Documentation/git-difftool.txt

   1 git-difftool(1)
   2 ===============
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-difftool - Show changes using common diff tools
   7
   8 SYNOPSIS
   9 --------
  10 [verse]
  11 'git difftool' [<options>] [<commit> [<commit>]] [--] [<path>...]
  12
  13 DESCRIPTION
  14 -----------
  15 'git difftool' is a Git command that allows you to compare and edit files
  16 between revisions using common diff tools.  'git difftool' is a frontend
  17 to 'git diff' and accepts the same options and arguments. See
  18 linkgit:git-diff[1].
  19
  20 OPTIONS
  21 -------
  22 -d::
  23 --dir-diff::
  24         Copy the modified files to a temporary location and perform
  25         a directory diff on them. This mode never prompts before
  26         launching the diff tool.
  27
  28 -y::
  29 --no-prompt::
  30         Do not prompt before launching a diff tool.
  31
  32 --prompt::
  33         Prompt before each invocation of the diff tool.
  34         This is the default behaviour; the option is provided to
  35         override any configuration settings.
  36
  37 --rotate-to=<file>::
  38         Start showing the diff for the given path,
  39         the paths before it will move to end and output.
  40
  41 --skip-to=<file>::
  42         Start showing the diff for the given path, skipping all
  43         the paths before it.
  44
  45 -t <tool>::
  46 --tool=<tool>::
  47         Use the diff tool specified by <tool>.  Valid values include
  48         emerge, kompare, meld, and vimdiff. Run `git difftool --tool-help`
  49         for the list of valid <tool> settings.
  50 +
  51 If a diff tool is not specified, 'git difftool'
  52 will use the configuration variable `diff.tool`.  If the
  53 configuration variable `diff.tool` is not set, 'git difftool'
  54 will pick a suitable default.
  55 +
  56 You can explicitly provide a full path to the tool by setting the
  57 configuration variable `difftool.<tool>.path`. For example, you
  58 can configure the absolute path to kdiff3 by setting
  59 `difftool.kdiff3.path`. Otherwise, 'git difftool' assumes the
  60 tool is available in PATH.
  61 +
  62 Instead of running one of the known diff tools,
  63 'git difftool' can be customized to run an alternative program
  64 by specifying the command line to invoke in a configuration
  65 variable `difftool.<tool>.cmd`.
  66 +
  67 When 'git difftool' is invoked with this tool (either through the
  68 `-t` or `--tool` option or the `diff.tool` configuration variable)
  69 the configured command line will be invoked with the following
  70 variables available: `$LOCAL` is set to the name of the temporary
  71 file containing the contents of the diff pre-image and `$REMOTE`
  72 is set to the name of the temporary file containing the contents
  73 of the diff post-image.  `$MERGED` is the name of the file which is
  74 being compared. `$BASE` is provided for compatibility
  75 with custom merge tool commands and has the same value as `$MERGED`.
  76
  77 --tool-help::
  78         Print a list of diff tools that may be used with `--tool`.
  79
  80 --[no-]symlinks::
  81         'git difftool''s default behavior is create symlinks to the
  82         working tree when run in `--dir-diff` mode and the right-hand
  83         side of the comparison yields the same content as the file in
  84         the working tree.
  85 +
  86 Specifying `--no-symlinks` instructs 'git difftool' to create copies
  87 instead.  `--no-symlinks` is the default on Windows.
  88
  89 -x <command>::
  90 --extcmd=<command>::
  91         Specify a custom command for viewing diffs.
  92         'git-difftool' ignores the configured defaults and runs
  93         `$command $LOCAL $REMOTE` when this option is specified.
  94         Additionally, `$BASE` is set in the environment.
  95
  96 -g::
  97 --[no-]gui::
  98         When 'git-difftool' is invoked with the `-g` or `--gui` option
  99         the default diff tool will be read from the configured
 100         `diff.guitool` variable instead of `diff.tool`. The `--no-gui`
 101         option can be used to override this setting. If `diff.guitool`
 102         is not set, we will fallback in the order of `merge.guitool`,
 103         `diff.tool`, `merge.tool` until a tool is found.
 104
 105 --[no-]trust-exit-code::
 106         'git-difftool' invokes a diff tool individually on each file.
 107         Errors reported by the diff tool are ignored by default.
 108         Use `--trust-exit-code` to make 'git-difftool' exit when an
 109         invoked diff tool returns a non-zero exit code.
 110 +
 111 'git-difftool' will forward the exit code of the invoked tool when
 112 `--trust-exit-code` is used.
 113
 114 See linkgit:git-diff[1] for the full list of supported options.
 115
 116 CONFIG VARIABLES
 117 ----------------
 118 'git difftool' falls back to 'git mergetool' config variables when the
 119 difftool equivalents have not been defined.
 120
 121 diff.tool::
 122         The default diff tool to use.
 123
 124 diff.guitool::
 125         The default diff tool to use when `--gui` is specified.
 126
 127 difftool.<tool>.path::
 128         Override the path for the given tool.  This is useful in case
 129         your tool is not in the PATH.
 130
 131 difftool.<tool>.cmd::
 132         Specify the command to invoke the specified diff tool.
 133 +
 134 See the `--tool=<tool>` option above for more details.
 135
 136 difftool.prompt::
 137         Prompt before each invocation of the diff tool.
 138
 139 difftool.trustExitCode::
 140         Exit difftool if the invoked diff tool returns a non-zero exit status.
 141 +
 142 See the `--trust-exit-code` option above for more details.
 143
 144 SEE ALSO
 145 --------
 146 linkgit:git-diff[1]::
 147          Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc
 148
 149 linkgit:git-mergetool[1]::
 150         Run merge conflict resolution tools to resolve merge conflicts
 151
 152 linkgit:git-config[1]::
 153          Get and set repository or global options
 154
 155 GIT
 156 ---
 157 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite