EdiffMode

Ediff makes patching easier:

This package provides a convenient way of simultaneous browsing through the differences between a pair (or a triple) of files or buffers. The files being compared, file-A, file-B, and file-C (if applicable) are shown in separate windows (side by side, one above the other or in separate frames) and the differences are highlighted as you step through them. You can also copy difference regions from one buffer to another (and recover old differences if you change your mind).

Ediff also supports merging operations on files and buffers, including merging using ancestor versions. Both comparison and merging operations can be performed on directories, i.e. by pairwise comparison of files in those directories.

In addition Ediff can apply a patch to a file and then let you step through both files, the patched and the original one, simultaneously, difference-by-difference. You can even apply a patch right out of a mail buffer, i.e. patches received by mail don’t even have to be saved. Since Ediff lets you copy differences between buffers, you can, in effect, apply patches selectively (i.e. you can copy a difference region from file_orig to file, thereby undoing any particular patch that you don’t like).

Ignoring Whitespace and Case Sensitivity

You can ignore whitespace or case sensitivity in two ways:

See also DiscussionOfWhitespace

From The Command Line

bojohan wrote on gnu.emacs.help:

    (defun command-line-diff (switch)
      (let ((file1 (pop command-line-args-left))
            (file2 (pop command-line-args-left)))
        (ediff file1 file2)))
    
    (add-to-list 'command-switch-alist '("diff" . command-line-diff))
    
    ;; Usage: emacs -diff file1 file2

That version is nice, but it opens a new Emacs for every diff. If you do not want that then there were other suggestions on the list that instead uses GnuClient.

With GNU Emacs 23.1.1 on Ubuntu 10.04, I was obliged to add a dash like below:

    (add-to-list 'command-switch-alist '("-diff" . command-line-diff))

Configuration

By default ediff spawns a new frame to display files to be compared or merged. Some prefer to just use the selected frame. Also it splits window vertically to display files and one might find it hard to perceive provided information in such way. In such a case horizontal splitting is more attractive.

To make ‘ediff’ operate on selected-frame use the following:

    ;; This is what you probably want if you are using a tiling window
    ;; manager under X, such as ratpoison.
    (setq ediff-window-setup-function 'ediff-setup-windows-plain)

To make ediff to be horizontally split use:

    (setq ediff-split-window-function 'split-window-horizontally)

Note that you can also split the window depending on the frame width:

    (setq ediff-split-window-function (if (> (frame-width) 150)
                                          'split-window-horizontally
                                        'split-window-vertically))

This will split the window horizontally if the frame is wider than 150 chars and vertically otherwise. --EmilioLopes

I also found that ediff has numerous hooks over its functions and I try to make ediff a little handy over window operations. What I want is a window-configuration restore after ediff exits, so I will have window layout just as before ediff, also I want easily to restore ediff window layout after I break it (for example switch to other buffer in one of diffed window). So we get:

    ;; Some custom configuration to ediff
    (defvar my-ediff-bwin-config nil "Window configuration before ediff.")
    (defcustom my-ediff-bwin-reg ?b
      "*Register to be set up to hold `my-ediff-bwin-config'
    configuration.")
    
    (defvar my-ediff-awin-config nil "Window configuration after ediff.")
    (defcustom my-ediff-awin-reg ?e
      "*Register to be used to hold `my-ediff-awin-config' window
    configuration.")
    
    (defun my-ediff-bsh ()
      "Function to be called before any buffers or window setup for
    ediff."
      (setq my-ediff-bwin-config (current-window-configuration))
      (when (characterp my-ediff-bwin-reg)
    	(set-register my-ediff-bwin-reg
    		      (list my-ediff-bwin-config (point-marker)))))
     
    (defun my-ediff-ash ()
      "Function to be called after buffers and window setup for ediff."
      (setq my-ediff-awin-config (current-window-configuration))
      (when (characterp my-ediff-awin-reg)
    	(set-register my-ediff-awin-reg
    		      (list my-ediff-awin-config (point-marker)))))
    
    (defun my-ediff-qh ()
      "Function to be called when ediff quits."
      (when my-ediff-bwin-config
    	(set-window-configuration my-ediff-bwin-config)))
    
    (add-hook 'ediff-before-setup-hook 'my-ediff-bsh)
    (add-hook 'ediff-after-setup-windows-hook 'my-ediff-ash 'append)
    (add-hook 'ediff-quit-hook 'my-ediff-qh)

This kind of configuration will do the following. WindowConfiguration before any ediff operations will be saved to a register defined in my-ediff-bwin-reg and window configuration after ediff complete on window layout will be saved to my-ediff-awin-reg, so in ediff mode you may restore the old window configuration by jumping to my-ediff-bwin-reg and jump back to ediff window configuration by jumping to my-ediff-awin-reg (see WindowConfiguration). After ediff quits, the old (before ediff) window configuration will be restored.

I changed the characterp to symbolp in gnu emacs and this approach works great, except that the control frame sticks around…

The problem is with the order of the functions in ‘ediff-quit-hook’. I fixed the above by telling ‘add-hook’ to append to ‘ediff-quit-hook’. See the documentation of ‘ediff-quit-hook’ in the Ediff InfoMode manual.

If you just want to save the window configuration, try the code bellow:

   (add-hook 'ediff-load-hook
             (lambda ()
    
               (add-hook 'ediff-before-setup-hook
                         (lambda ()
                           (setq ediff-saved-window-configuration (current-window-configuration))))
    
               (let ((restore-window-configuration
                      (lambda ()
                        (set-window-configuration ediff-saved-window-configuration))))
                 (add-hook 'ediff-quit-hook restore-window-configuration 'append)
                 (add-hook 'ediff-suspend-hook restore-window-configuration 'append))))

--EmilioLopes

Enlarge Ediff Control Panel frame size and make it to be selected by default. The default frame size of Ediff Control Panel is too small to be selected by mouse. And when I issue ediff from EmacsClient, it used to be not selected by default. To work out this problem, add this code snippet into ‘ediff-startup-hook.

    (add-hook 'ediff-startup-hook
              (lambda () 
                (progn
                  (select-frame-by-name "Ediff")
                  (set-frame-size(selected-frame) 40 10))))

--DavidYoung

Separate window problem

Ediff controlled via separate window. There is no easy workaround to eliminate this window. Here is attempt Ediffnw for two files case that rebind all keys.

Discussion

EdiffMode can also be used with pcl-cvs (see ConcurrentVersionsSystem). To use it, type d e on some selected file. The original file will be fetched from cvs and then ediff applies to it - very useful. --ZajcevEvgeny

Another way to get your original window configuration back after running ediff is to use WinnerMode. --BryanMurdock

I came up with a simple configuration that seems to work OK for me with XEmacs. (I’m hedging a little because I haven’t been using this for very long.) It creates a new frame for an ediff session and closes it when done:

    (load-library "ediff")
    (add-hook 'ediff-before-setup-hook 'new-frame)
    (add-hook 'ediff-quit-hook 'delete-frame)
    (setq ediff-window-setup-function 'ediff-setup-windows-plain)
    (setq ediff-split-window-function 'split-window-vertically)

--DanMuller

EMacro’s e-common.el https://emacro.sourceforge.net/ provides code for side-by-side ediff comparisons. It checks if you are running in a GUI windowing system, then expands the width of Emacs or XEmacs to 160 columns or the smaller width of the desktop, checks if ECB is running, then restores everything back, when you quit. In spite of this, the code is pretty small.

My .emacs has the concept of project roots. If I’m refering to another src tree I just select a secondary root and then if I want to compare to he other source tree I use a custom ediff invocation:

;; Define a current-project-root
;
; In most cases I open emacs at the top of a src tree. Searches and compiles
; can then use this as a starting point
;
; change with (setq current-project-root (chomp (shell-command-to-string "pwd")))
(defvar current-project-root
  (concat (chomp (shell-command-to-string "pwd")))
  "Describes the current project root dir (top of src tree)")

(defun set-project-root ()
  "Set a primary project root"
  (interactive)
  (setq current-project-root
        (read-file-name "Project Root:")))

;; secondary-project-root
;
; Sometimes your working with two source trees. The secondary tree is
; tracked and useful for bringing up ediff's and the like
;

(defvar secondary-project-root
  ()
  "Describes a secondary project root (say for quick ediff)")

(defun set-secondary-root ()
  "Set a secondary project root"
  (interactive)
  (setq secondary-project-root
        (read-file-name "Secondary Project Root:")))

;; my-ediff-secondary
;
; See if we can find the equivilent file in a secondary project root
; and bring up ediff on it.

(defun my-ediff-secondary ()
  "Load the secondary equivilent file of this buffer and ediff it"
  (interactive)
  (message (concat "buffer name is " (buffer-file-name)))
  (let
      (
       (primary-buffer (buffer-file-name))
       (secondary-buffer (replace-regexp-in-string
                          current-project-root secondary-project-root
                          (buffer-file-name))))
    ; sanity
    (if (file-exists-p secondary-buffer)
        (ediff-files secondary-buffer primary-buffer)
      (message (concat "Couldn't find secondary buffer: "
                       secondary-buffer)))))

--AlexBennee

Here is how to make ediff-directories use Tramp to test the equality of remote files. This takes care of those annoying “remote file” messages. If anybody reads this who maintains ediff, please look into supporting Tramp. This code is just a quick hack.

(defun ediff-listable-file (file-name)
  (let ((handler (find-file-name-handler file-name 'file-local-copy)))
    (or (null handler) (eq handler 'dired-handler-fn) (eq handler 'tramp-file-name-handler))))

(defun ediff-same-file-contents (f1 f2)
  "Return t if files F1 and F2 have identical contents."
  (if (and (not (file-directory-p f1))
           (not (file-directory-p f2)))
      (let ((res
	     (apply 'call-process ediff-cmp-program nil nil nil
		    (append ediff-cmp-options
                            (list (if (tramp-tramp-file-p f1)
                                      (tramp-handle-file-local-copy f1)
                                      f1)
                                  (if (tramp-tramp-file-p f2)
                                      (tramp-handle-file-local-copy f2)
                                      f2))))))
	(and (numberp res) (eq res 0)))))

--JohnFoerch

Don’t compare large files (> 10M) using ediff-files (or ediff) or you will receive error messages like “Errors in diff output”. Open the files in Emacs and use ‘ediff-buffers’ instead. I’ve also found out that when I compare binary files I also get “Errors in diff output” message. To solve it open both files in separate buffers, and then change the mode to hexl-mode. Now you can use ediff-buffers to compare files.

--MateuszKopij

For a wrapper script and some instructions on setting up subversion to use Emacs’ 

ediff-merge-files-with-ancestor

as the interactive conflict resolution tool please see my blog post at: https://zaakbeekman.blogspot.com/2011/04/using-emacs-ediff-as-graphical-merge.html --IzaakBeekman

I’ve used fink to get Emacs 23.1-104 installed on Mac OSX 10.6.4, and I use X11. Most of the time I try to access a file, it works as normal where I enter text in the minibuffer, but I am having problems using ediff. For some reason ediff launches a GUI file selector window which hangs intermittently, sometimes completely. Prior implementations of ediff just allowed me to enter the text of the two files in the mini-buffer. Does anyone how to either a) get back to the old method, or b) fix whatever is hanging in the communication between the OS, emacs, and the file server? Thank - Mark

I don’t understand the advice about whitespace, particularly the interactive toggling. Here’s an example: I have used ediff to compare 2 files, one of which has been edited and saved on Windows. Because of the carriage returns the whole file is one big diff. OK, I toggle whitespace with “##” and now I have one big ignored diff! That’s not what I wanted/expected – I wanted ediff to re-run the diff with -w and give me a useful diff.

The discussion of ignoring whitespace differences above seems to conflate “ignoring whitespace diffs that have been computed” and “ignoring whitespace when computing,” so is not as helpful as it could be.

– RobertPGoldman

See EdiffOnWThirtyTwo

See also DiffMode and EmergeDiff

CategoryProgrammerUtils CategoryComparing