vimdiff: Compare and Merge File Differences

Overview

vimdiff utilizes Vim's diff mode to display multiple files side-by-side and automatically highlights the changed sections. Users can leverage Vim's full editing capabilities to explore differences and easily merge changes when needed.

Key Features

Side-by-side or top-bottom file comparison
Automatic highlighting of differences and synchronized scrolling
Ability to navigate and selectively merge changes
Supports comparison of up to 8 files simultaneously
Leverages all of Vim's editing and navigation features

Key Options

vimdiff essentially calls the 'vim -d' command, so you can utilize various Vim command-line options. Here are some key options useful when using vimdiff.

Specifying Files

Startup Settings

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Usage Examples

Let's explore various scenarios for comparing and merging files using vimdiff.

Comparing Two Files

vimdiff file_original.txt file_modified.txt

The most basic usage, visually comparing the differences between two files.

Comparing Three Files

vimdiff file_version1.txt file_version2.txt file_version3.txt

Compare three files simultaneously to grasp the differences between each file at a glance.

Applying Specific Options on Startup

vimdiff -c 'set diffopt=filler' fileA.txt fileB.txt

Start vimdiff with the `diffopt` setting to begin comparison by filling in blank lines. This is useful when the number of lines differs significantly between files.

Comparing Files in Read-Only Mode

vimdiff -R file_old.txt file_new.txt

Use this when you only want to check for differences without the intention of modifying the file content.

Installation

vimdiff is provided as part of the Vim editor package. Most Linux distributions have Vim installed by default, or you can easily install it via a package manager.

Debian/Ubuntu

Install Vim using the apt package manager.

Command: sudo apt update && sudo apt install vim

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

Install Vim using the yum or dnf package manager.

Command (CentOS/RHEL): sudo yum install vim
Command (Fedora): sudo dnf install vim

macOS

Install Vim using Homebrew.

Command: brew install vim

Tips & Notes

Here are some tips and notes for using vimdiff more efficiently.

Key Vimdiff Internal Commands

Useful commands you can use within a vimdiff session.

`[c` or `:diffget` (Move to the previous difference)
`]c` or `:diffput` (Move to the next difference)
`dp` (diffput): Apply changes from the current buffer to another buffer
`do` (diffget): Fetch changes from another buffer into the current buffer
`:diffupdate`: Manually update differences (useful after editing files)
`:qa` or `:qall`: Close all diff windows and exit

Scroll Synchronization

By default, all diff windows have synchronized scrolling. You can disable scroll synchronization for a specific window with the `set noscrollbind` command. To re-enable synchronization, use `set scrollbind`.

Setting Diff Options (`diffopt`)

You can finely control the diff display method using the `set diffopt=` command. For example, `set diffopt=filler,context:3` fills blank lines and displays 3 lines of context.