git-rm: honor -n flag.

[git.git] / Documentation / git-diff.txt

diff --git a/Documentation/git-diff.txt b/Documentation/git-diff.txt
index f43a60f..7ab2080 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/git-diff.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-diff.txt
@@ -3,25 +3,103 @@ git-diff(1)
 
 NAME
 ----
-git-diff - Some git command not yet documented.
+git-diff - Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc
 
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
-'git-diff' [ --option ] <args>...
+'git-diff' [ --diff-options ] <ent>{0,2} [<path>...]
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
-Does something not yet documented.
+Show changes between two ents, an ent and the working tree, an
+ent and the index file, or the index file and the working tree.
+The combination of what is compared with what is determined by
+the number of ents given to the command.
 
+* When no <ent> is given, the working tree and the index
+  file is compared, using `git-diff-files`.
+
+* When one <ent> is given, the working tree and the named
+  tree is compared, using `git-diff-index`.  The option
+  `--cached` can be given to compare the index file and
+  the named tree.
+
+* When two <ent>s are given, these two trees are compared
+  using `git-diff-tree`.
 
 OPTIONS
 -------
---option::
-       Some option not yet documented.
+--diff-options::
+       '--diff-options' are passed to the `git-diff-files`,
+       `git-diff-index`, and `git-diff-tree` commands.  See the
+       documentation for these commands for description.
+
+<path>...::
+       The <path> arguments are also passed to `git-diff-\*`
+       commands.
+
+
+EXAMPLES
+--------
+
+Various ways to check your working tree::
++
+------------
+$ git diff            <1>
+$ git diff --cached   <2>
+$ git diff HEAD       <3>
+------------
++
+<1> changes in the working tree since your last git-update-index.
+<2> changes between the index and your last commit; what you
+would be committing if you run "git commit" without "-a" option.
+<3> changes in the working tree since your last commit; what you
+would be committing if you run "git commit -a"
+
+Comparing with arbitrary commits::
++
+------------
+$ git diff test            <1>
+$ git diff HEAD -- ./test  <2>
+$ git diff HEAD^ HEAD      <3>
+------------
++
+<1> instead of using the tip of the current branch, compare with the
+tip of "test" branch.
+<2> instead of comparing with the tip of "test" branch, compare with
+the tip of the current branch, but limit the comparison to the
+file "test".
+<3> compare the version before the last commit and the last commit.
+
+
+Limiting the diff output::
++
+------------
+$ git diff --diff-filter=MRC            <1>
+$ git diff --name-status -r             <2>
+$ git diff arch/i386 include/asm-i386   <3>
+------------
++
+<1> show only modification, rename and copy, but not addition
+nor deletion.
+<2> show only names and the nature of change, but not actual
+diff output.  --name-status disables usual patch generation
+which in turn also disables recursive behavior, so without -r
+you would only see the directory name if there is a change in a
+file in a subdirectory.
+<3> limit diff output to named subtrees.
 
-<args>...::
-       Some argument not yet documented.
+Munging the diff output::
++
+------------
+$ git diff --find-copies-harder -B -C  <1>
+$ git diff -R                          <2>
+------------
++
+<1> spend extra cycles to find renames, copies and complete
+rewrites (very expensive).
+<2> output diff in reverse.
 
 
 Author
@@ -34,5 +112,5 @@ Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 
 GIT
 ---
-Part of the link:git.html[git] suite
+Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite