/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=#
|
- If you do not specify a change bar character, the default is an
exclamation point (!) for ASCII output.
- 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.
- If neither the NUMBER nor the NONUMBER keyword is specified, the
default is controlled by the /[NO]NUMBER command qualifier.
- If you specify only one option, you can omit the parentheses.
- If you use an exclamation point (!) as the specified character, you
must enclose it in quotation marks (" "); for example,
/CHANGE_BAR=("!",NUMBER).
/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[=keyword]
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=(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]
|
Defines
n records of the file as header records, 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 header size and defaults to 2. A record
containing only a single form feed is not counted in
n.)
|
|
SPACING
|
Extra spaces or tabs within data lines.
|
|
TRAILING_SPACES
|
Space and tab characters at the end of a data line.
|
|
WHITE_SPACE
|
All spaces and tab characters.
|
| 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. The following table shows the corresponding output for the
various characters that are being translated:
| 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 characters
|
. (period)
|
/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=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[=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, /SEPARATED, or /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=(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 (default)
/NONUMBER
Includes line numbers in the listing of DIFFERENCES.
/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[=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 key, Ctrl/B
|
Scroll up one line.
|
|
Down arrow key
|
Scroll down one line.
|
|
Left arrow key
|
Scroll left one column.
|
|
Right arrow key
|
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), Return, Enter, Space
|
Get the next page of information.
|
|
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[=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="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[=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
differences 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=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=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
/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.
