Marc's Place

1  DIFFERENCES
   Compares the contents of two disk files and displays a listing of
   the records that do not match.

   Format

     DIFFERENCES  input1-filespec [input2-filespec]
 

2  Parameters
 

input1-filespec

   Specifies the first file to be compared. The file specification
   must include a file name and a file type. The asterisk (*)  and
   the percent sign (%)  wildcard characters are not allowed.
 

input2-filespec

   Specifies the second file to be compared. Unspecified fields
   default to the corresponding fields in the input1-filespec
   parameter. The asterisk (*)  and the percent sign (%) wildcard
   characters are not allowed.

   If you do not specify a secondary input file, the DIFFERENCES
   command uses the next lower version of the primary input file.
 

2  Qualifiers
 

/CHANGE_BAR

      /CHANGE_BAR[=([change-char][,[NO]NUMBER])]

   Marks differences using the specified character. The /CHANGE_BAR
   qualifier displays output that depends on where the qualifier is
   placed. The following examples describe the result of /CHANGE_BAR
   qualifier placement.

   The following placement displays the latest version of input.file
   with the pound sign (#)  preceding any lines that differ from the
   preceding version of input.file:

   $ DIFFERENCES input.file/CHANGE_BAR=#

   The following placement displays input.file;2 with the pound sign
   (#)  preceding any lines that differ from input.file;1:

   $ DIFFERENCES input.file;1  input.file;2 /CHANGE_BAR=#

   The following placement displays input.file;1 with the pound sign
   (#)  preceding any lines that differ from input.file;2:

   $ DIFFERENCES input.file;1/CHANGE_BAR=#  input.file;2

   The following placement displays input.file;1 with the percent
   sign (%)  preceding any lines that differ from input.file;2, and
   also displays input.file;2 with the pound sign (#)  preceding any
   lines that differ from input.file;1:

   $ DIFFERENCES input.file;1/CHANGE_BAR=% input.file;2/CHANGE_BAR=#

   o  If you do not specify a change bar character, the default is
      an exclamation point (!)  for ASCII output.

   o  If you specify hexadecimal or octal output (see the
      description of the /MODE qualifier), the change bar character
      is ignored and differences are marked by a "***CHANGE***"
      string in the record header. The keyword NONUMBER suppresses
      line numbers in the listing.

   o  If neither the NUMBER nor the NONUMBER keyword is specified,
      the default is controlled by the /[NO]NUMBER command
      qualifier.

   o  If you specify only one option, you can omit the parentheses.

   o  If you use an exclamation point (!)  as the specified
      character, you must enclose it in quotation marks (" ");  for
      example, /CHANGE_BAR=("!",NUMBER).
 

/COMMENT_DELIMITER

      /COMMENT_DELIMITER[=(character[,...])]

   Ignores characters on a line to the right of (and including) a
   specified comment character.

   If you specify just one character, you can omit the parentheses.
   Lowercase characters are automatically converted to uppercase
   unless they are enclosed in quotation marks. Nonalphanumeric
   characters (such as ! and ,) must be enclosed in quotation
   marks. Multicharacter comment characters are not allowed. You
   can specify up to 32 comment characters by typing the character
   itself or one of the following keywords. (Keywords can be
   abbreviated provided that the resultant keyword is not ambiguous
   and has at least 2 characters; single letters are treated as
   delimiters.)

   Keyword          Character

   COLON            Colon (:)
   COMMA            Comma (,)
   EXCLAMATION      Exclamation point (!)
   FORM_FEED        Form feed
   LEFT             Left bracket ([)
   RIGHT            Right bracket (])
   SEMI_COLON       Semicolon (;)
   SLASH            Slash (/)
   SPACE            Space
   TAB              Tab

   If you specify the /COMMENT_DELIMITER qualifier, the
   /IGNORE=COMMENTS qualifier is implicitly also included.

   If both the uppercase and lowercase forms of a letter are to be
   used as comment characters, the letter must be specified twice,
   once in uppercase and once in lowercase. If you do not include
   either a comment character or a keyword with the /COMMENT_
   DELIMITER qualifier, the DIFFERENCES command assumes a default
   comment character based on the file type. For some file types
   (.COB and .FOR), the default comment characters are considered
   valid delimiters only if they appear in the first column of a
   line.

   The following characters are the default comment delimiters for
   files with the specified file types:

   File Type        Default Comment Character

   .B2S, .B32,      !
   .BAS, .BLI
   .CBL, .CMD       ! and ;
   .COB             * or / in the first column
   .COM, .COR       !
   .FOR             ! anywhere and C, D, c, d in the first column
   .HLP             !
   .MAC, .MAR       ;
   .R32, .REQ       !
 

/EXACT

   Use with the /PAGE=SAVE and /SEARCH qualifiers to specify a
   search string that must match the search string exactly and must
   be enclosed with quotation marks (" ").

   If you specify the /EXACT qualifier without the /SEARCH
   qualifier, exact search mode is enabled when you set the search
   string with the Find (E1) key.
 

/HIGHLIGHT

      /HIGHLIGHT[=keyword]
      /NOHIGHLIGHT (default)

   Use with the /PAGE=SAVE and /SEARCH qualifiers to specify the
   type of highlighting you want when a search string is found. When
   a string is found, the entire line is highlighted. You can use
   the following keywords: BOLD, BLINK, REVERSE, and UNDERLINE. BOLD
   is the default highlighting.
 

/IGNORE

      /IGNORE=(keyword[,...])

   Inhibits the comparison of the specified characters, strings,
   or records; also controls whether the comparison records are
   output to the listing file as edited records or exactly as they
   appeared in the input file. If you specify only one keyword, you
   can omit the parentheses. The keyword parameter refers to either
   a character or a keyword. The first set of keywords determines
   what, if anything, is ignored during file comparison; the second
   set of keywords determines whether or not ignored characters are
   included in the output. The following keywords are valid options
   for the /IGNORE qualifier:

   Keyword          Item Ignored

   BLANK_LINES      Blank lines between data lines.

   CASE             Case of the text being compared.

   COMMENTS         Data following a comment character. (Use the
                    /COMMENT_DELIMITER qualifier to designate one or
                    more nondefault comment delimiters.)

   FORM_FEEDS       Form feed character.

   HEADER[=n]       First n records of the file, beginning with
                    a record whose first character is a form
                    feed. The first record is not ignored if the
                    only character it contains is a form feed. (N
                    indicates the number of records and defaults
                    to 2. A record with a single form feed is not
                    counted.)

   SPACING          Extra blank spaces or tabs within data lines.

   TRAILING_SPACES  Space and tab characters at the end of a data
                    line.

   Keyword          Status of Ignored Items in Output

   EDITED           Omits ignored characters from the output
                    records.

   EXACT            Includes ignored characters in the output
                    records.

   PRETTY           Formats output records.

   Each data line is checked for COMMENTS, FORM_FEEDS, HEADER,
   and SPACING before it is tested for TRAILING_SPACES and then
   BLANK_LINES. Therefore, if you direct the DIFFERENCES command to
   ignore COMMENTS, TRAILING_SPACES, and BLANK_LINES, it ignores a
   record that contains several spaces or blank lines followed by a
   comment.

   By default, the DIFFERENCES command compares every character
   in each file and reports all differences. Also, by default, the
   DIFFERENCES command lists records in the output file with all
   ignored characters deleted.

   If you specify the /PARALLEL qualifier, output records are
   always formatted. To format output records, specify the following
   characters:

   Character              Formatted Output

   Tab (Ctrl/I)           1-8 spaces
   Return (Ctrl/M)        <CR>
   Line feed (Ctrl/J)     <LF>
   Vertical tab (Ctrl/K)  <VT>
   Form feed (Ctrl/L)     <FF>
   Other nonprinting      . (period)
   characters
 

/MATCH

      /MATCH=size

   Specifies the number of records that should indicate matching
   data after a difference is found. By default, after the
   DIFFERENCES command finds unmatched records, it assumes that the
   files once again match after it finds three sequential records
   that match. Use the /MATCH qualifier to override the default
   match size of 3.

   You can increase the /MATCH qualifier value if you feel that
   the DIFFERENCES command is incorrectly matching sections of
   the master and revision input files after it has detected a
   difference.
 

/MAXIMUM_DIFFERENCES

      /MAXIMUM_DIFFERENCES=n

   Terminates the DIFFERENCES command after the specified number of
   unmatched records (specified with the n parameter) is found.

   The number of unmatched records is determined by finding the
   maximum number of difference records for each difference section
   and adding them together.

   If the DIFFERENCES command reaches the maximum number of
   differences that you specify, it will output only those records
   that were detected before the maximum was reached. Also, it will
   output, at most, one listing format and return a warning message.

   By default, there is no maximum number of differences. All
   records in the specified input files are compared.
 

/MERGED

      /MERGED[=n]

   Specifies that the output file contain a merged list of
   differences with the specified number of matched records listed
   after each group of unmatched records. The value of the parameter
   n must be less than or equal to the number specified in the
   /MATCH qualifier. By default, the DIFFERENCES command produces
   a merged listing with one matched record listed after each set
   of unmatched records (that is, /MERGED=1). If the /MERGED, the
   /SEPARATED, or the /PARALLEL qualifier is not specified, the
   resulting output is merged, with one matched record following
   each unmatched record.

   Use the /MERGED qualifier to override the default value of the
   parameter n, or to include a merged listing with other types of
   output.
 

/MODE

      /MODE=(radix[,...])

   Specifies the format of the output. You can request that the
   output be formatted in one or more radix modes by specifying the
   following keywords, which may be abbreviated: ASCII (default),
   HEXADECIMAL, or OCTAL. If you specify only one radix, you can
   omit the parentheses.

   By default, the DIFFERENCES command writes the output file in
   ASCII. If you specify more than one radix, the output listing
   contains the file comparison in each specified radix. When you
   specify two or more radix modes, separate them with commas.

   If you specify the /PARALLEL or the /SLP qualifier, the /MODE
   qualifier is ignored for that listing form.
 

/NUMBER

      /NUMBER (default)
      /NONUMBER

   Includes line numbers in the listing of DIFFERENCES.
 

/OUTPUT

      /OUTPUT[=filespec]

   Specifies an output file to receive the list of differences.
   By default, the output is written to the current SYS$OUTPUT
   device. If the filespec parameter is not specified, the output
   is directed to the first input file with a file type .DIF. The
   asterisk (*) and the percent sign (%) wildcard characters are not
   allowed.

   When you specify the /OUTPUT qualifier, you can control the
   defaults applied to the output file specification as described
   in the OpenVMS User's Manual. The default output file type is
   .DIF.
 

/PAGE

      /PAGE[=keyword]
      /NOPAGE (default)

   Controls the display of difference information on the screen.

   You can use the following keywords with the /PAGE qualifier:

   CLEAR_SCREEN   Clears the screen before each page is displayed.

   SCROLL         Displays information one line at a time.

   SAVE[=n]       Enables screen navigation of information, where n
                  is the number of pages to store.

   The /PAGE=SAVE qualifier allows you to navigate through screens
   of information. The /PAGE=SAVE qualifier stores up to 5 screens
   of up to 255 columns of information. When you use the /PAGE=SAVE
   qualifier, you can use the following keys to navigate through the
   information:

   Key Sequence              Description

   Up arrow (^  ), Ctrl/B    Scroll up one line.
   Down arrow (v  )          Scroll down one line.
   Left arrow (< - )         Scroll left one column.
   Right arrow (- > )        Scroll right one column.
   Find (E1)                 Specify a string to find when the
                             information is displayed.
   Insert Here (E2)          Scroll right one half screen.
   Remove (E3)               Scroll left one half screen.
   Select (E4)               Toggle 80/132 column mode.
   Prev Screen (E5)          Get the previous page of information.
   Next Screen (E6),         Get the next page of information.
   Return, Enter, Space
   F10, Ctrl/Z               Exit. (Some utilities define these
                             differently.)
   Help (F15)                Display utility help text.
   Do (F16)                  Toggle the display to oldest/newest
                             page.
   Ctrl/W                    Refresh the display.

   The /PAGE qualifier is not compatible with the /OUTPUT qualifier.
 

/PARALLEL

      /PARALLEL[=n]

   Lists the records with differences side by side. The value of
   the parameter n specifies the number of matched records to merge
   after each unmatched record; it must be a non-negative decimal
   number less than or equal to the number specified in the /MATCH
   qualifier.

   By default, the DIFFERENCES command does not list records after
   each list of unmatched records. Also by default, the DIFFERENCES
   command creates only a list of merged differences.
 

/SEARCH

      /SEARCH="string"

   Use with the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier to specify a string that you
   want to find in the information being displayed. Quotation marks
   are required for the /SEARCH qualifier, if you include spaces in
   the text string.

   You can also dynamically change the search string by pressing the
   Find key (E1) while the information is being displayed. Quotation
   marks are not required for a dynamic search.
 

/SEPARATED

      /SEPARATED[=MASTER, REVISION]

   Lists sequentially only the records from the specified file
   that contain differences. Use the MASTER keyword to list
   the differences in the first input file specified; use the
   REVISION keyword to list the difference in the second input file
   specified.

   By default, the DIFFERENCES command creates only a merged list of
   differences.
 

/SLP

   Requests that the DIFFERENCES command produce an output file
   suitable for input to the SLP editor. If you use the /SLP
   qualifier, you cannot specify any of the following output file
   qualifiers: /MERGED, /PARALLEL, /SEPARATED, or /CHANGE_BAR.

   Use the output file produced by the SLP qualifier as input to
   SLP to update the master input file, that is, to make the master
   input file match the revision input file.

   When you specify the /SLP qualifier and you do not specify the
   /OUTPUT qualifier, the DIFFERENCES command writes the output file
   to a file with the same file name as the master input file with
   the file type DIF.
 

/WIDTH

      /WIDTH=n

   Specifies the width of the lines in the output file. The default
   is 132 characters. If output is written to the terminal, the
   /WIDTH qualifier is ignored and the terminal line width is used.

   Use the SET TERMINAL command to change the terminal line width.
 

/WINDOW

      /WINDOW=size

   Searches the number of records specified by the size parameter,
   before a record is declared as unmatched. By default, the
   DIFFERENCES command searches to the ends of both input files
   before listing a record as unmatched.

   The window size is the minimum size of a differences section
   that will cause the DIFFERENCES command to lose synchronization
   between the two input files.
 

/WRAP

      /WRAP
      /NOWRAP (default)

   Use with the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier to limit the number of columns
   to the width of the screen and to wrap lines that extend beyond
   the width of the screen to the next line.

   The /NOWRAP qualifier extends lines beyond the width of the
   screen and can be seen when you use the scrolling (left and
   right) features provided by the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier.
 

2  Examples

   1.$ DIFFERENCES EXAMPLE.TXT
     ************
     File DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;2
         1   DEMONSTRATION
         2   OF V3.0 DIFFERENCES
         3   UTILITY
     ******
     File DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;1
         1   DEMONSTRETION
         2   OF VMS DIFFERENCES
         3   UTILITY
     ************
     Number of difference sections found: 1
     Number of difference records found: 2
     DIFFERENCES/MERGED=1-
            DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;2
            DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;1

     In this example, the DIFFERENCES command compares the contents
     of the two most recent versions of the file EXAMPLE.TXT in the
     current default directory. The DIFFERENCES command compares
     every character in every record and displays the results at the
     terminal.
 


   2.$ DIFFERENCES/WIDTH=80/MODE=(HEX,ASCII) EXAMPLE.TXT/CHANGE_BAR
     ************
     File DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;2
         1 ! DEMONSTRATION
         2 ! OF V3.0 DIFFERENCES
         3   UTILITY
     ************
     ************
     File DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;2
     RECORD NUMBER 1 (00000001) LENGTH 14 (0000000E)  ***CHANGE***
          204E 4F495441 5254534E 4F4D4544 DEMONSTRATION .. 000000
     RECORD NUMBER 2 (00000002) LENGTH 19 (00000013)  ***CHANGE***
      4E455245 46464944 20302E33 5620464F OF V3.0 DIFFEREN 000000
                                   534543 CES............. 000010
     RECORD NUMBER 3 (00000003) LENGTH 7 (00000007)
                          595449 4C495455 UTILITY......... 000000
     ************
     Number of difference sections found: 1
     Number of difference records found: 2
     DIFFERENCES /WIDTH=80/MODE=(HEX,ASCII)
            DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;2/CHANGE_BAR-
            DISK1:[GEORGE.TEXT]EXAMPLE.TXT;1

     The DIFFERENCES command compares the same files as in
     Example 1, but lists the differences in both hexadecimal and
     ASCII formats. The command also specifies that default change
     bars be used in the output. The default change bar notation for
     the hexadecimal output is ***CHANGE***. For the ASCII output,
     the default change bar character is the exclamation point.

   3.$ DIFFERENCES/OUTPUT BOSTON::DISK2:TEST.DAT OMAHA::DISK1:[PGM]TEST.DAT

     The DIFFERENCES command compares two remote files and displays
     any differences found. The first file is TEST.DAT on remote
     node BOSTON. The second file is also named TEST.DAT on remote
     node OMAHA. The DIFFERENCES output is located in the file
     DISK1:[PGM]TEST.DIF.
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1 DIFFERENCES
