113 | Ediff even understands multi-file patches and can apply them interactively! |
| 114 | (Ediff can recognize multi-file patches only if they are in the context |
| 115 | format or GNU unified format. All other patches are treated as 1-file |
| 116 | patches. Ediff is [hopefully] using the same algorithm as @code{patch} to |
| 117 | determine which files need to be patched.) |
| 118 | |
| 119 | Ediff is aware of version control, which lets you compare |
| 120 | files with their older versions. Ediff also works with remote and |
| 121 | compressed files, automatically ftp'ing them over and uncompressing them. |
| 122 | @xref{Remote and Compressed Files}, for details. |
| 123 | |
| 124 | This package builds upon ideas borrowed from Emerge, and several of Ediff's |
| 125 | functions are adaptations from Emerge. Although Ediff subsumes and greatly |
| 126 | extends Emerge, much of the functionality in Ediff is influenced by Emerge. |
| 127 | The architecture and the interface are, of course, drastically different. |
| 128 | |
| 129 | @node Major Entry Points, Session Commands, Introduction, Top |
| 130 | @chapter Major Entry Points |
| 131 | |
| 132 | When Ediff starts up, it displays a small control window, which accepts the |
| 133 | Ediff commands, and two or three windows displaying the files to be compared |
| 134 | or merged. The control window can be in its own small frame or it can be |
| 135 | part of a bigger frame that displays other buffers. In any case, it is |
| 136 | important that the control window be active (i.e., be the one receiving the |
| 137 | keystrokes) when you use Ediff. You can switch to other Emacs buffers at |
| 138 | will and even edit the files currently being compared with Ediff and then |
| 139 | switch back to Ediff at any time by activating the appropriate Emacs windows. |
| 140 | |
| 141 | Ediff can be invoked interactively using the following functions, which can |
| 142 | be run either from the minibuffer or from the menu bar. In the menu bar, |
| 143 | all Ediff's entry points belong to three submenus of the Tools menu: |
| 144 | Compare, Merge, and Apply Patch. |
| 145 | |
| 146 | @table @code |
| 147 | @item ediff-files |
| 148 | @itemx ediff |
| 149 | @findex ediff-files |
| 150 | @findex ediff |
| 151 | Compare two files. |
| 152 | |
| 153 | @item ediff-backup |
| 154 | @findex ediff-backup |
| 155 | Compare a file with its backup. If there are several numerical backups, use |
| 156 | the latest. If the file is itself a backup, then compare it with its |
| 157 | original. |
| 158 | |
| 159 | @item ediff-buffers |
| 160 | @findex ediff-buffers |
| 161 | Compare two buffers. |
| 162 | |
| 163 | @item ediff-files3 |
| 164 | @itemx ediff3 |
| 165 | @findex ediff-files3 |
| 166 | @findex ediff3 |
| 167 | Compare three files. |
| 168 | |
| 169 | @item ediff-buffers3 |
| 170 | @findex ediff-buffers3 |
| 171 | Compare three buffers. |
| 172 | |
| 173 | @item edirs |
| 174 | @itemx ediff-directories |
| 175 | @findex edirs |
| 176 | @findex ediff-directories |
| 177 | Compare files common to two directories. |
| 178 | @item edirs3 |
| 179 | @itemx ediff-directories3 |
| 180 | @findex edirs3 |
| 181 | @findex ediff-directories3 |
| 182 | Compare files common to three directories. |
| 183 | @item edir-revisions |
| 184 | @itemx ediff-directory-revisions |
| 185 | @findex ediff-directory-revisions |
| 186 | @findex edir-revisions |
| 187 | Compare versions of files in a given directory. Ediff selects only the |
| 188 | files that are under version control. |
| 189 | @item edir-merge-revisions |
| 190 | @itemx ediff-merge-directory-revisions |
| 191 | @findex edir-merge-revisions |
| 192 | @findex ediff-merge-directory-revisions |
| 193 | Merge versions of files in a given directory. Ediff selects only the |
| 194 | files that are under version control. |
| 195 | @item edir-merge-revisions-with-ancestor |
| 196 | @itemx ediff-merge-directory-revisions-with-ancestor |
| 197 | @findex edir-merge-revisions-with-ancestor |
| 198 | @findex ediff-merge-directory-revisions-with-ancestor |
| 199 | Merge versions of files in a given directory using other versions as |
| 200 | ancestors. Ediff selects only the files that are under version control. |
| 201 | |
| 202 | @item ediff-windows-wordwise |
| 203 | @findex ediff-windows-wordwise |
| 204 | Compare windows word-by-word. |
| 205 | |
| 206 | @item ediff-windows-linewise |
| 207 | @findex ediff-windows-linewise |
| 208 | Compare windows line-by-line. |
| 209 | |
| 210 | @item ediff-regions-wordwise |
| 211 | @findex ediff-regions-wordwise |
| 212 | Compare regions word-by-word. The regions can come from the same buffer |
| 213 | and they can even overlap. You will be asked to specify the buffers that |
| 214 | contain the regions, which you want to compare. For each buffer, you will |
| 215 | also be asked to mark the regions to be compared. Pay attention to the |
| 216 | messages that appear in the minibuffer. |
| 217 | |
| 218 | @item ediff-regions-linewise |
| 219 | @findex ediff-regions-linewise |
| 220 | Similar to @code{ediff-windows-linewise}, but compares the regions |
| 221 | line-by-line. See @code{ediff-windows-linewise} for more details. |
| 222 | |
| 223 | @item ediff-revision |
| 224 | @findex ediff-revision |
| 225 | Compare versions of the current buffer, if the buffer is visiting |
| 226 | a file under version control. |
| 227 | |
| 228 | @item ediff-patch-file |
| 229 | @itemx epatch |
| 230 | @findex ediff-patch-file |
| 231 | @findex epatch |
| 232 | |
| 233 | Patch a file or multiple files, then compare. If the patch applies to just |
| 234 | one file, Ediff will invoke a regular comparison session. If it is a |
| 235 | multi-file patch, then a session group interface will be used and the user |
| 236 | will be able to patch the files selectively. @xref{Session Groups}, for |
| 237 | more details. |
| 238 | |
| 239 | Since the patch might be in a buffer or a file, you will be asked which is |
| 240 | the case. To avoid this extra prompt, you can invoke this command with a |
| 241 | prefix argument. With an odd prefix argument, Ediff assumes the patch |
| 242 | is in a file; with an even argument, a buffer is assumed. |
| 243 | |
| 244 | Note that @code{ediff-patch-file} will actually use the @code{patch} |
| 245 | utility to change the original files on disk. This is not that |
| 246 | dangerous, since you will always have the original contents of the file |
| 247 | saved in another file that has the extension @file{.orig}. |
| 248 | Furthermore, if the file is under version control, then you can always back |
| 249 | out to one of the previous versions (see the section on Version Control in |
| 250 | the Emacs manual). |
| 251 | |
| 252 | @code{ediff-patch-file} is careful about versions control: if the file |
| 253 | to be patched is checked in, then Ediff will offer to check it out, because |
| 254 | failing to do so may result in the loss of the changes when the file is |
| 255 | checked out the next time. |
| 256 | |
| 257 | If you don't intend to modify the file via the patch and just want to see |
| 258 | what the patch is all about (and decide later), then |
| 259 | @code{ediff-patch-buffer} might be a better choice. |
| 260 | |
| 261 | @item ediff-patch-buffer |
| 262 | @itemx epatch-buffer |
| 263 | @findex ediff-patch-buffer |
| 264 | @findex epatch-buffer |
| 265 | Patch a buffer, then compare. The buffer being patched and the file visited |
| 266 | by that buffer (if any) is @emph{not} modified. The result of the patch |
| 267 | appears in some other buffer that has the name ending with @emph{_patched}. |
| 268 | |
| 269 | This function would refuse to apply a multifile patch to a buffer. Use |
| 270 | @code{ediff-patch-file} for that (and when you want the original file to be |
| 271 | modified by the @code{patch} utility). |
| 272 | |
| 273 | Since the patch might be in a buffer or a file, you will be asked which is |
| 274 | the case. To avoid this extra prompt, you can invoke this command with a |
| 275 | prefix argument. With an odd prefix argument, Ediff assumes the patch |
| 276 | is in a file; with an even argument, a buffer is assumed. |
| 277 | |
| 278 | @item ediff-merge-files |
| 279 | @itemx ediff-merge |
| 280 | @findex ediff-merge-files |
| 281 | @findex ediff-merge |
| 282 | Merge two files. |
| 283 | |
| 284 | @item ediff-merge-files-with-ancestor |
| 285 | @itemx ediff-merge-with-ancestor |
| 286 | @findex ediff-merge-files-with-ancestor |
| 287 | @findex ediff-merge-with-ancestor |
| 288 | Like @code{ediff-merge}, but with a third ancestor file. |
| 289 | |
| 290 | @item ediff-merge-buffers |
| 291 | @findex ediff-merge-buffers |
| 292 | Merge two buffers. |
| 293 | |
| 294 | @item ediff-merge-buffers-with-ancestor |
| 295 | @findex ediff-merge-buffers-with-ancestor |
| 296 | Same but with ancestor. |
| 297 | |
| 298 | |
| 299 | @item edirs-merge |
| 300 | @itemx ediff-merge-directories |
| 301 | @findex edirs-merge |
| 302 | @findex ediff-merge-directories |
| 303 | Merge files common to two directories. |
| 304 | @item edirs-merge-with-ancestor |
| 305 | @itemx ediff-merge-directories-with-ancestor |
| 306 | @findex edirs-merge-with-ancestor |
| 307 | @findex ediff-merge-directories-with-ancestor |
| 308 | Same but using files in a third directory as ancestors. |
| 309 | If a pair of files doesn't have an ancestor in the ancestor-directory, you |
| 310 | will still be able to merge them without the ancestor. |
| 311 | |
| 312 | @item ediff-merge-revisions |
| 313 | @findex ediff-merge-revisions |
| 314 | Merge two versions of the file visited by the current buffer. |
| 315 | |
| 316 | @item ediff-merge-revisions-with-ancestor |
| 317 | @findex ediff-merge-revisions-with-ancestor |
| 318 | Same but with ancestor. |
| 319 | |
| 320 | @item ediff-documentation |
| 321 | @findex ediff-documentation |
| 322 | Brings up this manual. |
| 323 | |
| 324 | @item ediff-show-registry |
| 325 | @itemx eregistry |
| 326 | Brings up Ediff session registry. This feature enables you to quickly find |
| 327 | and restart active Ediff sessions. |
| 328 | @end table |
| 329 | |
| 330 | @noindent |
| 331 | If you want Ediff to be loaded from the very beginning of your Emacs |
| 332 | session, you should put this line in your @file{~/.emacs} file: |
| 333 | |
| 334 | @example |
| 335 | (require 'ediff) |
| 336 | @end example |
| 337 | |
| 338 | @noindent |
| 339 | Otherwise, Ediff will be loaded automatically when you use one of the |
| 340 | above functions, either directly or through the menus. |
| 341 | |
| 342 | When the above functions are invoked, the user is prompted for all the |
| 343 | necessary information---typically the files or buffers to compare, merge, or |
| 344 | patch. Ediff tries to be smart about these prompts. For instance, in |
| 345 | comparing/merging files, it will offer the visible buffers as defaults. In |
| 346 | prompting for files, if the user enters a directory, the previously input |
| 347 | file name will be appended to that directory. In addition, if the variable |
| 348 | @code{ediff-use-last-dir} is not @code{nil}, Ediff will offer |
| 349 | previously entered directories as defaults (which will be maintained |
| 350 | separately for each type of file, A, B, or C). |
| 351 | @vindex @code{ediff-use-last-dir} |
| 352 | |
| 353 | All the above functions use the POSIX @code{diff} or @code{diff3} programs |
| 354 | to find differences between two files. They process the @code{diff} output |
| 355 | and display it in a convenient form. At present, Ediff understands only |
| 356 | the plain output from diff. Options such as @samp{-c} are not supported, |
| 357 | nor is the format produced by incompatible file comparison programs such as |
| 358 | the VMS version of @code{diff}. |
| 359 | |
| 360 | The functions @code{ediff-files}, @code{ediff-buffers}, |
| 361 | @code{ediff-files3}, @code{ediff-buffers3} first display the coarse, |
| 362 | line-based difference regions, as reported by the @code{diff} program. The |
| 363 | total number of difference regions and the current difference number are |
| 364 | always displayed in the mode line of the control window. |
| 365 | |
| 366 | Since @code{diff} may report fairly large chunks of text as being different, |
| 367 | even though the difference may be localized to just a few words or even |
| 368 | to the white space or line breaks, Ediff further @emph{refines} the |
| 369 | regions to indicate which exact words differ. If the only difference is |
| 370 | in the white space and line breaks, Ediff says so. |
| 371 | |
| 372 | On a color display, fine differences are highlighted with color; on a |
| 373 | monochrome display, they are underlined. @xref{Highlighting Difference |
| 374 | Regions}, for information on how to customize this. |
| 375 | |
| 376 | The commands @code{ediff-windows-wordwise}, |
| 377 | @code{ediff-windows-linewise}, @code{ediff-regions-wordwise} and |
| 378 | @code{ediff-regions-linewise} do comparison on parts of existing Emacs |
| 379 | buffers. The commands @code{ediff-windows-wordwise} and |
| 380 | @code{ediff-regions-wordwise} are intended for relatively small segments |
| 381 | of buffers (e.g., up to 100 lines, depending on the speed of your machine), |
| 382 | as they perform comparison on the basis of words rather than lines. |
| 383 | (Word-wise comparison of large chunks of text can be slow.) |
| 384 | |
| 385 | To compare large regions, use @code{ediff-regions-linewise}. This |
| 386 | command displays differences much like @code{ediff-files} and |
| 387 | @code{ediff-buffers}. |
| 388 | |
| 389 | The functions @code{ediff-patch-file} and @code{ediff-patch-buffer} apply a |
| 390 | patch to a file or a buffer and then run Ediff on the appropriate |
| 391 | files/buffers, displaying the difference regions. |
| 392 | |
| 393 | The entry points @code{ediff-directories}, @code{ediff-merge-directories}, |
| 394 | etc., provide a convenient interface for comparing and merging files in |
| 395 | different directories. The user is presented with Dired-like interface from |
| 396 | which one can run a group of related Ediff sessions. |
| 397 | |
| 398 | For files under version control, @code{ediff-revision} lets you compare |
| 399 | the file visited by the current buffer to one of its checked-in versions. |
| 400 | You can also compare two checked-in versions of the visited file. |
| 401 | Moreover, the functions @code{ediff-directory-revisions}, |
| 402 | @code{ediff-merge-directory-revisions}, etc., let you run a group of |
| 403 | related Ediff sessions by taking a directory and comparing (or merging) |
| 404 | versions of files in that directory. |
| 405 | |
| 406 | @node Session Commands, Registry of Ediff Sessions, Major Entry Points, Top |
| 407 | @chapter Session Commands |
| 408 | |
| 409 | All Ediff commands are displayed in a Quick Help window, unless you type |
| 410 | @kbd{?} to shrink the window to just one line. You can redisplay the help |
| 411 | window by typing @kbd{?} again. The Quick Help commands are detailed below. |
| 412 | |
| 413 | Many Ediff commands take numeric prefix arguments. For instance, if you |
| 414 | type a number, say 3, and then @kbd{j} (@code{ediff-jump-to-difference}), |
| 415 | Ediff moves to the third difference region. Typing 3 and then @kbd{a} |
| 416 | (@code{ediff-diff-to-diff}) copies the 3d difference region from variant A |
| 417 | to variant B. Likewise, 4 followed by @kbd{ra} restores the 4th difference |
| 418 | region in buffer A (if it was previously written over via the command |
| 419 | @kbd{a}). |
| 420 | |
| 421 | Some commands take negative prefix arguments as well. For instance, typing |
| 422 | @kbd{-} and then @kbd{j} will make the last difference region |
| 423 | current. Typing @kbd{-2} then @kbd{j} makes the penultimate difference |
| 424 | region current, etc. |
| 425 | |
| 426 | Without the prefix argument, all commands operate on the currently |
| 427 | selected difference region. You can make any difference region |
| 428 | current using the various commands explained below. |
| 429 | |
| 430 | For some commands, the actual value of the prefix argument is |
| 431 | immaterial. However, if supplied, the prefix argument may modify the |
| 432 | command (see @kbd{ga}, @kbd{gb}, and @kbd{gc}). |
| 433 | |
| 434 | @menu |
| 435 | * Quick Help Commands:: Frequently used commands. |
| 436 | * Other Session Commands:: Commands that are not bound to keys. |
| 437 | @end menu |
| 438 | |
| 439 | @node Quick Help Commands,Other Session Commands,,Session Commands |
| 440 | @section Quick Help Commands |
| 441 | |
| 442 | @table @kbd |
| 443 | @item ? |
| 444 | @kindex ? |
| 445 | Toggles the Ediff Quick Help window ON and OFF. |
| 446 | @item G |
| 447 | @kindex G |
| 448 | Prepares a mail buffer for sending a praise or a curse to the Ediff maintainer. |
| 449 | |
| 450 | @item E |
| 451 | @kindex E |
| 452 | Brings up the top node of this manual, where you can find further |
| 453 | information on the various Ediff functions and advanced issues, such as |
| 454 | customization, session groups, etc. |
| 455 | |
| 456 | @item v |
| 457 | @kindex v |
| 458 | Scrolls up buffers A and B (and buffer C where appropriate) in a |
| 459 | coordinated fashion. |
| 460 | @item V |
| 461 | @kindex V |
| 462 | Scrolls the buffers down. |
| 463 | |
| 464 | @item < |
| 465 | @kindex < |
| 466 | Scrolls the buffers to the left simultaneously. |
| 467 | @item > |
| 468 | @kindex > |
| 469 | Scrolls buffers to the right. |
| 470 | |
| 471 | @item wd |
| 472 | @kindex wd |
| 473 | Saves the output from the diff utility, for further reference. |
| 474 | |
| 475 | With prefix argument, saves the plain output from @code{diff} (see |
| 476 | @code{ediff-diff-program} and @code{ediff-diff-options}). Without the |
| 477 | argument, it saves customized @code{diff} output (see |
| 478 | @code{ediff-custom-diff-program} and @code{ediff-custom-diff-options}), if |
| 479 | it is available. |
| 480 | |
| 481 | @item wa |
| 482 | @kindex wa |
| 483 | Saves buffer A, if it was modified. |
| 484 | @item wb |
| 485 | @kindex wb |
| 486 | Saves buffer B, if it was modified. |
| 487 | @item wc |
| 488 | @kindex wc |
| 489 | Saves buffer C, if it was modified (if you are in a session that |
| 490 | compares three files simultaneously). |
| 491 | |
| 492 | @item a |
| 493 | @kindex a |
| 494 | @emph{In comparison sessions:} |
| 495 | Copies the current difference region (or the region specified as the prefix |
| 496 | to this command) from buffer A to buffer B. |
| 497 | Ediff saves the old contents of buffer B's region; it can |
| 498 | be restored via the command @kbd{rb}, which see. |
| 499 | |
| 500 | @emph{In merge sessions:} |
| 501 | Copies the current difference region (or the region specified as the prefix |
| 502 | to this command) from buffer A to the merge buffer. The old contents of |
| 503 | this region in buffer C can be restored via the command @kbd{r}. |
| 504 | |
| 505 | @item b |
| 506 | @kindex b |
| 507 | Works similarly, but copies the current difference region from buffer B to |
| 508 | buffer A (in @emph{comparison sessions}) or the merge buffer (in |
| 509 | @emph{merge sessions}). |
| 510 | |
| 511 | Ediff saves the old contents of the difference region copied over; it can |
| 512 | be reinstated via the command @kbd{ra} in comparison sessions and |
| 513 | @kbd{r} in merge sessions. |
| 514 | |
| 515 | @item ab |
| 516 | @kindex ab |
| 517 | Copies the current difference region (or the region specified as the prefix |
| 518 | to this command) from buffer A to buffer B. This (and the next five) |
| 519 | command is enabled only in sessions that compare three files |
| 520 | simultaneously. The old region in buffer B is saved and can be restored |
| 521 | via the command @kbd{rb}. |
| 522 | @item ac |
| 523 | @kindex ac |
| 524 | Copies the difference region from buffer A to buffer C. |
| 525 | The old region in buffer C is saved and can be restored via the command |
| 526 | @kbd{rc}. |
| 527 | @item ba |
| 528 | @kindex ba |
| 529 | Copies the difference region from buffer B to buffer A. |
| 530 | The old region in buffer A is saved and can be restored via the command |
| 531 | @kbd{ra}. |
| 532 | @item bc |
| 533 | @kindex bc |
| 534 | Copies the difference region from buffer B to buffer C. |
| 535 | The command @kbd{rc} undoes this. |
| 536 | @item ca |
| 537 | @kindex ca |
| 538 | Copies the difference region from buffer C to buffer A. |
| 539 | The command @kbd{ra} undoes this. |
| 540 | @item cb |
| 541 | @kindex cb |
| 542 | Copies the difference region from buffer C to buffer B. |
| 543 | The command @kbd{rb} undoes this. |
| 544 | |
| 545 | @item p |
| 546 | @itemx DEL |
| 547 | @kindex p |
| 548 | @kindex DEL |
| 549 | Makes the previous difference region current. |
| 550 | @item n |
| 551 | @itemx SPC |
| 552 | @kindex n |
| 553 | @kindex SPC |
| 554 | Makes the next difference region current. |
| 555 | |
| 556 | @item j |
| 557 | @itemx -j |
| 558 | @itemx Nj |
| 559 | @kindex j |
| 560 | Makes the very first difference region current. |
| 561 | |
| 562 | @kbd{-j} makes the last region current. Typing a number, N, and then `j' |
| 563 | makes the difference region N current. Typing -N (a negative number) then |
| 564 | `j' makes current the region Last - N. |
| 565 | |
| 566 | @item ga |
| 567 | @kindex ga |
| 568 | Makes current the difference region closest to the position of the point in |
| 569 | buffer A. |
| 570 | |
| 571 | However, with a prefix argument, Ediff would position all variants |
| 572 | around the area indicated by the current point in buffer A: if |
| 573 | the point is inside a difference region, then the variants will be |
| 574 | positioned at this difference region. If the point is not in any difference |
| 575 | region, then it is in an area where all variants agree with each other. In |
| 576 | this case, the variants will be positioned so that each would display this |
| 577 | area (of agreement). |
| 578 | @item gb |
| 579 | @kindex gb |
| 580 | Makes current the difference region closest to the position of the point in |
| 581 | buffer B. |
| 582 | |
| 583 | With a prefix argument, behaves like @kbd{ga}, but with respect to buffer B. |
| 584 | @item gc |
| 585 | @kindex gc |
| 586 | @emph{In merge sessions:} |
| 587 | makes current the difference region closest to the point in the merge buffer. |
| 588 | |
| 589 | @emph{In 3-file comparison sessions:} |
| 590 | makes current the region closest to the point in buffer C. |
| 591 | |
| 592 | With a prefix argument, behaves like @kbd{ga}, but with respect to buffer C. |
| 593 | |
| 594 | @item ! |
| 595 | @kindex ! |
| 596 | Recomputes the difference regions, bringing them up to date. This is often |
| 597 | needed because it is common to do all sorts of editing during Ediff |
| 598 | sessions, so after a while, the highlighted difference regions may no |
| 599 | longer reflect the actual differences among the buffers. |
| 600 | |
| 601 | @item * |
| 602 | @kindex * |
| 603 | Forces refinement of the current difference region, which highlights the exact |
| 604 | words of disagreement among the buffers. With a negative prefix argument, |
| 605 | unhighlights the current region. |
| 606 | |
| 607 | Forceful refinement may be needed if Ediff encounters a difference region |
| 608 | that is larger than @code{ediff-auto-refine-limit}. In this situation, |
| 609 | Ediff doesn't do automatic refinement in order to improve response time. |
| 610 | (Ediff doesn't auto-refine on dumb terminals as well, but @kbd{*} still |
| 611 | works there. However, the only useful piece of information it can tell you |
| 612 | is whether or not the difference regions disagree only in the amount of |
| 613 | white space.) |
| 614 | |
| 615 | This command is also useful when the highlighted fine differences are |
| 616 | no longer current, due to user editing. |
| 617 | |
| 618 | @item m |
| 619 | @kindex m |
| 620 | Displays the current Ediff session in a frame as wide as the physical |
| 621 | display. This is useful when comparing files side-by-side. Typing `m' again |
| 622 | restores the original size of the frame. |
| 623 | |
| 624 | @item | |
| 625 | @kindex | |
| 626 | Toggles the horizontal/vertical split of the Ediff display. Horizontal |
| 627 | split is convenient when it is possible to compare files |
| 628 | side-by-side. If the frame in which files are displayed is too narrow |
| 629 | and lines are cut off, typing @kbd{m} may help some. |
| 630 | |
| 631 | @item @@ |
| 632 | @kindex @@ |
| 633 | Toggles auto-refinement of difference regions (i.e., automatic highlighting |
| 634 | of the exact words that differ among the variants). Auto-refinement is |
| 635 | turned off on devices where Emacs doesn't support highlighting. |
| 636 | |
| 637 | On slow machines, it may be advantageous to turn auto-refinement off. The |
| 638 | user can always forcefully refine specific difference regions by typing |
| 639 | @kbd{*}. |
| 640 | |
| 641 | @item h |
| 642 | @kindex h |
| 643 | Cycles between full highlighting, the mode where fine differences are not |
| 644 | highlighted (but computed), and the mode where highlighting is done with |
| 645 | @acronym{ASCII} strings. The latter is not really recommended, unless on a dumb TTY. |
| 646 | |
| 647 | @item r |
| 648 | @kindex r |
| 649 | Restores the old contents of the region in the merge buffer. |
| 650 | (If you copied a difference region from buffer A or B into the merge buffer |
| 651 | using the commands @kbd{a} or @kbd{b}, Ediff saves the old contents of the |
| 652 | region in case you change your mind.) |
| 653 | |
| 654 | This command is enabled in merge sessions only. |
| 655 | |
| 656 | @item ra |
| 657 | @kindex ra |
| 658 | Restores the old contents of the current difference region in buffer A, |
| 659 | which was previously saved when the user invoked one of these commands: |
| 660 | @kbd{b}, @kbd{ba}, @kbd{ca}, which see. This command is enabled in |
| 661 | comparison sessions only. |
| 662 | @item rb |
| 663 | @kindex rb |
| 664 | Restores the old contents of the current difference region in buffer B, |
| 665 | which was previously saved when the user invoked one of these commands: |
| 666 | @kbd{a}, @kbd{ab}, @kbd{cb}, which see. This command is enabled in |
| 667 | comparison sessions only. |
| 668 | @item rc |
| 669 | @kindex rc |
| 670 | Restores the old contents of the current difference region in buffer C, |
| 671 | which was previously saved when the user invoked one of these commands: |
| 672 | @kbd{ac}, @kbd{bc}, which see. This command is enabled in 3-file |
| 673 | comparison sessions only. |
| 674 | |
| 675 | @item ## |
| 676 | @kindex ## |
| 677 | Tell Ediff to skip over regions that disagree among themselves only in the |
| 678 | amount of white space and line breaks. |
| 679 | |
| 680 | Even though such regions will be skipped over, you can still jump to any |
| 681 | one of them by typing the region number and then `j'. Typing @kbd{##} |
| 682 | again puts Ediff back in the original state. |
| 683 | |
| 684 | @item #c |
| 685 | @kindex #c |
| 686 | @vindex ediff-ignore-case-option |
| 687 | @vindex ediff-ignore-case-option3 |
| 688 | @vindex ediff-ignore-case |
| 689 | Toggle case sensitivity in the diff program. All diffs are recomputed. |
| 690 | Case sensitivity is controlled by the variables |
| 691 | @code{ediff-ignore-case-option}, @code{ediff-ignore-case-option3}, |
| 692 | and @code{ediff-ignore-case}, which are explained elsewhere. |
| 693 | |
| 694 | @item #h |
| 695 | @itemx #f |
| 696 | @kindex #f |
| 697 | @kindex #h |
| 698 | Ediff works hard to ameliorate the effects of boredom in the workplace... |
| 699 | |
| 700 | Quite often differences are due to identical replacements (e.g., the word |
| 701 | `foo' is replaced with the word `bar' everywhere). If the number of regions |
| 702 | with such boring differences exceeds your tolerance threshold, you may be |
| 703 | tempted to tell Ediff to skip these regions altogether (you will still be able |
| 704 | to jump to them via the command @kbd{j}). The above commands, @kbd{#h} |
| 705 | and @kbd{#f}, may well save your day! |
| 706 | |
| 707 | @kbd{#h} prompts you to specify regular expressions for each |
| 708 | variant. Difference regions where each variant's region matches the |
| 709 | corresponding regular expression will be skipped from then on. (You can |
| 710 | also tell Ediff to skip regions where at least one variant matches its |
| 711 | regular expression.) |
| 712 | |
| 713 | @kbd{#f} does dual job: it focuses on regions that match the corresponding |
| 714 | regular expressions. All other regions will be skipped |
| 715 | over. @xref{Selective Browsing}, for more. |
| 716 | |
| 717 | @item A |
| 718 | @kindex A |
| 719 | Toggles the read-only property in buffer A. |
| 720 | If file A is under version control and is checked in, it is checked out |
| 721 | (with your permission). |
| 722 | @item B |
| 723 | @kindex B |
| 724 | Toggles the read-only property in buffer B. |
| 725 | If file B is under version control and is checked in, it is checked out. |
| 726 | @item C |
| 727 | @kindex C |
| 728 | Toggles the read-only property in buffer C (in 3-file comparison sessions). |
| 729 | If file C is under version control and is checked in, it is checked out. |
| 730 | |
| 731 | @item ~ |
| 732 | @kindex ~ |
| 733 | Swaps the windows where buffers A and B are displayed. If you are comparing |
| 734 | three buffers at once, then this command would rotate the windows among |
| 735 | buffers A, B, and C. |
| 736 | |
| 737 | @item i |
| 738 | @kindex i |
| 739 | Displays all kinds of useful data about the current Ediff session. |
| 740 | @item D |
| 741 | @kindex D |
| 742 | Runs @code{ediff-custom-diff-program} on the variants and displays the |
| 743 | buffer containing the output. This is useful when you must send the output |
| 744 | to your Mom. |
| 745 | |
| 746 | With a prefix argument, displays the plain @code{diff} output. |
| 747 | @xref{Patch and Diff Programs}, for details. |
| 748 | |
| 749 | @item R |
| 750 | @kindex R |
| 751 | Displays a list of currently active Ediff sessions---the Ediff Registry. |
| 752 | You can then restart any of these sessions by either clicking on a session |
| 753 | record or by putting the cursor over it and then typing the return key. |
| 754 | |
| 755 | (Some poor souls leave so many active Ediff sessions around that they loose |
| 756 | track of them completely... The `R' command is designed to save these |
| 757 | people from the recently discovered Ediff Proficiency Syndrome.) |
| 758 | |
| 759 | Typing @kbd{R} brings up Ediff Registry only if it is typed into an Ediff |
| 760 | Control Panel. If you don't have a control panel handy, type this in the |
| 761 | minibuffer: @kbd{M-x eregistry}. @xref{Registry of Ediff Sessions}. |
| 762 | |
| 763 | @item M |
| 764 | @kindex M |
| 765 | Shows the session group buffer that invoked the current Ediff session. |
| 766 | @xref{Session Groups}, for more information on session groups. |
| 767 | |
| 768 | @item z |
| 769 | @kindex z |
| 770 | Suspends the current Ediff session. (If you develop a condition known as |
| 771 | Repetitive Ediff Injury---a serious but curable illness---you must change |
| 772 | your current activity. This command tries hard to hide all Ediff-related |
| 773 | buffers.) |
| 774 | |
| 775 | The easiest way to resume a suspended Ediff session is through the registry |
| 776 | of active sessions. @xref{Registry of Ediff Sessions}, for details. |
| 777 | @item q |
| 778 | @kindex q |
| 779 | Terminates this Ediff session. With a prefix argument (e.g.,@kbd{1q}), asks |
| 780 | if you also want to delete the buffers of the variants. |
| 781 | Modified files and the results of merges are never deleted. |
| 782 | |
| 783 | @item % |
| 784 | @kindex % |
| 785 | Toggles narrowing in Ediff buffers. Ediff buffers may be narrowed if you |
| 786 | are comparing only parts of these buffers via the commands |
| 787 | @code{ediff-windows-*} and @code{ediff-regions-*}, which see. |
| 788 | |
| 789 | @item C-l |
| 790 | @kindex C-l |
| 791 | Restores the usual Ediff window setup. This is the quickest way to resume |
| 792 | an Ediff session, but it works only if the control panel of that session is |
| 793 | visible. |
| 794 | |
| 795 | @item $$ |
| 796 | @kindex $$ |
| 797 | While merging with an ancestor file, Ediff is determined to reduce user's |
| 798 | wear and tear by saving him and her much of unproductive, repetitive |
| 799 | typing. If it notices that, say, file A's difference region is identical to |
| 800 | the same difference region in the ancestor file, then the merge buffer will |
| 801 | automatically get the difference region taken from buffer B. The rationale |
| 802 | is that this difference region in buffer A is as old as that in the |
| 803 | ancestor buffer, so the contents of that region in buffer B represents real |
| 804 | change. |
| 805 | |
| 806 | You may want to ignore such `obvious' merges and concentrate on difference |
| 807 | regions where both files `clash' with the ancestor, since this means that |
| 808 | two different people have been changing this region independently and they |
| 809 | had different ideas on how to do this. |
| 810 | |
| 811 | The above command does this for you by skipping the regions where only one |
| 812 | of the variants clashes with the ancestor but the other variant agrees with |
| 813 | it. Typing @kbd{$$} again undoes this setting. |
| 814 | |
| 815 | @item $* |
| 816 | @kindex $* |
| 817 | When merging files with large number of differences, it is sometimes |
| 818 | convenient to be able to skip the difference regions for which you already |
| 819 | decided which variant is most appropriate. Typing @kbd{$*} will accomplish |
| 820 | precisely this. |
| 821 | |
| 822 | To be more precise, this toggles the check for whether the current merge is |
| 823 | identical to its default setting, as originally decided by Ediff. For |
| 824 | instance, if Ediff is merging according to the `combined' policy, then the |
| 825 | merge region is skipped over if it is different from the combination of the |
| 826 | regions in buffers A and B. (Warning: swapping buffers A and B will confuse |
| 827 | things in this respect.) If the merge region is marked as `prefer-A' then |
| 828 | this region will be skipped if it differs from the current difference |
| 829 | region in buffer A, etc. |
| 830 | |
| 831 | @item / |
| 832 | @kindex / |
| 833 | Displays the ancestor file during merges. |
| 834 | @item & |
| 835 | @kindex & |
| 836 | In some situations, such as when one of the files agrees with the ancestor file |
| 837 | on a difference region and the other doesn't, Ediff knows what to do: it copies |
| 838 | the current difference region from the second buffer into the merge buffer. |
| 839 | |
| 840 | In other cases, the right course of action is not that clearcut, and Ediff |
| 841 | would use a default action. The above command changes the default action. |
| 842 | The default action can be @samp{default-A} (choose the region from buffer |
| 843 | A), @samp{default-B} (choose the region from buffer B), or @samp{combined} |
| 844 | (combine the regions from the two buffers). |
| 845 | @xref{Merging and diff3}, for further details. |
| 846 | |
| 847 | The command @kbd{&} also affects the regions in the merge buffers that have |
| 848 | @samp{default-A}, @samp{default-B}, or @samp{combined} status, provided |
| 849 | they weren't changed with respect to the original. For instance, if such a |
| 850 | region has the status @samp{default-A} then changing the default action to |
| 851 | @samp{default-B} will also replace this merge-buffer's region with the |
| 852 | corresponding region from buffer B. |
| 853 | |
| 854 | @item s |
| 855 | @kindex s |
| 856 | Causes the merge window shrink to its minimum size, thereby exposing as much |
| 857 | of the variant buffers as possible. Typing `s' again restores |
| 858 | the original size of that window. |
| 859 | |
| 860 | With a positive prefix argument, this command enlarges the merge window. |
| 861 | E.g., @kbd{4s} increases the size of the window by about 4 lines, if |
| 862 | possible. With a negative numeric argument, the size of the merge window |
| 863 | shrinks by that many lines, if possible. Thus, @kbd{-s} shrinks the window |
| 864 | by about 1 line and @kbd{-3s} by about 3 lines. |
| 865 | |
| 866 | This command is intended only for temporary viewing; therefore, Ediff |
| 867 | restores window C to its original size whenever it makes any other change |
| 868 | in the window configuration. However, redisplaying (@kbd{C-l}) or jumping |
| 869 | to another difference does not affect window C's size. |
| 870 | |
| 871 | The split between the merge window and the variant windows is controlled by |
| 872 | the variable @code{ediff-merge-window-share}, which see. |
| 873 | |
| 874 | @item + |
| 875 | @kindex + |
| 876 | Combines the difference regions from buffers A and B and copies the |
| 877 | result into the merge buffer. @xref{Merging and diff3}, and the |
| 878 | variables @code{ediff-combine-diffs} and @code{ediff-combination-pattern}. |
| 879 | |
| 880 | |
| 881 | @item = |
| 882 | @kindex = |
| 883 | You may run into situations when a large chunk of text in one file has been |
| 884 | edited and then moved to a different place in another file. In such a case, |
| 885 | these two chunks of text are unlikely to belong to the same difference |
| 886 | region, so the refinement feature of Ediff will not be able to tell you |
| 887 | what exactly differs inside these chunks. Since eyeballing large pieces of |
| 888 | text is contrary to human nature, Ediff has a special command to help |
| 889 | reduce the risk of developing a cataract. |
| 890 | |
| 891 | In other situations, the currently highlighted region might be big and you |
| 892 | might want to reconcile of them interactively. |
| 893 | |
| 894 | All of this can be done with the above command, @kbd{=}, which |
| 895 | compares regions within Ediff buffers. Typing @kbd{=} creates a |
| 896 | child Ediff session for comparing regions in buffers A, B, or |
| 897 | C as follows. |
| 898 | |
| 899 | First, you will be asked whether you want to compare the fine differences |
| 900 | between the currently highlighted buffers on a word-by-word basis. If you |
| 901 | accept, a child Ediff session will start using the currently highlighted |
| 902 | regions. Ediff will let you step over the differences word-wise. |
| 903 | |
| 904 | If you reject the offer, you will be asked to select regions of your choice. |
| 905 | |
| 906 | @emph{If you are comparing 2 files or buffers:} |
| 907 | Ediff will ask you to select regions in buffers A and B. |
| 908 | |
| 909 | @emph{If you are comparing 3 files or buffers simultaneously:} Ediff will |
| 910 | ask you to choose buffers and then select regions inside those buffers. |
| 911 | |
| 912 | @emph{If you are merging files or buffers (with or without ancestor):} |
| 913 | Ediff will ask you to choose which buffer (A or B) to compare with the |
| 914 | merge buffer and then select regions in those buffers. |
| 915 | |
| 916 | @end table |
| 917 | |
| 918 | @node Other Session Commands,,Quick Help Commands,Session Commands |
| 919 | @section Other Session Commands |
| 920 | |
| 921 | The following commands can be invoked from within any Ediff session, |
| 922 | although some of them are not bound to a key. |
| 923 | |
| 924 | @table @code |
| 925 | @item eregistry |
| 926 | @itemx ediff-show-registry |
| 927 | @findex eregistry |
| 928 | @findex ediff-show-registry |
| 929 | This command brings up the registry of active Ediff sessions. Ediff |
| 930 | registry is a device that can be used to resume any active Ediff session |
| 931 | (which may have been postponed because the user switched to some other |
| 932 | activity). This command is also useful for switching between multiple |
| 933 | active Ediff sessions that are run at the same time. The function |
| 934 | @code{eregistry} is an alias for @code{ediff-show-registry}. |
| 935 | @xref{Registry of Ediff Sessions}, for more information on this registry. |
| 936 | |
| 937 | @item ediff-toggle-multiframe |
| 938 | @findex ediff-toggle-multiframe |
| 939 | Changes the display from the multi-frame mode (where the quick help window |
| 940 | is in a separate frame) to the single-frame mode (where all Ediff buffers |
| 941 | share the same frame), and vice versa. See |
| 942 | @code{ediff-window-setup-function} for details on how to make either of |
| 943 | these modes the default one. |
| 944 | |
| 945 | This function can also be invoked from the Menubar. However, in some |
| 946 | cases, the change will take place only after you execute one of the Ediff |
| 947 | commands, such as going to the next difference or redisplaying. |
| 948 | |
| 949 | @item ediff-toggle-use-toolbar |
| 950 | @findex ediff-toggle-use-toolbar |
| 951 | Available in XEmacs only. The Ediff toolbar provides quick access to some |
| 952 | of the common Ediff functions. This function toggles the display of the |
| 953 | toolbar. If invoked from the menubar, the function may take sometimes |
| 954 | effect only after you execute an Ediff command, such as going to the next |
| 955 | difference. |
| 956 | |
| 957 | @item ediff-use-toolbar-p |
| 958 | @vindex ediff-use-toolbar-p |
| 959 | The use of the toolbar can also be specified via the variable |
| 960 | @code{ediff-use-toolbar-p} (default is @code{t}). This variable can be set |
| 961 | only in @file{.emacs} --- do @strong{not} change it interactively. Use the |
| 962 | function @code{ediff-toggle-use-toolbar} instead. |
| 963 | |
| 964 | @item ediff-revert-buffers-then-recompute-diffs |
| 965 | @findex ediff-revert-buffers-then-recompute-diffs |
| 966 | This command reverts the buffers you are comparing and recomputes their |
| 967 | differences. It is useful when, after making changes, you decided to |
| 968 | make a fresh start, or if at some point you changed the files being |
| 969 | compared but want to discard any changes to comparison buffers that were |
| 970 | done since then. |
| 971 | |
| 972 | This command normally asks for confirmation before reverting files. |
| 973 | With a prefix argument, it reverts files without asking. |
| 974 | |
| 975 | |
| 976 | @item ediff-profile |
| 977 | @findex ediff-profile |
| 978 | Ediff has an admittedly primitive (but useful) facility for profiling |
| 979 | Ediff's commands. It is meant for Ediff maintenance---specifically, for |
| 980 | making it run faster. The function @code{ediff-profile} toggles |
| 981 | profiling of ediff commands. |
| 982 | @end table |
| 983 | |
| 984 | @node Registry of Ediff Sessions, Session Groups, Session Commands, Top |
| 985 | @chapter Registry of Ediff Sessions |
| 986 | |
| 987 | Ediff maintains a registry of all its invocations that are |
| 988 | still @emph{active}. This feature is very convenient for switching among |
| 989 | active Ediff sessions or for quickly restarting a suspended Ediff session. |
| 990 | |
| 991 | The focal point of this activity is a buffer |
| 992 | called @emph{*Ediff Registry*}. You can display this buffer by typing |
| 993 | @kbd{R} in any Ediff Control Buffer or Session Group Buffer |
| 994 | (@pxref{Session Groups}), or by typing |
| 995 | @kbd{M-x eregistry} into the Minibuffer. |
| 996 | The latter would be the fastest way to bring up the registry |
| 997 | buffer if no control or group buffer is displayed in any of the visible |
| 998 | Emacs windows. |
| 999 | If you are in a habit of running multiple long Ediff sessions and often need to |
| 1000 | suspend, resume, or switch between them, it may be a good idea to have the |
| 1001 | registry buffer permanently displayed in a separate, dedicated window. |
| 1002 | |
| 1003 | The registry buffer has several convenient key bindings. |
| 1004 | For instance, clicking mouse button 2 or typing |
| 1005 | @kbd{RET} or @kbd{v} over any session record resumes that session. |
| 1006 | Session records in the registry buffer provide a fairly complete |
| 1007 | description of each session, so it is usually easy to identify the right |
| 1008 | session to resume. |
| 1009 | |
| 1010 | Other useful commands are bound to @kbd{SPC} (next registry record) |
| 1011 | and @kbd{DEL} (previous registry record). There are other commands as well, |
| 1012 | but you don't need to memorize them, since they are listed at the top of |
| 1013 | the registry buffer. |
| 1014 | |
| 1015 | @node Session Groups, Remote and Compressed Files, Registry of Ediff Sessions, Top |
| 1016 | @chapter Session Groups |
| 1017 | |
| 1018 | Several major entries of Ediff perform comparison and merging on |
| 1019 | directories. On entering @code{ediff-directories}, |
| 1020 | @code{ediff-directories3}, |
| 1021 | @code{ediff-merge-directories}, |
| 1022 | @code{ediff-merge-directories-with-ancestor}, |
| 1023 | @code{ediff-directory-revisions}, |
| 1024 | @code{ediff-merge-directory-revisions}, or |
| 1025 | @code{ediff-merge-directory-revisions-with-ancestor}, |
| 1026 | the user is presented with a |
| 1027 | Dired-like buffer that lists files common to the directories involved along |
| 1028 | with their sizes. (The list of common files can be further filtered through |
| 1029 | a regular expression, which the user is prompted for.) We call this buffer |
| 1030 | @emph{Session Group Panel} because all Ediff sessions associated with the |
| 1031 | listed files will have this buffer as a common focal point. |
| 1032 | |
| 1033 | Clicking button 2 or typing @kbd{RET} or @kbd{v} over a |
| 1034 | record describing files invokes Ediff in the appropriate mode on these |
| 1035 | files. You can come back to the session group buffer associated with a |
| 1036 | particular invocation of Ediff by typing @kbd{M} in Ediff control buffer of |
| 1037 | that invocation. |
| 1038 | |
| 1039 | Many commands are available in the session group buffer; some are |
| 1040 | applicable only to certain types of work. The relevant commands are always |
| 1041 | listed at the top of each session group buffer, so there is no need to |
| 1042 | memorize them. |
| 1043 | |
| 1044 | In directory comparison or merging, a session group panel displays only the |
| 1045 | files common to all directories involved. The differences are kept in a |
| 1046 | separate @emph{directory difference buffer} and are conveniently displayed |
| 1047 | by typing @kbd{D} to the corresponding session group panel. Thus, as an |
| 1048 | added benefit, Ediff can be used to compare the contents of up to three |
| 1049 | directories. |
| 1050 | |
| 1051 | @cindex Directory difference buffer |
| 1052 | Sometimes it is desirable to copy some files from one directory to another |
| 1053 | without exiting Ediff. The @emph{directory difference buffer}, which is |
| 1054 | displayed by typing @kbd{D} as discussed above, can be used for this |
| 1055 | purpose. If a file is, say, in Ediff's Directory A, but is missing in |
| 1056 | Ediff's Directory B (Ediff will refuse to override existing files), then |
| 1057 | typing @kbd{C} or clicking mouse button 2 over that file (which must be |
| 1058 | displayed in directory difference buffer) will copy that file from |
| 1059 | Directory A to Directory B. |
| 1060 | |
| 1061 | Session records in session group panels are also marked with @kbd{+}, for |
| 1062 | active sessions, and with @kbd{-}, for finished sessions. |
| 1063 | |
| 1064 | Sometimes, it is convenient to exclude certain sessions from a group. |
| 1065 | Usually this happens when the user doesn't intend to run Ediff of certain |
| 1066 | files in the group, and the corresponding session records just add clutter |
| 1067 | to the session group buffer. To help alleviate this problem, the user can |
| 1068 | type @kbd{h} to mark a session as a candidate for exclusion and @kbd{x} to |
| 1069 | actually hide the marked sessions. There actions are reversible: with a |
| 1070 | prefix argument, @kbd{h} unmarks the session under the cursor, and @kbd{x} |
| 1071 | brings the hidden sessions into the view (@kbd{x} doesn't unmark them, |
| 1072 | though, so the user has to explicitly unmark the sessions of interest). |
| 1073 | |
| 1074 | Group sessions also understand the command @kbd{m}, which marks sessions |
| 1075 | for future operations (other than hiding) on a group of sessions. At present, |
| 1076 | the only such group-level operation is the creation of a multi-file patch. |
| 1077 | |
| 1078 | @vindex ediff-autostore-merges |
| 1079 | For group sessions created to merge files, Ediff can store all merges |
| 1080 | automatically in a directory. The user is asked to specify such directory |
| 1081 | if the value of @code{ediff-autostore-merges} is non-@code{nil}. If the value is |
| 1082 | @code{nil}, nothing is done to the merge buffers---it will be the user's |
| 1083 | responsibility to save them. If the value is @code{t}, the user will be |
| 1084 | asked where to save the merge buffers in all merge jobs, even those that do |
| 1085 | not originate from a session group. It the value is neither @code{nil} nor |
| 1086 | @code{t}, the merge buffer is saved @emph{only} if this merge session was |
| 1087 | invoked from a session group. This behavior is implemented in the function |
| 1088 | @code{ediff-maybe-save-and-delete-merge}, which is a hook in |
| 1089 | @code{ediff-quit-merge-hook}. The user can supply a different hook, if |
| 1090 | necessary. |
| 1091 | |
| 1092 | The variable @code{ediff-autostore-merges} is buffer-local, so it can be |
| 1093 | set on a per-buffer basis. Therefore, use @code{setq-default} to change |
| 1094 | this variable globally. |
| 1095 | |
| 1096 | @cindex Multi-file patches |
| 1097 | A multi-file patch is a concatenated output of several runs of the Unix |
| 1098 | @code{diff} command (some versions of @code{diff} let you create a |
| 1099 | multi-file patch in just one run). Ediff facilitates creation of |
| 1100 | multi-file patches as follows. If you are in a session group buffer |
| 1101 | created in response to @code{ediff-directories} or |
| 1102 | @code{ediff-directory-revisions}, you can mark (by typing @kbd{m}) the |
| 1103 | desired Ediff sessions and then type @kbd{P} to create a |
| 1104 | multi-file patch of those marked sessions. |
| 1105 | Ediff will then display a buffer containing the patch. |
| 1106 | The patch is generated by invoking @code{diff} on all marked individual |
| 1107 | sessions (represented by files) and session groups (represented by |
| 1108 | directories). Ediff will also recursively descend into any @emph{unmarked} |
| 1109 | session group and will search for marked sessions there. In this way, you |
| 1110 | can create multi-file patches that span file subtrees that grow out of |
| 1111 | any given directory. |
| 1112 | |
| 1113 | In an @code{ediff-directories} session, it is enough to just mark the |
| 1114 | requisite sessions. In @code{ediff-directory-revisions} revisions, the |
| 1115 | marked sessions must also be active, or else Ediff will refuse to produce a |
| 1116 | multi-file patch. This is because, in the latter-style sessions, there are |
| 1117 | many ways to create diff output, and it is easier to handle by running |
| 1118 | Ediff on the inactive sessions. |
| 1119 | |
| 1120 | Last, but not least, by typing @kbd{==}, you can quickly find out which |
| 1121 | sessions have identical entries, so you won't have to run Ediff on those |
| 1122 | sessions. This, however, works only on local, uncompressed files. |
| 1123 | For compressed or remote files, this command won't report anything. |
| 1124 | Likewise, you can use @kbd{=h} to mark sessions with identical entries |
| 1125 | for hiding or, with @kbd{=m}, for further operations. |
| 1126 | |
| 1127 | The comparison operations @kbd{==}, @kbd{=h}, and @kbd{=m} can recurse into |
| 1128 | subdirectories to see if they have identical contents (so the user will not |
| 1129 | need to descend into those subdirectories manually). These commands ask the |
| 1130 | user whether or not to do a recursive descent. |
| 1131 | |
| 1132 | |
| 1133 | |
| 1134 | @node Remote and Compressed Files, Customization, Session Groups, Top |
| 1135 | @chapter Remote and Compressed Files |
| 1136 | |
| 1137 | Ediff works with remote, compressed, and encrypted files. Ediff |
| 1138 | supports @file{ange-ftp.el}, @file{jka-compr.el}, @file{uncompress.el} |
| 1139 | and @file{crypt++.el}, but it may work with other similar packages as |
| 1140 | well. This means that you can compare files residing on another |
| 1141 | machine, or you can apply a patch to a file on another machine. Even |
| 1142 | the patch itself can be a remote file! |
| 1143 | |
| 1144 | When patching compressed or remote files, Ediff does not rename the source |
| 1145 | file (unlike what the @code{patch} utility would usually do). Instead, the |
| 1146 | source file retains its name and the result of applying the patch is placed |
| 1147 | in a temporary file that has the suffix @file{_patched} attached. |
| 1148 | Generally, this applies to files that are handled using black magic, such |
| 1149 | as special file handlers (ange-ftp and some compression and encryption |
| 1150 | packages also use this method). |
| 1151 | |
| 1152 | Regular files are treated by the @code{patch} utility in the usual manner, |
| 1153 | i.e., the original is renamed into @file{source-name.orig} and the result |
| 1154 | of the patch is placed into the file source-name (@file{_orig} is used |
| 1155 | on systems like DOS, etc.) |
| 1156 | |
| 1157 | @node Customization, Credits, Remote and Compressed Files, Top |
| 1158 | @chapter Customization |
| 1159 | |
| 1160 | Ediff has a rather self-explanatory interface, and in most cases you |
| 1161 | won't need to change anything. However, should the need arise, there are |
| 1162 | extensive facilities for changing the default behavior. |
| 1163 | |
| 1164 | Most of the customization can be done by setting various variables in the |
| 1165 | @file{.emacs} file. Some customization (mostly window-related |
| 1166 | customization and faces) can be done by putting appropriate lines in |
| 1167 | @file{.Xdefaults}, @file{.xrdb}, or whatever X resource file is in use. |
| 1168 | |
| 1169 | With respect to the latter, please note that the X resource |
| 1170 | for Ediff customization is `Ediff', @emph{not} `emacs'. |
| 1171 | @xref{Window and Frame Configuration}, |
| 1172 | @xref{Highlighting Difference Regions}, for further details. Please also |
| 1173 | refer to Emacs manual for the information on how to set Emacs X resources. |
| 1174 | |
| 1175 | @menu |
| 1176 | * Hooks:: Customization via the hooks. |
| 1177 | * Quick Help Customization:: How to customize Ediff's quick help feature. |
| 1178 | * Window and Frame Configuration:: Controlling the way Ediff displays things. |
| 1179 | * Selective Browsing:: Advanced browsing through difference regions. |
| 1180 | * Highlighting Difference Regions:: Controlling highlighting. |
| 1181 | * Narrowing:: Comparing regions, windows, etc. |
| 1182 | * Refinement of Difference Regions:: How to control the refinement process. |
| 1183 | * Patch and Diff Programs:: Changing the utilities that compute differences |
| 1184 | and apply patches. |
| 1185 | * Merging and diff3:: How to customize Ediff in its Merge Mode. |
| 1186 | * Support for Version Control:: Changing the version control package. |
| 1187 | You are not likely to do that. |
| 1188 | * Customizing the Mode Line:: Changing the look of the mode line in Ediff. |
| 1189 | * Miscellaneous:: Other customization. |
| 1190 | * Notes on Heavy-duty Customization:: Customization for the gurus. |
| 1191 | @end menu |
| 1192 | |
| 1193 | @node Hooks, Quick Help Customization, Customization, Customization |
| 1194 | @section Hooks |
| 1195 | |
| 1196 | The bulk of customization can be done via the following hooks: |
| 1197 | |
| 1198 | @table @code |
| 1199 | @item ediff-load-hook |
| 1200 | @vindex ediff-load-hook |
| 1201 | This hook can be used to change defaults after Ediff is loaded. |
| 1202 | |
| 1203 | @item ediff-before-setup-hook |
| 1204 | @vindex ediff-before-setup-hook |
| 1205 | Hook that is run just before Ediff rearranges windows to its liking. |
| 1206 | Can be used to save windows configuration. |
| 1207 | |
| 1208 | @item ediff-keymap-setup-hook |
| 1209 | @vindex ediff-keymap-setup-hook |
| 1210 | @vindex ediff-mode-map |
| 1211 | This hook can be used to alter bindings in Ediff's keymap, |
| 1212 | @code{ediff-mode-map}. These hooks are |
| 1213 | run right after the default bindings are set but before |
| 1214 | @code{ediff-load-hook}. The regular user needs not be concerned with this |
| 1215 | hook---it is provided for implementors of other Emacs packages built on top |
| 1216 | of Ediff. |
| 1217 | |
| 1218 | @item ediff-before-setup-windows-hook |
| 1219 | @itemx ediff-after-setup-windows-hook |
| 1220 | @vindex ediff-before-setup-windows-hook |
| 1221 | @vindex ediff-after-setup-windows-hook |
| 1222 | These two hooks are called before and after Ediff sets up its window |
| 1223 | configuration. These hooks are run each time Ediff rearranges windows to |
| 1224 | its liking. This happens whenever it detects that the user changed the |
| 1225 | windows setup. |
| 1226 | |
| 1227 | @item ediff-suspend-hook |
| 1228 | @itemx ediff-quit-hook |
| 1229 | @vindex ediff-suspend-hook |
| 1230 | @vindex ediff-quit-hook |
| 1231 | These two hooks are run when you suspend or quit Ediff. They can be |
| 1232 | used to set desired window configurations, delete files Ediff didn't |
| 1233 | want to clean up after exiting, etc. |
| 1234 | |
| 1235 | By default, @code{ediff-quit-hook} holds one hook function, |
| 1236 | @code{ediff-cleanup-mess}, which cleans after Ediff, as appropriate in |
| 1237 | most cases. You probably won't want to change it, but you might |
| 1238 | want to add other hook functions. |
| 1239 | |
| 1240 | Keep in mind that hooks executing before @code{ediff-cleanup-mess} start |
| 1241 | in @code{ediff-control-buffer;} they should also leave |
| 1242 | @code{ediff-control-buffer} as the current buffer when they finish. |
| 1243 | Hooks that are executed after @code{ediff-cleanup-mess} should expect |
| 1244 | the current buffer be either buffer A or buffer B. |
| 1245 | @code{ediff-cleanup-mess} doesn't kill the buffers being compared or |
| 1246 | merged (see @code{ediff-cleanup-hook}, below). |
| 1247 | |
| 1248 | @item ediff-cleanup-hook |
| 1249 | @vindex ediff-cleanup-hook |
| 1250 | This hook is run just before @code{ediff-quit-hook}. This is a good |
| 1251 | place to do various cleanups, such as deleting the variant buffers. |
| 1252 | Ediff provides a function, @code{ediff-janitor}, as one such possible |
| 1253 | hook, which you can add to @code{ediff-cleanup-hook} with |
| 1254 | @code{add-hooks}. |
| 1255 | |
| 1256 | @findex ediff-janitor |
| 1257 | This function kills buffers A, B, and, possibly, C, if these buffers aren't |
| 1258 | modified. In merge jobs, buffer C is never deleted. However, the side |
| 1259 | effect of using this function is that you may not be able to compare the |
| 1260 | same buffer in two separate Ediff sessions: quitting one of them will |
| 1261 | delete this buffer in another session as well. |
| 1262 | |
| 1263 | @item ediff-quit-merge-hook |
| 1264 | @vindex ediff-quit-merge-hook |
| 1265 | @vindex ediff-autostore-merges |
| 1266 | @findex ediff-maybe-save-and-delete-merge |
| 1267 | This hook is called when Ediff quits a merge job. By default, the value is |
| 1268 | @code{ediff-maybe-save-and-delete-merge}, which is a function that attempts |
| 1269 | to save the merge buffer according to the value of |
| 1270 | @code{ediff-autostore-merges}, as described later. |
| 1271 | |
| 1272 | @item ediff-before-setup-control-frame-hook |
| 1273 | @itemx ediff-after-setup-control-frame-hook |
| 1274 | @vindex ediff-before-setup-control-frame-hook |
| 1275 | @vindex ediff-after-setup-control-frame-hook |
| 1276 | These two hooks run before and after Ediff sets up the control frame. |
| 1277 | They can be used to relocate Ediff control frame when Ediff runs in a |
| 1278 | multiframe mode (i.e., when the control buffer is in its own dedicated |
| 1279 | frame). Be aware that many variables that drive Ediff are local to |
| 1280 | Ediff Control Panel (@code{ediff-control-buffer}), which requires |
| 1281 | special care in writing these hooks. Take a look at |
| 1282 | @code{ediff-default-suspend-hook} and @code{ediff-default-quit-hook} to |
| 1283 | see what's involved. |
| 1284 | |
| 1285 | @item ediff-startup-hook |
| 1286 | @vindex ediff-startup-hook |
| 1287 | This hook is run at the end of Ediff startup. |
| 1288 | |
| 1289 | @item ediff-select-hook |
| 1290 | @vindex ediff-select-hook |
| 1291 | This hook is run after Ediff selects the next difference region. |
| 1292 | |
| 1293 | @item ediff-unselect-hook |
| 1294 | @vindex ediff-unselect-hook |
| 1295 | This hook is run after Ediff unselects the current difference region. |
| 1296 | |
| 1297 | @item ediff-prepare-buffer-hook |
| 1298 | @vindex ediff-prepare-buffer-hook |
| 1299 | This hook is run for each Ediff buffer (A, B, C) right after the buffer |
| 1300 | is arranged. |
| 1301 | |
| 1302 | @item ediff-display-help-hook |
| 1303 | @vindex ediff-display-help-hook |
| 1304 | Ediff runs this hook each time after setting up the help message. It |
| 1305 | can be used to alter the help message for custom packages that run on |
| 1306 | top of Ediff. |
| 1307 | |
| 1308 | @item ediff-mode-hook |
| 1309 | @vindex ediff-mode-hook |
| 1310 | This hook is run just after Ediff mode is set up in the control |
| 1311 | buffer. This is done before any Ediff window is created. You can use it to |
| 1312 | set local variables that alter the look of the display. |
| 1313 | |
| 1314 | @item ediff-registry-setup-hook |
| 1315 | @vindex ediff-registry-setup-hook |
| 1316 | Hooks run after setting up the registry for all active Ediff session. |
| 1317 | @xref{Session Groups}, for details. |
| 1318 | @item ediff-before-session-group-setup-hook |
| 1319 | @vindex ediff-before-session-group-setup-hook |
| 1320 | Hooks run before setting up a control panel for a group of related Ediff |
| 1321 | sessions. Can be used, for example, to save window configuration to restore |
| 1322 | later. |
| 1323 | @item ediff-after-session-group-setup-hook |
| 1324 | @vindex ediff-after-session-group-setup-hook |
| 1325 | Hooks run after setting up a control panel for a group of related Ediff |
| 1326 | sessions. @xref{Session Groups}, for details. |
| 1327 | @item ediff-quit-session-group-hook |
| 1328 | @vindex ediff-quit-session-group-hook |
| 1329 | Hooks run just before exiting a session group. |
| 1330 | @item ediff-meta-buffer-keymap-setup-hook |
| 1331 | @vindex ediff-meta-buffer-keymap-setup-hook |
| 1332 | @vindex ediff-meta-buffer-map |
| 1333 | Hooks run just after setting up the @code{ediff-meta-buffer-map} --- the |
| 1334 | map that controls key bindings in the meta buffer. Since |
| 1335 | @code{ediff-meta-buffer-map} is a local variable, you can set different |
| 1336 | bindings for different kinds of meta buffers. |
| 1337 | @end table |
| 1338 | |
| 1339 | @node Quick Help Customization, Window and Frame Configuration, Hooks, Customization |
| 1340 | @section Quick Help Customization |
| 1341 | @vindex ediff-use-long-help-message |
| 1342 | @vindex ediff-control-buffer |
| 1343 | @vindex ediff-startup-hook |
| 1344 | @vindex ediff-help-message |
| 1345 | |
| 1346 | Ediff provides quick help using its control panel window. Since this window |
| 1347 | takes a fair share of the screen real estate, you can toggle it off by |
| 1348 | typing @kbd{?}. The control window will then shrink to just one line and a |
| 1349 | mode line, displaying a short help message. |
| 1350 | |
| 1351 | The variable @code{ediff-use-long-help-message} tells Ediff whether |
| 1352 | you use the short message or the long one. By default, it |
| 1353 | is set to @code{nil}, meaning that the short message is used. |
| 1354 | Set this to @code{t}, if you want Ediff to use the long |
| 1355 | message by default. This property can always be changed interactively, by |
| 1356 | typing @kbd{?} into Ediff Control Buffer. |
| 1357 | |
| 1358 | If you want to change the appearance of the help message on a per-buffer |
| 1359 | basis, you must use @code{ediff-startup-hook} to change the value of |
| 1360 | the variable @code{ediff-help-message}, which is local to |
| 1361 | @code{ediff-control-buffer}. |
| 1362 | |
| 1363 | @node Window and Frame Configuration, Selective Browsing, Quick Help Customization, Customization |
| 1364 | @section Window and Frame Configuration |
| 1365 | |
| 1366 | On a non-windowing display, Ediff sets things up in one frame, splitting |
| 1367 | it between a small control window and the windows for buffers A, B, and C. |
| 1368 | The split between these windows can be horizontal or |
| 1369 | vertical, which can be changed interactively by typing @kbd{|} while the |
| 1370 | cursor is in the control window. |
| 1371 | |
| 1372 | On a window display, Ediff sets up a dedicated frame for Ediff Control |
| 1373 | Panel and then it chooses windows as follows: If one of the buffers |
| 1374 | is invisible, it is displayed in the currently selected frame. If |
| 1375 | a buffer is visible, it is displayed in the frame where it is visible. |
| 1376 | If, according to the above criteria, the two buffers fall into the same |
| 1377 | frame, then so be it---the frame will be shared by the two. The same |
| 1378 | algorithm works when you type @kbd{C-l} (@code{ediff-recenter}), @kbd{p} |
| 1379 | (@code{ediff-previous-difference}), @kbd{n} |
| 1380 | (@code{ediff-next-difference}), etc. |
| 1381 | |
| 1382 | The above behavior also depends on whether the current frame is splittable, |
| 1383 | dedicated, etc. Unfortunately, the margin of this book is too narrow to |
| 1384 | present the details of this remarkable algorithm. |
| 1385 | |
| 1386 | The upshot of all this is that you can compare buffers in one frame or |
| 1387 | in different frames. The former is done by default, while the latter can |
| 1388 | be achieved by arranging buffers A, B (and C, if applicable) to be seen in |
| 1389 | different frames. Ediff respects these arrangements, automatically |
| 1390 | adapting itself to the multi-frame mode. |
| 1391 | |
| 1392 | Ediff uses the following variables to set up its control panel |
| 1393 | (a.k.a.@: control buffer, a.k.a.@: quick help window): |
| 1394 | |
| 1395 | @table @code |
| 1396 | @item ediff-control-frame-parameters |
| 1397 | @vindex ediff-control-frame-parameters |
| 1398 | You can change or augment this variable including the font, color, |
| 1399 | etc. The X resource name of Ediff Control Panel frames is @samp{Ediff}. Under |
| 1400 | X-windows, you can use this name to set up preferences in your |
| 1401 | @file{~/.Xdefaults}, @file{~/.xrdb}, or whatever X resource file is in |
| 1402 | use. Usually this is preferable to changing |
| 1403 | @code{ediff-control-frame-parameters} directly. For instance, you can |
| 1404 | specify in @file{~/.Xdefaults} the color of the control frame |
| 1405 | using the resource @samp{Ediff*background}. |
| 1406 | |
| 1407 | In general, any X resource pertaining the control frame can be reached |
| 1408 | via the prefix @code{Ediff*}. |
| 1409 | |
| 1410 | @item ediff-control-frame-position-function |
| 1411 | @vindex ediff-control-frame-position-function |
| 1412 | The preferred way of specifying the position of the control frame is by |
| 1413 | setting the variable @code{ediff-control-frame-position-function} to an |
| 1414 | appropriate function. |
| 1415 | The default value of this variable is |
| 1416 | @code{ediff-make-frame-position}. This function places the control frame in |
| 1417 | the vicinity of the North-East corner of the frame displaying buffer A. |
| 1418 | |
| 1419 | @findex ediff-make-frame-position |
| 1420 | @end table |
| 1421 | |
| 1422 | The following variables can be used to adjust the location produced by |
| 1423 | @code{ediff-make-frame-position} and for related customization. |
| 1424 | |
| 1425 | @table @code |
| 1426 | @item ediff-narrow-control-frame-leftward-shift |
| 1427 | @vindex ediff-narrow-control-frame-leftward-shift |
| 1428 | Specifies the number of characters for shifting |
| 1429 | the control frame from the rightmost edge of frame A when the control |
| 1430 | frame is displayed as a small window. |
| 1431 | |
| 1432 | @item ediff-wide-control-frame-rightward-shift |
| 1433 | @vindex ediff-wide-control-frame-rightward-shift |
| 1434 | Specifies the rightward shift of the control frame |
| 1435 | from the left edge of frame A when the control frame shows the full |
| 1436 | menu of options. |
| 1437 | |
| 1438 | @item ediff-control-frame-upward-shift |
| 1439 | @vindex ediff-control-frame-upward-shift |
| 1440 | Specifies the number of pixels for the upward shift |
| 1441 | of the control frame. |
| 1442 | |
| 1443 | @item ediff-prefer-iconified-control-frame |
| 1444 | @vindex ediff-prefer-iconified-control-frame |
| 1445 | If this variable is @code{t}, the control frame becomes iconified |
| 1446 | automatically when you toggle the quick help message off. This saves |
| 1447 | valuable real estate on the screen. Toggling help back will deiconify |
| 1448 | the control frame. |
| 1449 | |
| 1450 | To start Ediff with an iconified Control Panel, you should set this |
| 1451 | variable to @code{t} and @code{ediff-prefer-long-help-message} to |
| 1452 | @code{nil} (@pxref{Quick Help Customization}). This behavior is useful |
| 1453 | only if icons are allowed to accept keyboard input (which depends on the |
| 1454 | window manager and other factors). |
| 1455 | @end table |
| 1456 | |
| 1457 | @findex ediff-setup-windows |
| 1458 | To make more creative changes in the way Ediff sets up windows, you can |
| 1459 | rewrite the function @code{ediff-setup-windows}. However, we believe |
| 1460 | that detaching Ediff Control Panel from the rest and making it into a |
| 1461 | separate frame offers an important opportunity by allowing you to |
| 1462 | iconify that frame. The icon will usually accept all of the Ediff |
| 1463 | commands, but will free up valuable real estate on your screen (this may |
| 1464 | depend on your window manager, though). |
| 1465 | |
| 1466 | The following variable controls how windows are set up: |
| 1467 | |
| 1468 | @table @code |
| 1469 | @item ediff-window-setup-function |
| 1470 | @vindex ediff-window-setup-function |
| 1471 | The multiframe setup is done by the |
| 1472 | @code{ediff-setup-windows-multiframe} function, which is the default on |
| 1473 | windowing displays. The plain setup, one where all windows are always |
| 1474 | in one frame, is done by @code{ediff-setup-windows-plain}, which is the |
| 1475 | default on a non-windowing display (or in an xterm window). In fact, |
| 1476 | under Emacs, you can switch freely between these two setups by executing |
| 1477 | the command @code{ediff-toggle-multiframe} using the Minibuffer of the |
| 1478 | Menubar. |
| 1479 | @findex ediff-setup-windows-multiframe |
| 1480 | @findex ediff-setup-windows-plain |
| 1481 | @findex ediff-toggle-multiframe |
| 1482 | |
| 1483 | If you don't like any of these setups, write your own function. See the |
| 1484 | documentation for @code{ediff-window-setup-function} for the basic |
| 1485 | guidelines. However, writing window setups is not easy, so you should |
| 1486 | first take a close look at @code{ediff-setup-windows-plain} and |
| 1487 | @code{ediff-setup-windows-multiframe}. |
| 1488 | @end table |
| 1489 | |
| 1490 | You can run multiple Ediff sessions at once, by invoking Ediff several |
| 1491 | times without exiting previous Ediff sessions. Different sessions |
| 1492 | may even operate on the same pair of files. |
| 1493 | |
| 1494 | Each session has its own Ediff Control Panel and all the regarding a |
| 1495 | particular session is local to the associated control panel buffer. You |
| 1496 | can switch between sessions by suspending one session and then switching |
| 1497 | to another control panel. (Different control panel buffers are |
| 1498 | distinguished by a numerical suffix, e.g., @samp{Ediff Control Panel<3>}.) |
| 1499 | |
| 1500 | @node Selective Browsing, Highlighting Difference Regions, Window and Frame Configuration, Customization |
| 1501 | @section Selective Browsing |
| 1502 | |
| 1503 | Sometimes it is convenient to be able to step through only some difference |
| 1504 | regions, those that match certain regular expressions, and to ignore all |
| 1505 | others. On other occasions, you may want to ignore difference regions that |
| 1506 | match some regular expressions, and to look only at the rest. |
| 1507 | |
| 1508 | The commands @kbd{#f} and @kbd{#h} let you do precisely this. |
| 1509 | |
| 1510 | Typing @kbd{#f} lets you specify regular expressions that match difference |
| 1511 | regions you want to focus on. |
| 1512 | We shall call these regular expressions @var{regexp-A}, @var{regexp-B} and |
| 1513 | @var{regexp-C}. |
| 1514 | Ediff will then start stepping through only those difference regions |
| 1515 | where the region in buffer A matches @var{regexp-A} and/or the region in |
| 1516 | buffer B matches @var{regexp-B}, etc. Whether `and' or `or' will be used |
| 1517 | depends on how you respond to a question. |
| 1518 | |
| 1519 | When scanning difference regions for the aforesaid regular expressions, |
| 1520 | Ediff narrows the buffers to those regions. This means that you can use |
| 1521 | the expressions @kbd{\`} and @kbd{\'} to tie search to the beginning or end |
| 1522 | of the difference regions. |
| 1523 | |
| 1524 | On the other hand, typing @kbd{#h} lets you specify (hide) uninteresting |
| 1525 | regions. That is, if a difference region in buffer A matches |
| 1526 | @var{regexp-A}, the corresponding region in buffer B matches @var{regexp-B} |
| 1527 | and (if applicable) buffer C's region matches @var{regexp-C}, then the |
| 1528 | region will be ignored by the commands @kbd{n}/@key{SPC} |
| 1529 | (@code{ediff-next-difference}) and @kbd{p}/@key{DEL} |
| 1530 | (@code{ediff-previous-difference}) commands. |
| 1531 | |
| 1532 | Typing @kbd{#f} and @kbd{#h} toggles selective browsing on and off. |
| 1533 | |
| 1534 | Note that selective browsing affects only @code{ediff-next-difference} |
| 1535 | and @code{ediff-previous-difference}, i.e., the commands |
| 1536 | @kbd{n}/@key{SPC} and @kbd{p}/@key{DEL}. @kbd{#f} and @kbd{#h} do not |
| 1537 | change the position of the point in the buffers. And you can still jump |
| 1538 | directly (using @kbd{j}) to any numbered |
| 1539 | difference. |
| 1540 | |
| 1541 | Users can supply their own functions to specify how Ediff should do |
| 1542 | selective browsing. To change the default Ediff function, add a function to |
| 1543 | @code{ediff-load-hook} which will do the following assignments: |
| 1544 | |
| 1545 | @example |
| 1546 | (setq ediff-hide-regexp-matches-function 'your-hide-function) |
| 1547 | (setq ediff-focus-on-regexp-matches-function 'your-focus-function) |
| 1548 | @end example |
| 1549 | |
| 1550 | @strong{Useful hint}: To specify a regexp that matches everything, don't |
| 1551 | simply type @key{RET} in response to a prompt. Typing @key{RET} tells Ediff |
| 1552 | to accept the default value, which may not be what you want. Instead, you |
| 1553 | should enter something like @key{^} or @key{$}. These match every |
| 1554 | line. |
| 1555 | |
| 1556 | You can use the status command, @kbd{i}, to find out whether |
| 1557 | selective browsing is currently in effect. |
| 1558 | |
| 1559 | The regular expressions you specified are kept in the local variables |
| 1560 | @code{ediff-regexp-focus-A}, @code{ediff-regexp-focus-B}, |
| 1561 | @code{ediff-regexp-focus-C}, @code{ediff-regexp-hide-A}, |
| 1562 | @code{ediff-regexp-hide-B}, @code{ediff-regexp-hide-C}. Their default value |
| 1563 | is the empty string (i.e., nothing is hidden or focused on). To change the |
| 1564 | default, set these variables in @file{.emacs} using @code{setq-default}. |
| 1565 | |
| 1566 | In addition to the ability to ignore regions that match regular |
| 1567 | expressions, Ediff can be ordered to start skipping over certain |
| 1568 | ``uninteresting'' difference regions. This is controlled by the following |
| 1569 | variable: |
| 1570 | |
| 1571 | @table @code |
| 1572 | @item ediff-ignore-similar-regions |
| 1573 | @vindex ediff-ignore-similar-regions |
| 1574 | If @code{t}, causes Ediff to skip over "uninteresting" difference regions, |
| 1575 | which are the regions where the variants differ only in the amount of the |
| 1576 | white space and newlines. This feature can be toggled on/off interactively, |
| 1577 | via the command @kbd{##}. |
| 1578 | @end table |
| 1579 | |
| 1580 | @strong{Please note:} in order for this feature to work, auto-refining of |
| 1581 | difference regions must be on, since otherwise Ediff won't know if there |
| 1582 | are fine differences between regions. On devices where Emacs can display |
| 1583 | faces, auto-refining is a default, but it is not turned on by default on |
| 1584 | text-only terminals. In that case, you must explicitly turn auto-refining |
| 1585 | on (such as, by typing @kbd{@@}). |
| 1586 | |
| 1587 | @strong{Reassurance:} If many such uninteresting regions appear in a row, |
| 1588 | Ediff may take a long time to skip over them because it has to compute fine |
| 1589 | differences of all intermediate regions. This delay does not indicate any |
| 1590 | problem. |
| 1591 | |
| 1592 | @vindex ediff-ignore-case-option |
| 1593 | @vindex ediff-ignore-case-option3 |
| 1594 | @vindex ediff-ignore-case |
| 1595 | Finally, Ediff can be told to ignore the case of the letters. This behavior |
| 1596 | can be toggled with @kbd{#c} and it is controlled with three variables: |
| 1597 | @code{ediff-ignore-case-option}, @code{ediff-ignore-case-option3}, and |
| 1598 | @code{ediff-ignore-case}. |
| 1599 | |
| 1600 | The variable @code{ediff-ignore-case-option} specifies the option to pass |
| 1601 | to the diff program for comparing two files or buffers. For GNU |
| 1602 | @code{diff}, this option is @code{"-i"}. The variable |
| 1603 | @code{ediff-ignore-case-option3} specifies the option to pass to the |
| 1604 | @code{diff3} program in order to make it case-insensitive. GNU @code{diff3} |
| 1605 | does not have such an option, so when merging or comparing three files with |
| 1606 | this program, ignoring the letter case is not supported. |
| 1607 | |
| 1608 | The variable @code{ediff-ignore-case} controls whether Ediff starts out by |
| 1609 | ignoring letter case or not. It can be set in @file{.emacs} using |
| 1610 | @code{setq-default}. |
| 1611 | |
| 1612 | When case sensitivity is toggled, all difference |
| 1613 | regions are recomputed. |
| 1614 | |
| 1615 | @node Highlighting Difference Regions, Narrowing, Selective Browsing, Customization |
| 1616 | @section Highlighting Difference Regions |
| 1617 | |
| 1618 | The following variables control the way Ediff highlights difference |
| 1619 | regions: |
| 1620 | |
| 1621 | @table @code |
| 1622 | @item ediff-before-flag-bol |
| 1623 | @itemx ediff-after-flag-eol |
| 1624 | @itemx ediff-before-flag-mol |
| 1625 | @itemx ediff-after-flag-mol |
| 1626 | @vindex ediff-before-flag-bol |
| 1627 | @vindex ediff-after-flag-eol |
| 1628 | @vindex ediff-before-flag-mol |
| 1629 | @vindex ediff-after-flag-mol |
| 1630 | These variables hold strings that Ediff uses to mark the beginning and the |
| 1631 | end of the differences found in files A, B, and C on devices where Emacs |
| 1632 | cannot display faces. Ediff uses different flags to highlight regions that |
| 1633 | begin/end at the beginning/end of a line or in a middle of a line. |
| 1634 | |
| 1635 | @item ediff-current-diff-face-A |
| 1636 | @itemx ediff-current-diff-face-B |
| 1637 | @itemx ediff-current-diff-face-C |
| 1638 | @vindex ediff-current-diff-face-A |
| 1639 | @vindex ediff-current-diff-face-B |
| 1640 | @vindex ediff-current-diff-face-C |
| 1641 | Ediff uses these faces to highlight current differences on devices where |
| 1642 | Emacs can display faces. These and subsequently described faces can be set |
| 1643 | either in @file{.emacs} or in @file{.Xdefaults}. The X resource for Ediff |
| 1644 | is @samp{Ediff}, @emph{not} @samp{emacs}. Please refer to Emacs manual for |
| 1645 | the information on how to set X resources. |
| 1646 | @item ediff-fine-diff-face-A |
| 1647 | @itemx ediff-fine-diff-face-B |
| 1648 | @itemx ediff-fine-diff-face-C |
| 1649 | @vindex ediff-fine-diff-face-A |
| 1650 | @vindex ediff-fine-diff-face-B |
| 1651 | @vindex ediff-fine-diff-face-C |
| 1652 | Ediff uses these faces to show the fine differences between the current |
| 1653 | differences regions in buffers A, B, and C, respectively. |
| 1654 | |
| 1655 | @item ediff-even-diff-face-A |
| 1656 | @itemx ediff-even-diff-face-B |
| 1657 | @itemx ediff-even-diff-face-C |
| 1658 | @itemx ediff-odd-diff-face-A |
| 1659 | @itemx ediff-odd-diff-face-B |
| 1660 | @itemx ediff-odd-diff-face-C |
| 1661 | @vindex ediff-even-diff-face-A |
| 1662 | @vindex ediff-even-diff-face-B |
| 1663 | @vindex ediff-even-diff-face-C |
| 1664 | @vindex ediff-odd-diff-face-A |
| 1665 | @vindex ediff-odd-diff-face-B |
| 1666 | @vindex ediff-odd-diff-face-C |
| 1667 | Non-current difference regions are displayed using these alternating |
| 1668 | faces. The odd and the even faces are actually identical on monochrome |
| 1669 | displays, because without colors options are limited. |
| 1670 | So, Ediff uses italics to highlight non-current differences. |
| 1671 | |
| 1672 | @item ediff-force-faces |
| 1673 | @vindex ediff-force-faces |
| 1674 | Ediff generally can detect when Emacs is running on a device where it can |
| 1675 | use highlighting with faces. However, if it fails to determine that faces |
| 1676 | can be used, the user can set this variable to @code{t} to make sure that |
| 1677 | Ediff uses faces to highlight differences. |
| 1678 | |
| 1679 | @item ediff-highlight-all-diffs |
| 1680 | @vindex ediff-highlight-all-diffs |
| 1681 | Indicates whether---on a windowing display---Ediff should highlight |
| 1682 | differences using inserted strings (as on text-only terminals) or using |
| 1683 | colors and highlighting. Normally, Ediff highlights all differences, but |
| 1684 | the selected difference is highlighted more visibly. One can cycle through |
| 1685 | various modes of highlighting by typing @kbd{h}. By default, Ediff starts |
| 1686 | in the mode where all difference regions are highlighted. If you prefer to |
| 1687 | start in the mode where unselected differences are not highlighted, you |
| 1688 | should set @code{ediff-highlight-all-diffs} to @code{nil}. Type @kbd{h} to |
| 1689 | restore highlighting for all differences. |
| 1690 | |
| 1691 | Ediff lets you switch between the two modes of highlighting. That is, |
| 1692 | you can switch interactively from highlighting using faces to |
| 1693 | highlighting using string flags, and back. Of course, switching has |
| 1694 | effect only under a windowing system. On a text-only terminal or in an |
| 1695 | xterm window, the only available option is highlighting with strings. |
| 1696 | @end table |
| 1697 | |
| 1698 | @noindent |
| 1699 | If you want to change the default settings for @code{ediff-force-faces} and |
| 1700 | @code{ediff-highlight-all-diffs}, you must do it @strong{before} Ediff is |
| 1701 | loaded. |
| 1702 | |
| 1703 | You can also change the defaults for the faces used to highlight the |
| 1704 | difference regions. There are two ways to do this. The simplest and the |
| 1705 | preferred way is to use the customization widget accessible from the |
| 1706 | menubar. Ediff's customization group is located under "Tools", which in |
| 1707 | turn is under "Programming". The faces that are used to highlight |
| 1708 | difference regions are located in the "Highlighting" subgroup of the Ediff |
| 1709 | customization group. |
| 1710 | |
| 1711 | The second, much more arcane, method to change default faces is to include |
| 1712 | some Lisp code in @file{~/.emacs}. For instance, |
| 1713 | |
| 1714 | @example |
| 1715 | (setq ediff-current-diff-face-A |
| 1716 | (copy-face 'bold-italic 'ediff-current-diff-face-A)) |
| 1717 | @end example |
| 1718 | |
| 1719 | @noindent |
| 1720 | would use the pre-defined face @code{bold-italic} to highlight the current |
| 1721 | difference region in buffer A (this face is not a good choice, by the way). |
| 1722 | |
| 1723 | If you are unhappy with just @emph{some} of the aspects of the default |
| 1724 | faces, you can modify them when Ediff is being loaded using |
| 1725 | @code{ediff-load-hook}. For instance: |
| 1726 | |
| 1727 | @smallexample |
| 1728 | (add-hook 'ediff-load-hook |
| 1729 | (lambda () |
| 1730 | (set-face-foreground |
| 1731 | ediff-current-diff-face-B "blue") |
| 1732 | (set-face-background |
| 1733 | ediff-current-diff-face-B "red") |
| 1734 | (make-face-italic |
| 1735 | ediff-current-diff-face-B))) |
| 1736 | @end smallexample |
| 1737 | |
| 1738 | @strong{Please note:} to set Ediff's faces, use only @code{copy-face} |
| 1739 | or @code{set/make-face-@dots{}} as shown above. Emacs' low-level |
| 1740 | face-manipulation functions should be avoided. |
| 1741 | |
| 1742 | @node Narrowing, Refinement of Difference Regions, Highlighting Difference Regions, Customization |
| 1743 | @section Narrowing |
| 1744 | |
| 1745 | If buffers being compared are narrowed at the time of invocation of |
| 1746 | Ediff, @code{ediff-buffers} will preserve the narrowing range. However, |
| 1747 | if @code{ediff-files} is invoked on the files visited by these buffers, |
| 1748 | that would widen the buffers, since this command is defined to compare the |
| 1749 | entire files. |
| 1750 | |
| 1751 | Calling @code{ediff-regions-linewise} or @code{ediff-windows-linewise}, or |
| 1752 | the corresponding @samp{-wordwise} commands, narrows the variants to the |
| 1753 | particular regions being compared. The original accessible ranges are |
| 1754 | restored when you quit Ediff. During the command, you can toggle this |
| 1755 | narrowing on and off with the @kbd{%} command. |
| 1756 | |
| 1757 | These two variables control this narrowing behavior: |
| 1758 | |
| 1759 | @table @code |
| 1760 | @item ediff-start-narrowed |
| 1761 | @vindex ediff-start-narrowed |
| 1762 | If @code{t}, Ediff narrows the display to the appropriate range when it |
| 1763 | is invoked with an @samp{ediff-regions@dots{}} or |
| 1764 | @samp{ediff-windows@dots{}} command. If @code{nil}, these commands do |
| 1765 | not automatically narrow, but you can still toggle narrowing on and off |
| 1766 | by typing @kbd{%}. |
| 1767 | |
| 1768 | @item ediff-quit-widened |
| 1769 | @vindex ediff-quit-widened |
| 1770 | Controls whether on quitting Ediff should restore the accessible range |
| 1771 | that existed before the current invocation. |
| 1772 | @end table |
| 1773 | |
| 1774 | @node Refinement of Difference Regions, Patch and Diff Programs, Narrowing, Customization |
| 1775 | @section Refinement of Difference Regions |
| 1776 | |
| 1777 | Ediff has variables to control the way fine differences are |
| 1778 | highlighted. This feature gives you control over the process of refinement. |
| 1779 | Note that refinement ignores spaces, tabs, and newlines. |
| 1780 | |
| 1781 | @table @code |
| 1782 | @item ediff-auto-refine |
| 1783 | @vindex ediff-auto-refine |
| 1784 | This variable controls whether fine differences within regions are |
| 1785 | highlighted automatically (``auto-refining''). The default is yes |
| 1786 | (@samp{on}). |
| 1787 | |
| 1788 | On a slow machine, automatic refinement may be painful. In that case, |
| 1789 | you can turn auto-refining on or off interactively by typing |
| 1790 | @kbd{@@}. You can also turn off display of refining that has |
| 1791 | already been done. |
| 1792 | |
| 1793 | When auto-refining is off, fine differences are shown only for regions |
| 1794 | for which these differences have been computed and saved before. If |
| 1795 | auto-refining and display of refining are both turned off, fine |
| 1796 | differences are not shown at all. |
| 1797 | |
| 1798 | Typing @kbd{*} computes and displays fine differences for the current |
| 1799 | difference region, regardless of whether auto-refining is turned on. |
| 1800 | |
| 1801 | @item ediff-auto-refine-limit |
| 1802 | @vindex ediff-auto-refine-limit |
| 1803 | If auto-refining is on, this variable limits the size of the regions to |
| 1804 | be auto-refined. This guards against the possible slowdown that may be |
| 1805 | caused by extraordinary large difference regions. |
| 1806 | |
| 1807 | You can always refine the current region by typing @kbd{*}. |
| 1808 | |
| 1809 | @item ediff-forward-word-function |
| 1810 | @vindex ediff-forward-word-function |
| 1811 | This variable controls how fine differences are computed. The |
| 1812 | value must be a Lisp function that determines how the current difference |
| 1813 | region should be split into words. |
| 1814 | |
| 1815 | @vindex ediff-diff-program |
| 1816 | @vindex ediff-forward-word-function |
| 1817 | @findex ediff-forward-word |
| 1818 | Fine differences are computed by first splitting the current difference |
| 1819 | region into words and then passing the result to |
| 1820 | @code{ediff-diff-program}. For the default forward word function (which is |
| 1821 | @code{ediff-forward-word}), a word is a string consisting of letters, |
| 1822 | @samp{-}, or @samp{_}; a string of punctuation symbols; a string of digits, |
| 1823 | or a string consisting of symbols that are neither space, nor a letter. |
| 1824 | |
| 1825 | This default behavior is controlled by four variables: @code{ediff-word-1}, |
| 1826 | ..., @code{ediff-word-4}. See the on-line documentation for these variables |
| 1827 | and for the function @code{ediff-forward-word} for an explanation of how to |
| 1828 | modify these variables. |
| 1829 | @vindex ediff-word-1 |
| 1830 | @vindex ediff-word-2 |
| 1831 | @vindex ediff-word-3 |
| 1832 | @vindex ediff-word-4 |
| 1833 | @end table |
| 1834 | |
| 1835 | Sometimes, when a region has too many differences between the variants, |
| 1836 | highlighting of fine differences is inconvenient, especially on |
| 1837 | color displays. If that is the case, type @kbd{*} with a negative |
| 1838 | prefix argument. This unhighlights fine differences for the current |
| 1839 | region. |
| 1840 | |
| 1841 | To unhighlight fine differences in all difference regions, use the |
| 1842 | command @kbd{@@}. Repeated typing of this key cycles through three |
| 1843 | different states: auto-refining, no-auto-refining, and no-highlighting |
| 1844 | of fine differences. |
| 1845 | |
| 1846 | @node Patch and Diff Programs, Merging and diff3, Refinement of Difference Regions, Customization |
| 1847 | @section Patch and Diff Programs |
| 1848 | |
| 1849 | This section describes variables that specify the programs to be used for |
| 1850 | applying patches and for computing the main difference regions (not the |
| 1851 | fine difference regions): |
| 1852 | |
| 1853 | @table @code |
| 1854 | @item ediff-diff-program |
| 1855 | @itemx ediff-diff3-program |
| 1856 | @vindex ediff-patch-program |
| 1857 | @vindex ediff-diff-program |
| 1858 | @vindex ediff-diff3-program |
| 1859 | These variables specify the programs to use to produce differences |
| 1860 | and do patching. |
| 1861 | |
| 1862 | @item ediff-diff-options |
| 1863 | @itemx ediff-diff3-options |
| 1864 | @vindex ediff-patch-options |
| 1865 | @vindex ediff-diff-options |
| 1866 | @vindex ediff-diff3-options |
| 1867 | These variables specify the options to pass to the above utilities. |
| 1868 | |
| 1869 | In @code{ediff-diff-options}, it may be useful to specify options |
| 1870 | such as @samp{-w} that ignore certain kinds of changes. However, |
| 1871 | Ediff does not let you use the option @samp{-c}, as it doesn't recognize this |
| 1872 | format yet. |
| 1873 | |
| 1874 | @item ediff-coding-system-for-read |
| 1875 | @vindex ediff-coding-system-for-read |
| 1876 | This variable specifies the coding system to use when reading the output |
| 1877 | that the programs @code{diff3} and @code{diff} send to Emacs. The default |
| 1878 | is @code{raw-text}, and this should work fine in Unix and in most |
| 1879 | cases under Windows NT/95/98/2000. There are @code{diff} programs |
| 1880 | for which the default option doesn't work under Windows. In such cases, |
| 1881 | @code{raw-text-dos} might work. If not, you will have to experiment with |
| 1882 | other coding systems or use GNU diff. |
| 1883 | |
| 1884 | @item ediff-patch-program |
| 1885 | The program to use to apply patches. Since there are certain |
| 1886 | incompatibilities between the different versions of the patch program, the |
| 1887 | best way to stay out of trouble is to use a GNU-compatible version. |
| 1888 | Otherwise, you may have to tune the values of the variables |
| 1889 | @code{ediff-patch-options}, @code{ediff-backup-specs}, and |
| 1890 | @code{ediff-backup-extension} as described below. |
| 1891 | @item ediff-patch-options |
| 1892 | Options to pass to @code{ediff-patch-program}. |
| 1893 | |
| 1894 | Note: the `-b' and `-z' options should be specified in |
| 1895 | `ediff-backup-specs', not in @code{ediff-patch-options}. |
| 1896 | |
| 1897 | It is recommended to pass the `-f' option to the patch program, so it won't |
| 1898 | ask questions. However, some implementations don't accept this option, in |
| 1899 | which case the default value of this variable should be changed. |
| 1900 | |
| 1901 | @item ediff-backup-extension |
| 1902 | Backup extension used by the patch program. Must be specified, even if |
| 1903 | @code{ediff-backup-specs} is given. |
| 1904 | @item ediff-backup-specs |
| 1905 | Backup directives to pass to the patch program. |
| 1906 | Ediff requires that the old version of the file (before applying the patch) |
| 1907 | is saved in a file named @file{the-patch-file.extension}. Usually |
| 1908 | `extension' is `.orig', but this can be changed by the user, and may also be |
| 1909 | system-dependent. Therefore, Ediff needs to know the backup extension used |
| 1910 | by the patch program. |
| 1911 | |
| 1912 | Some versions of the patch program let the user specify `-b backup-extension'. |
| 1913 | Other versions only permit `-b', which (usually) assumes the extension `.orig'. |
| 1914 | Yet others force you to use `-z<backup-extension>'. |
| 1915 | |
| 1916 | Note that both `ediff-backup-extension' and `ediff-backup-specs' must be |
| 1917 | properly set. If your patch program takes the option `-b', but not |
| 1918 | `-b extension', the variable `ediff-backup-extension' must still |
| 1919 | be set so Ediff will know which extension to use. |
| 1920 | |
| 1921 | @item ediff-custom-diff-program |
| 1922 | @itemx ediff-custom-diff-options |
| 1923 | @vindex ediff-custom-diff-program |
| 1924 | @vindex ediff-custom-diff-options |
| 1925 | @findex ediff-save-buffer |
| 1926 | Because Ediff limits the options you may want to pass to the @code{diff} |
| 1927 | program, it partially makes up for this drawback by letting you save the |
| 1928 | output from @code{diff} in your preferred format, which is specified via |
| 1929 | the above two variables. |
| 1930 | |
| 1931 | The output generated by @code{ediff-custom-diff-program} (which doesn't |
| 1932 | even have to be a standard-style @code{diff}!)@: is not used by Ediff. It is |
| 1933 | provided exclusively so that you can |
| 1934 | refer to |
| 1935 | it later, send it over email, etc. For instance, after reviewing the |
| 1936 | differences, you may want to send context differences to a colleague. |
| 1937 | Since Ediff ignores the @samp{-c} option in |
| 1938 | @code{ediff-diff-program}, you would have to run @code{diff -c} separately |
| 1939 | just to produce the list of differences. Fortunately, |
| 1940 | @code{ediff-custom-diff-program} and @code{ediff-custom-diff-options} |
| 1941 | eliminate this nuisance by keeping a copy of a difference list in the |
| 1942 | desired format in a buffer that can be displayed via the command @kbd{D}. |
| 1943 | |
| 1944 | @item ediff-patch-default-directory |
| 1945 | @vindex ediff-patch-default-directory |
| 1946 | Specifies the default directory to look for patches. |
| 1947 | |
| 1948 | @end table |
| 1949 | |
| 1950 | @noindent |
| 1951 | @strong{Warning:} Ediff does not support the output format of VMS |
| 1952 | @code{diff}. Instead, make sure you are using some implementation of POSIX |
| 1953 | @code{diff}, such as @code{gnudiff}. |
| 1954 | |
| 1955 | @node Merging and diff3, Support for Version Control, Patch and Diff Programs, Customization |
| 1956 | @section Merging and diff3 |
| 1957 | |
| 1958 | Ediff supports three-way comparison via the functions @code{ediff-files3} and |
| 1959 | @code{ediff-buffers3}. The interface is the same as for two-way comparison. |
| 1960 | In three-way comparison and merging, Ediff reports if any two difference |
| 1961 | regions are identical. For instance, if the current region in buffer A |
| 1962 | is the same as the region in buffer C, then the mode line of buffer A will |
| 1963 | display @samp{[=diff(C)]} and the mode line of buffer C will display |
| 1964 | @samp{[=diff(A)]}. |
| 1965 | |
| 1966 | Merging is done according to the following algorithm. |
| 1967 | |
| 1968 | If a difference region in one of the buffers, say B, differs from the ancestor |
| 1969 | file while the region in the other buffer, A, doesn't, then the merge buffer, |
| 1970 | C, gets B's region. Similarly when buffer A's region differs from |
| 1971 | the ancestor and B's doesn't, A's region is used. |
| 1972 | |
| 1973 | @vindex ediff-default-variant |
| 1974 | If both regions in buffers A and B differ from the ancestor file, Ediff |
| 1975 | chooses the region according to the value of the variable |
| 1976 | @code{ediff-default-variant}. If its value is @code{default-A} then A's |
| 1977 | region is chosen. If it is @code{default-B} then B's region is chosen. |
| 1978 | If it is @code{combined} then the region in buffer C will look like |
| 1979 | this: |
| 1980 | |
| 1981 | @comment Use @set to avoid triggering merge conflict detectors like CVS. |
| 1982 | @set seven-left <<<<<<< |
| 1983 | @set seven-right >>>>>>> |
| 1984 | @example |
| 1985 | @value{seven-left} variant A |
| 1986 | the difference region from buffer A |
| 1987 | @value{seven-right} variant B |
| 1988 | the difference region from buffer B |
| 1989 | ####### Ancestor |
| 1990 | the difference region from the ancestor buffer, if available |
| 1991 | ======= end |
| 1992 | @end example |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | The above is the default template for the combined region. The user can |
| 1995 | customize this template using the variable |
| 1996 | @code{ediff-combination-pattern}. |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | @vindex ediff-combination-pattern |
| 1999 | The variable @code{ediff-combination-pattern} specifies the template that |
| 2000 | determines how the combined merged region looks like. The template is |
| 2001 | represented as a list of the form @code{(STRING1 Symbol1 STRING2 Symbol2 |
| 2002 | STRING3 Symbol3 STRING4)}. The symbols here must be atoms of the form |
| 2003 | @code{A}, @code{B}, or @code{Ancestor}. They determine the order in which |
| 2004 | the corresponding difference regions (from buffers A, B, and the ancestor |
| 2005 | buffer) are displayed in the merged region of buffer C. The strings in the |
| 2006 | template determine the text that separates the aforesaid regions. The |
| 2007 | default template is |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | @smallexample |
| 2010 | ("@value{seven-left} variant A" A "@value{seven-right} variant B" B |
| 2011 | "####### Ancestor" Ancestor "======= end") |
| 2012 | @end smallexample |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | @noindent |
| 2015 | (this is one long line) and the corresponding combined region is shown |
| 2016 | above. The order in which the regions are shown (and the separator |
| 2017 | strings) can be changed by changing the above template. It is even |
| 2018 | possible to add or delete region specifiers in this template (although |
| 2019 | the only possibly useful such modification seems to be the deletion of |
| 2020 | the ancestor). |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | In addition to the state of the difference, Ediff displays the state of the |
| 2023 | merge for each region. If a difference came from buffer A by default |
| 2024 | (because both regions A and B were different from the ancestor and |
| 2025 | @code{ediff-default-variant} was set to @code{default-A}) then |
| 2026 | @samp{[=diff(A) default-A]} is displayed in the mode line. If the |
| 2027 | difference in buffer C came, say, from buffer B because the difference |
| 2028 | region in that buffer differs from the ancestor, but the region in buffer A |
| 2029 | does not (if merging with an ancestor) then @samp{[=diff(B) prefer-B]} is |
| 2030 | displayed. The indicators default-A/B and prefer-A/B are inspired by |
| 2031 | Emerge and have the same meaning. |
| 2032 | |
| 2033 | Another indicator of the state of merge is @samp{combined}. It appears |
| 2034 | with any difference region in buffer C that was obtained by combining |
| 2035 | the difference regions in buffers A and B as explained above. |
| 2036 | |
| 2037 | In addition to the state of merge and state of difference indicators, while |
| 2038 | merging with an ancestor file or buffer, Ediff informs the user when the |
| 2039 | current difference region in the (normally invisible) ancestor buffer is |
| 2040 | empty via the @emph{AncestorEmpty} indicator. This helps determine if the |
| 2041 | changes made to the original in variants A and B represent pure insertion |
| 2042 | or deletion of text: if the mode line shows @emph{AncestorEmpty} and the |
| 2043 | corresponding region in buffers A or B is not empty, this means that new |
| 2044 | text was inserted. If this indicator is not present and the difference |
| 2045 | regions in buffers A or B are non-empty, this means that text was |
| 2046 | modified. Otherwise, the original text was deleted. |
| 2047 | |
| 2048 | Although the ancestor buffer is normally invisible, Ediff maintains |
| 2049 | difference regions there and advances the current difference region |
| 2050 | accordingly. All highlighting of difference regions is provided in the |
| 2051 | ancestor buffer, except for the fine differences. Therefore, if desired, the |
| 2052 | user can put the ancestor buffer in a separate frame and watch it |
| 2053 | there. However, on a TTY, only one frame can be visible at any given time, |
| 2054 | and Ediff doesn't support any single-frame window configuration where all |
| 2055 | buffers, including the ancestor buffer, would be visible. However, the |
| 2056 | ancestor buffer can be displayed by typing @kbd{/} to the control |
| 2057 | window. (Type @kbd{C-l} to hide it again.) |
| 2058 | |
| 2059 | Note that the state-of-difference indicators @samp{=diff(A)} and |
| 2060 | @samp{=diff(B)} above are not redundant, even in the presence of a |
| 2061 | state-of-merge indicator. In fact, the two serve different purposes. |
| 2062 | |
| 2063 | For instance, if the mode line displays @samp{=diff(B) prefer(B)} and |
| 2064 | you copy a difference region from buffer A to buffer C then |
| 2065 | @samp{=diff(B)} will change to @samp{diff-A} and the mode line will |
| 2066 | display @samp{=diff(A) prefer-B}. This indicates that the difference |
| 2067 | region in buffer C is identical to that in buffer A, but originally |
| 2068 | buffer C's region came from buffer B. This is useful to know because |
| 2069 | you can recover the original difference region in buffer C by typing |
| 2070 | @kbd{r}. |
| 2071 | |
| 2072 | |
| 2073 | Ediff never changes the state-of-merge indicator, except in response to |
| 2074 | the @kbd{!} command (see below), in which case the indicator is lost. |
| 2075 | On the other hand, the state-of-difference indicator is changed |
| 2076 | automatically by the copying/recovery commands, @kbd{a}, @kbd{b}, @kbd{r}, |
| 2077 | @kbd{+}. |
| 2078 | |
| 2079 | The @kbd{!} command loses the information about origins of the regions |
| 2080 | in the merge buffer (default-A, prefer-B, or combined). This is because |
| 2081 | recomputing differences in this case means running @code{diff3} on |
| 2082 | buffers A, B, and the merge buffer, not on the ancestor buffer. (It |
| 2083 | makes no sense to recompute differences using the ancestor file, since |
| 2084 | in the merging mode Ediff assumes that you have not edited buffers A and |
| 2085 | B, but that you may have edited buffer C, and these changes are to be |
| 2086 | preserved.) Since some difference regions may disappear as a result of |
| 2087 | editing buffer C and others may arise, there is generally no simple way |
| 2088 | to tell where the various regions in the merge buffer came from. |
| 2089 | |
| 2090 | In three-way comparison, Ediff tries to disregard regions that consist |
| 2091 | entirely of white space. For instance, if, say, the current region in |
| 2092 | buffer A consists of the white space only (or if it is empty), Ediff will |
| 2093 | not take it into account for the purpose of computing fine differences. The |
| 2094 | result is that Ediff can provide a better visual information regarding the |
| 2095 | actual fine differences in the non-white regions in buffers B and |
| 2096 | C. Moreover, if the regions in buffers B and C differ in the white space |
| 2097 | only, then a message to this effect will be displayed. |
| 2098 | |
| 2099 | @vindex ediff-merge-window-share |
| 2100 | In the merge mode, the share of the split between window C (the window |
| 2101 | displaying the merge-buffer) and the windows displaying buffers A and B |
| 2102 | is controlled by the variable @code{ediff-merge-window-share}. Its |
| 2103 | default value is 0.5. To make the merge-buffer window smaller, reduce |
| 2104 | this amount. |
| 2105 | |
| 2106 | We don't recommend increasing the size of the merge-window to more than |
| 2107 | half the frame (i.e., to increase the value of |
| 2108 | @code{ediff-merge-window-share}) to more than 0.5, since it would be |
| 2109 | hard to see the contents of buffers A and B. |
| 2110 | |
| 2111 | You can temporarily shrink the merge window to just one line by |
| 2112 | typing @kbd{s}. This change is temporary, until Ediff finds a reason to |
| 2113 | redraw the screen. Typing @kbd{s} again restores the original window size. |
| 2114 | |
| 2115 | With a positive prefix argument, the @kbd{s} command will make the merge |
| 2116 | window slightly taller. This change is persistent. With `@kbd{-}' or |
| 2117 | with a negative prefix argument, the command @kbd{s} makes the merge |
| 2118 | window slightly shorter. This change also persistent. |
| 2119 | |
| 2120 | @vindex ediff-show-clashes-only |
| 2121 | Ediff lets you automatically ignore the regions where only one of the |
| 2122 | buffers A and B disagrees with the ancestor. To do this, set the |
| 2123 | variable @code{ediff-show-clashes-only} to non-@code{nil}. |
| 2124 | |
| 2125 | You can toggle this feature interactively by typing @kbd{$$}. |
| 2126 | |
| 2127 | Note that this variable affects only the show next/previous difference |
| 2128 | commands. You can still jump directly to any difference region directly |
| 2129 | using the command @kbd{j} (with a prefix argument specifying the difference |
| 2130 | number). |
| 2131 | |
| 2132 | @vindex ediff-autostore-merges |
| 2133 | @vindex ediff-quit-merge-hook |
| 2134 | @findex ediff-maybe-save-and-delete-merge |
| 2135 | The variable @code{ediff-autostore-merges} controls what happens to the |
| 2136 | merge buffer when Ediff quits. If the value is @code{nil}, nothing is done |
| 2137 | to the merge buffer---it will be the user's responsibility to save it. |
| 2138 | If the value is @code{t}, the user will be asked where to save the buffer |
| 2139 | and whether to delete it afterwards. It the value is neither @code{nil} nor |
| 2140 | @code{t}, the merge buffer is saved @emph{only} if this merge session was |
| 2141 | invoked from a group of related Ediff session, such as those that result |
| 2142 | from @code{ediff-merge-directories}, |
| 2143 | @code{ediff-merge-directory-revisions}, etc. |
| 2144 | @xref{Session Groups}. This behavior is implemented in the function |
| 2145 | @code{ediff-maybe-save-and-delete-merge}, which is a hook in |
| 2146 | @code{ediff-quit-merge-hook}. The user can supply a different hook, if |
| 2147 | necessary. |
| 2148 | |
| 2149 | The variable @code{ediff-autostore-merges} is buffer-local, so it can be |
| 2150 | set in a per-buffer manner. Therefore, use @code{setq-default} to globally |
| 2151 | change this variable. |
| 2152 | |
| 2153 | @vindex ediff-merge-filename-prefix |
| 2154 | When merge buffers are saved automatically as directed by |
| 2155 | @code{ediff-autostore-merges}, Ediff attaches a prefix to each file, as |
| 2156 | specified by the variable @code{ediff-merge-filename-prefix}. The default |
| 2157 | is @code{merge_}, but this can be changed by the user. |
| 2158 | |
| 2159 | @node Support for Version Control, Customizing the Mode Line, Merging and diff3, Customization |
| 2160 | @section Support for Version Control |
| 2161 | |
| 2162 | |
| 2163 | Ediff supports version control and lets you compare versions of files |
| 2164 | visited by Emacs buffers via the function @code{ediff-revision}. This |
| 2165 | feature is controlled by the following variables: |
| 2166 | |
| 2167 | @table @code |
| 2168 | @item ediff-version-control-package |
| 2169 | @vindex ediff-version-control-package |
| 2170 | A symbol. The default is @samp{vc}. |
| 2171 | |
| 2172 | If you are like most Emacs users, Ediff will use VC as the version control |
| 2173 | package. This is the standard Emacs interface to RCS, CVS, and SCCS. |
| 2174 | |
| 2175 | However, if your needs are better served by other interfaces, you will |
| 2176 | have to tell Ediff which version control package you are using, e.g., |
| 2177 | @example |
| 2178 | (setq ediff-version-control-package 'rcs) |
| 2179 | @end example |
| 2180 | |
| 2181 | Apart from the standard @file{vc.el}, Ediff supports three other interfaces |
| 2182 | to version control: @file{rcs.el}, @file{pcl-cvs.el} (recently renamed |
| 2183 | pcvs.el), and @file{generic-sc.el}. The package @file{rcs.el} is written |
| 2184 | by Sebastian Kremer <sk@@thp.Uni-Koeln.DE> and is available as |
| 2185 | @example |
| 2186 | @file{ftp.cs.buffalo.edu:pub/Emacs/rcs.tar.Z} |
| 2187 | @file{ftp.uni-koeln.de:/pub/gnu/emacs/rcs.tar.Z} |
| 2188 | @end example |
| 2189 | @pindex @file{vc.el} |
| 2190 | @pindex @file{rcs.el} |
| 2191 | @pindex @file{pcl-cvs.el} |
| 2192 | @pindex @file{generic-sc.el} |
| 2193 | @end table |
| 2194 | |
| 2195 | Ediff's interface to the above packages allows the user to compare the |
| 2196 | versions of the current buffer or to merge them (with or without an |
| 2197 | ancestor-version). These operations can also be performed on directories |
| 2198 | containing files under version control. |
| 2199 | |
| 2200 | In case of @file{pcl-cvs.el}, Ediff can also be invoked via the function |
| 2201 | @code{run-ediff-from-cvs-buffer}---see the documentation string for this |
| 2202 | function. |
| 2203 | |
| 2204 | @node Customizing the Mode Line, Miscellaneous, Support for Version Control, Customization |
| 2205 | @section Customizing the Mode Line |
| 2206 | |
| 2207 | When Ediff is running, the mode line of @samp{Ediff Control Panel} |
| 2208 | buffer shows the current difference number and the total number of |
| 2209 | difference regions in the two files. |
| 2210 | |
| 2211 | The mode line of the buffers being compared displays the type of the |
| 2212 | buffer (@samp{A:}, @samp{B:}, or @samp{C:}) and (usually) the file name. |
| 2213 | Ediff tries to be intelligent in choosing the mode line buffer |
| 2214 | identification. In particular, it works well with the |
| 2215 | @file{uniquify.el} and @file{mode-line.el} packages (which improve on |
| 2216 | the default way in which Emacs displays buffer identification). If you |
| 2217 | don't like the way Ediff changes the mode line, you can use |
| 2218 | @code{ediff-prepare-buffer-hook} to modify the mode line. |
| 2219 | @vindex ediff-prepare-buffer-hook |
| 2220 | @pindex @file{uniquify.el} |
| 2221 | @pindex @file{mode-line.el} |
| 2222 | |
| 2223 | @node Miscellaneous, Notes on Heavy-duty Customization, Customizing the Mode Line, Customization |
| 2224 | @section Miscellaneous |
| 2225 | |
| 2226 | Here are a few other variables for customizing Ediff: |
| 2227 | |
| 2228 | @table @code |
| 2229 | @item ediff-split-window-function |
| 2230 | @vindex ediff-split-window-function |
| 2231 | Controls the way you want the window be split between file-A and file-B |
| 2232 | (and file-C, if applicable). It defaults to the vertical split |
| 2233 | (@code{split-window-vertically}, but you can set it to |
| 2234 | @code{split-window-horizontally}, if you so wish. |
| 2235 | Ediff also lets you switch from vertical to horizontal split and back |
| 2236 | interactively. |
| 2237 | |
| 2238 | Note that if Ediff detects that all the buffers it compares are displayed in |
| 2239 | separate frames, it assumes that the user wants them to be so displayed |
| 2240 | and stops splitting windows. Instead, it arranges for each buffer to |
| 2241 | be displayed in a separate frame. You can switch to the one-frame mode |
| 2242 | by hiding one of the buffers A/B/C. |
| 2243 | |
| 2244 | You can also swap the windows where buffers are displayed by typing |
| 2245 | @kbd{~}. |
| 2246 | |
| 2247 | @item ediff-merge-split-window-function |
| 2248 | @vindex ediff-merge-split-window-function |
| 2249 | Controls how windows are |
| 2250 | split between buffers A and B in the merge mode. |
| 2251 | This variable is like @code{ediff-split-window-function}, but it defaults |
| 2252 | to @code{split-window-horizontally} instead of |
| 2253 | @code{split-window-vertically}. |
| 2254 | |
| 2255 | @item ediff-make-wide-display-function |
| 2256 | @vindex ediff-make-wide-display-function |
| 2257 | The value is a function to be called to widen the frame for displaying |
| 2258 | the Ediff buffers. See the on-line documentation for |
| 2259 | @code{ediff-make-wide-display-function} for details. It is also |
| 2260 | recommended to look into the source of the default function |
| 2261 | @code{ediff-make-wide-display}. |
| 2262 | |
| 2263 | You can toggle wide/regular display by typing @kbd{m}. In the wide |
| 2264 | display mode, buffers A, B (and C, when applicable) are displayed in a |
| 2265 | single frame that is as wide as the entire workstation screen. This is |
| 2266 | useful when files are compared side-by-side. By default, the display is |
| 2267 | widened without changing its height. |
| 2268 | |
| 2269 | @item ediff-use-last-dir |
| 2270 | @vindex ediff-use-last-dir |
| 2271 | Controls the way Ediff presents the |
| 2272 | default directory when it prompts the user for files to compare. If |
| 2273 | @code{nil}, |
| 2274 | Ediff uses the default directory of the current buffer when it |
| 2275 | prompts the user for file names. Otherwise, it will use the |
| 2276 | directories it had previously used for files A, B, or C, respectively. |
| 2277 | |
| 2278 | @item ediff-no-emacs-help-in-control-buffer |
| 2279 | @vindex ediff-no-emacs-help-in-control-buffer |
| 2280 | If @code{t}, makes @kbd{C-h} |
| 2281 | behave like the @key{DEL} key, i.e., it will move you back to the previous |
| 2282 | difference rather than invoking help. This is useful when, in an xterm |
| 2283 | window or a text-only terminal, the Backspace key is bound to @kbd{C-h} and is |
| 2284 | positioned more conveniently than the @key{DEL} key. |
| 2285 | |
| 2286 | @item ediff-toggle-read-only-function |
| 2287 | @vindex ediff-toggle-read-only-function |
| 2288 | This variable's value is a function that Ediff uses to toggle |
| 2289 | the read-only property in its buffers. |
| 2290 | |
| 2291 | The default function that Ediff uses simply toggles the read-only property, |
| 2292 | unless the file is under version control. For a checked-in file under |
| 2293 | version control, Ediff first tries to check the file out. |
| 2294 | |
| 2295 | @item ediff-make-buffers-readonly-at-startup nil |
| 2296 | @vindex ediff-make-buffers-readonly-at-startup |
| 2297 | If @code{t}, all variant buffers are made read-only at Ediff startup. |
| 2298 | |
| 2299 | @item ediff-keep-variants |
| 2300 | @vindex @code{ediff-keep-variants} |
| 2301 | The default is @code{t}, meaning that the buffers being compared or merged will |
| 2302 | be preserved when Ediff quits. Setting this to @code{nil} causes Ediff to |
| 2303 | offer the user a chance to delete these buffers (if they are not modified). |
| 2304 | Supplying a prefix argument to the quit command (@code{q}) temporarily |
| 2305 | reverses the meaning of this variable. This is convenient when the user |
| 2306 | prefers one of the behaviors most of the time, but occasionally needs the |
| 2307 | other behavior. |
| 2308 | |
| 2309 | However, Ediff temporarily resets this variable to @code{t} if it is |
| 2310 | invoked via one of the "buffer" jobs, such as @code{ediff-buffers}. |
| 2311 | This is because it is all too easy to loose day's work otherwise. |
| 2312 | Besides, in a "buffer" job, the variant buffers have already been loaded |
| 2313 | prior to starting Ediff, so Ediff just preserves status quo here. |
| 2314 | |
| 2315 | Using @code{ediff-cleanup-hook}, one can make Ediff delete the variants |
| 2316 | unconditionally (e.g., by making @code{ediff-janitor} into one of these hooks). |
| 2317 | |
| 2318 | @item ediff-keep-tmp-versions |
| 2319 | @vindex @code{ediff-keep-tmp-versions} |
| 2320 | Default is @code{nil}. If @code{t}, the versions of the files being |
| 2321 | compared or merged using operations such as @code{ediff-revision} or |
| 2322 | @code{ediff-merge-revisions} are not deleted on exit. The normal action is |
| 2323 | to clean up and delete these version files. |
| 2324 | |
| 2325 | @item ediff-grab-mouse |
| 2326 | @vindex @code{ediff-grab-mouse} |
| 2327 | Default is @code{t}. Normally, Ediff grabs mouse and puts it in its |
| 2328 | control frame. This is useful since the user can be sure that when he |
| 2329 | needs to type an Ediff command the focus will be in an appropriate Ediff's |
| 2330 | frame. However, some users prefer to move the mouse by themselves. The |
| 2331 | above variable, if set to @code{maybe}, will prevent Ediff from grabbing |
| 2332 | the mouse in many situations, usually after commands that may take more |
| 2333 | time than usual. In other situation, Ediff will continue grabbing the mouse |
| 2334 | and putting it where it believes is appropriate. If the value is |
| 2335 | @code{nil}, then mouse is entirely user's responsibility. |
| 2336 | Try different settings and see which one is for you. |
| 2337 | @end table |
| 2338 | |
| 2339 | |
| 2340 | @node Notes on Heavy-duty Customization, , Miscellaneous, Customization |
| 2341 | @section Notes on Heavy-duty Customization |
| 2342 | |
| 2343 | Some users need to customize Ediff in rather sophisticated ways, which |
| 2344 | requires different defaults for different kinds of files (e.g., SGML, |
| 2345 | etc.). Ediff supports this kind of customization in several ways. First, |
| 2346 | most customization variables are buffer-local. Those that aren't are |
| 2347 | usually accessible from within Ediff Control Panel, so one can make them |
| 2348 | local to the panel by calling make-local-variable from within |
| 2349 | @code{ediff-startup-hook}. |
| 2350 | |
| 2351 | Second, the function @code{ediff-setup} accepts an optional sixth |
| 2352 | argument which has the form @code{((@var{var-name-1} .@: @var{val-1}) |
| 2353 | (@var{var-name-2} .@: @var{val-2}) @dots{})}. The function |
| 2354 | @code{ediff-setup} sets the variables in the list to the respective |
| 2355 | values, locally in the Ediff control buffer. This is an easy way to |
| 2356 | throw in custom variables (which usually should be buffer-local) that |
| 2357 | can then be tested in various hooks. |
| 2358 | |
| 2359 | Make sure the variable @code{ediff-job-name} and @code{ediff-word-mode} are set |
| 2360 | properly in this case, as some things in Ediff depend on this. |
| 2361 | |
| 2362 | Finally, if you want custom-tailored help messages, you can set the |
| 2363 | variables @code{ediff-brief-help-message-function} and |
| 2364 | @code{ediff-long-help-message-function} |
| 2365 | to functions that return help strings. |
| 2366 | @vindex ediff-startup-hook |
| 2367 | @findex ediff-setup |
| 2368 | @vindex ediff-job-name |
| 2369 | @vindex ediff-word-mode |
| 2370 | @vindex ediff-brief-help-message-function |
| 2371 | @vindex ediff-long-help-message-function |
| 2372 | |
| 2373 | When customizing Ediff, some other variables are useful, although they are |
| 2374 | not user-definable. They are local to the Ediff control buffer, so this |
| 2375 | buffer must be current when you access these variables. The control buffer |
| 2376 | is accessible via the variable @code{ediff-control-buffer}, which is also |
| 2377 | local to that buffer. It is usually used for checking if the current buffer |
| 2378 | is also the control buffer. |
| 2379 | |
| 2380 | Other variables of interest are: |
| 2381 | @table @code |
| 2382 | @item ediff-buffer-A |
| 2383 | The first of the data buffers being compared. |
| 2384 | |
| 2385 | @item ediff-buffer-B |
| 2386 | The second of the data buffers being compared. |
| 2387 | |
| 2388 | @item ediff-buffer-C |
| 2389 | In three-way comparisons, this is the third buffer being compared. |
| 2390 | In merging, this is the merge buffer. |
| 2391 | In two-way comparison, this variable is @code{nil}. |
| 2392 | |
| 2393 | @item ediff-window-A |
| 2394 | The window displaying buffer A. If buffer A is not visible, this variable |
| 2395 | is @code{nil} or it may be a dead window. |
| 2396 | |
| 2397 | @item ediff-window-B |
| 2398 | The window displaying buffer B. |
| 2399 | |
| 2400 | @item ediff-window-C |
| 2401 | The window displaying buffer C, if any. |
| 2402 | |
| 2403 | @item ediff-control-frame |
| 2404 | A dedicated frame displaying the control buffer, if it exists. It is |
| 2405 | non-@code{nil} only if Ediff uses the multiframe display, i.e., when |
| 2406 | the control buffer is in its own frame. |
| 2407 | @end table |
| 2408 | |
| 2409 | @node Credits, GNU Free Documentation License, Customization, Top |
| 2410 | @chapter Credits |
| 2411 | |
| 2412 | Ediff was written by Michael Kifer <kifer@@cs.stonybrook.edu>. It was inspired |
| 2413 | by emerge.el written by Dale R.@: Worley <drw@@math.mit.edu>. An idea due to |
| 2414 | Boris Goldowsky <boris@@cs.rochester.edu> made it possible to highlight |
| 2415 | fine differences in Ediff buffers. Alastair Burt <burt@@dfki.uni-kl.de> |
| 2416 | ported Ediff to XEmacs, Eric Freudenthal <freudent@@jan.ultra.nyu.edu> |
| 2417 | made it work with VC, Marc Paquette <marcpa@@cam.org> wrote the |
| 2418 | toolbar support package for Ediff, and Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@@xemacs.org> |
| 2419 | adapted it to the Emacs customization package. |
| 2420 | |
| 2421 | Many people provided help with bug reports, feature suggestions, and advice. |
| 2422 | Without them, Ediff would not be nearly as useful as it is today. |
| 2423 | Here is a hopefully full list of contributors: |
| 2424 | |
| 2425 | @example |
| 2426 | Adrian Aichner (aichner@@ecf.teradyne.com), |
| 2427 | Drew Adams (drew.adams@@oracle.com), |
| 2428 | Steve Baur (steve@@xemacs.org), |
| 2429 | Neal Becker (neal@@ctd.comsat.com), |
| 2430 | E.@: Jay Berkenbilt (ejb@@ql.org), |
| 2431 | Alastair Burt (burt@@dfki.uni-kl.de), |
| 2432 | Paul Bibilo (peb@@delcam.co.uk), |
| 2433 | Kevin Broadey (KevinB@@bartley.demon.co.uk), |
| 2434 | Harald Boegeholz (hwb@@machnix.mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de), |
| 2435 | Bradley A.@: Bosch (brad@@lachman.com), |
| 2436 | Michael D.@: Carney (carney@@ltx-tr.com), |
| 2437 | Jin S.@: Choi (jin@@atype.com), |
| 2438 | Scott Cummings (cummings@@adc.com), |
| 2439 | Albert Dvornik (bert@@mit.edu), |
| 2440 | Eric Eide (eeide@@asylum.cs.utah.edu), |
| 2441 | Paul Eggert (eggert@@twinsun.com), |
| 2442 | Urban Engberg (ue@@cci.dk), |
| 2443 | Kevin Esler (esler@@ch.hp.com), |
| 2444 | Robert Estes (estes@@ece.ucdavis.edu), |
| 2445 | Jay Finger (jayf@@microsoft.com), |
| 2446 | Xavier Fornari (xavier@@europe.cma.fr), |
| 2447 | Eric Freudenthal (freudent@@jan.ultra.nyu.edu), |
| 2448 | Job Ganzevoort (Job.Ganzevoort@@cwi.nl), |
| 2449 | Felix Heinrich Gatzemeier (felix.g@@tzemeier.info), |
| 2450 | Boris Goldowsky (boris@@cs.rochester.edu), |
| 2451 | Allan Gottlieb (gottlieb@@allan.ultra.nyu.edu), |
| 2452 | Aaron Gross (aaron@@bfr.co.il), |
| 2453 | Thorbjoern Hansen (thorbjoern.hansen@@mchp.siemens.de), |
| 2454 | Marcus Harnisch (marcus_harnisch@@mint-tech.com), |
| 2455 | Steven E. Harris (seh@@panix.com), |
| 2456 | Aaron S. Hawley (Aaron.Hawley@@uvm.edu), |
| 2457 | Xiaoli Huang (hxl@@epic.com), |
| 2458 | Andreas Jaeger (aj@@suse.de), |
| 2459 | Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen (larsi@@ifi.uio.no), |
| 2460 | Larry Gouge (larry@@itginc.com), |
| 2461 | Karl Heuer (kwzh@@gnu.org), |
| 2462 | (irvine@@lks.csi.com), |
| 2463 | (jaffe@@chipmunk.cita.utoronto.ca), |
| 2464 | David Karr (dkarr@@nmo.gtegsc.com), |
| 2465 | Norbert Kiesel (norbert@@i3.informatik.rwth-aachen.de), |
| 2466 | Steffen Kilb (skilb@@gmx.net), |
| 2467 | Leigh L Klotz (klotz@@adoc.xerox.com), |
| 2468 | Fritz Knabe (Fritz.Knabe@@ecrc.de), |
| 2469 | Heinz Knutzen (hk@@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de), |
| 2470 | Andrew Koenig (ark@@research.att.com), |
| 2471 | Hannu Koivisto (azure@@iki.fi), |
| 2472 | Ken Laprade (laprade@@dw3f.ess.harris.com), |
| 2473 | Will C Lauer (wcl@@cadre.com), |
| 2474 | Richard Levitte (levitte@@e.kth.se), |
| 2475 | Mike Long (mike.long@@analog.com), |
| 2476 | Dave Love (d.love@@dl.ac.uk), |
| 2477 | Martin Maechler (maechler@@stat.math.ethz.ch), |
| 2478 | Simon Marshall (simon@@gnu.org), |
| 2479 | Paul C. Meuse (pmeuse@@delcomsys.com), |
| 2480 | Richard Mlynarik (mly@@adoc.xerox.com), |
| 2481 | Stefan Monnier (monnier@@cs.yale.edu), |
| 2482 | Chris Murphy (murphycm@@sun.aston.ac.uk), |
| 2483 | Erik Naggum (erik@@naggum.no), |
| 2484 | Eyvind Ness (Eyvind.Ness@@hrp.no), |
| 2485 | Ray Nickson (nickson@@cs.uq.oz.au), |
| 2486 | Dan Nicolaescu (dann@@ics.uci.edu), |
| 2487 | David Petchey (petchey_david@@jpmorgan.com), |
| 2488 | Benjamin Pierce (benjamin.pierce@@cl.cam.ac.uk), |
| 2489 | Francois Pinard (pinard@@iro.umontreal.ca), |
| 2490 | Tibor Polgar (tlp00@@spg.amdahl.com), |
| 2491 | David Prince (dave0d@@fegs.co.uk), |
| 2492 | Paul Raines (raines@@slac.stanford.edu), |
| 2493 | Stefan Reicher (xsteve@@riic.at), |
| 2494 | Charles Rich (rich@@merl.com), |
| 2495 | Bill Richter (richter@@math.nwu.edu), |
| 2496 | C.S.@: Roberson (roberson@@aur.alcatel.com), |
| 2497 | Kevin Rodgers (kevin.rodgers@@ihs.com), |
| 2498 | Sandy Rutherford (sandy@@ibm550.sissa.it), |
| 2499 | Heribert Schuetz (schuetz@@ecrc.de), |
| 2500 | Andy Scott (ascott@@pcocd2.intel.com), |
| 2501 | Axel Seibert (axel@@tumbolia.ppp.informatik.uni-muenchen.de), |
| 2502 | Vin Shelton (acs@@xemacs.org), |
| 2503 | Scott O. Sherman (Scott.Sherman@@mci.com), |
| 2504 | Nikolaj Schumacher (n_schumacher@@web.de), |
| 2505 | Richard Stallman (rms@@gnu.org), |
| 2506 | Richard Stanton (stanton@@haas.berkeley.edu), |
| 2507 | Sam Steingold (sds@@goems.com), |
| 2508 | Ake Stenhoff (etxaksf@@aom.ericsson.se), |
| 2509 | Stig (stig@@hackvan.com), |
| 2510 | Peter Stout (Peter_Stout@@cs.cmu.edu), |
| 2511 | Chuck Thompson (cthomp@@cs.uiuc.edu), |
| 2512 | Ray Tomlinson (tomlinso@@bbn.com), |
| 2513 | Raymond Toy (toy@@rtp.ericsson.se), |
| 2514 | Stephen J. Turnbull (stephen@@xemacs.org), |
| 2515 | Jan Vroonhof (vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch), |
| 2516 | Colin Walters (walters@@cis.ohio-state.edu), |
| 2517 | Philippe Waroquiers (philippe.waroquiers@@eurocontrol.be), |
| 2518 | Klaus Weber (gizmo@@zork.north.de), |
| 2519 | Ben Wing (ben@@xemacs.org), |
| 2520 | Tom Wurgler (twurgler@@goodyear.com), |
| 2521 | Steve Youngs (youngs@@xemacs.org), |
| 2522 | Ilya Zakharevich (ilya@@math.ohio-state.edu), |
| 2523 | Eli Zaretskii (eliz@@is.elta.co.il) |
| 2524 | @end example |
| 2525 | |
| 2526 | @node GNU Free Documentation License, Index, Credits, Top |
| 2527 | @appendix GNU Free Documentation License |
| 2528 | @include doclicense.texi |
| 2529 | |
| 2530 | |
| 2531 | @node Index, , GNU Free Documentation License, Top |
| 2532 | @unnumbered Index |
| 2533 | @printindex cp |
| 2534 | |
| 2535 | @setchapternewpage odd |
| 2536 | @contents |
| 2537 | @bye |
| 2538 | |
| 2539 | @ignore |
| 2540 | arch-tag: 165ecb88-d03c-44b1-a921-b93f50b05b46 |
| 2541 | @end ignore |