DEBDIFF(1)

NAME
debdiff - compare file lists in two Debian packages

SYNOPSIS
debdiff [options] ... deb1 deb2
debdiff [options] ... changes1 changes2
debdiff [options] ... --from deb1a deb1b ... --to deb2a deb2b ...
debdiff [options] ... dsc1 dsc2

DESCRIPTION
debdiff takes the names of two Debian package files (.debs or .udebs) on the command line and compares their contents (considering only the files in the main package, not the maintenance scripts). It shows which files have been introduced and which removed between the two package files, and is therefore useful for spotting files which may have been inadvertently lost between revisions of the package. It also checks the file owners and permissions, and compares the control files of the two packages using the wdiff program.

debdiff can also handle changes between groups of .deb files in two ways. The first is to specify two .changes files. In this case, the .deb files listed in the .changes file will be compared, by taking the contents of all of the listed .deb files together. (The .deb files listed are assumed to be in the same directory as the .changes file.) The second way is to list the .deb files of interest specifically using the --from ... --to syntax. These both help if a package is broken up into smaller packages and one wishes to ensure that nothing is lost in the interim.

debdiff examines the devscripts configuration files as described below. Command line options override the configuration file settings, though.

If debdiff is passed two source packages (.dsc files) it will compare the contents of the source packages. If the source packages differ only in Debian revision number (that is, the .orig.tar.gz files are the same in the two .dsc files), then interdiff(1) will be used to compare the two patch files if this program is available on the system, otherwise a diff will be performed between the two source trees.

OPTIONS

--dirs, -d
    The default mode of operation is to ignore directory names which appear in the file list, but they, too, will be considered if this option is given.

--nodirs
    Ignore directory names which appear in the file list. This is the default and it can be used to override a configuration file setting.

--move FROM TO, -m FROM TO
    It sometimes occurs that various files or directories are moved around between revisions. This can be handled using this option. There are two arguments, the first giving the location of the directory or file in the first package, and the second in the second. Any files in the first listing whose names begin with the first argument are treated as having that substituted for the second argument when the file lists are compared. Any number of --move arguments may be given; they are processed in the order in which they appear.

--move-regex FROM TO
    This is the same as --move, except that FROM is treated as a regular expression and the perl substitution command s/^FROM/TO/ is applied to the files. In particular, TO can make use of backreferences such as $1.

--nocontrol
    debdiff will usually compare the respective control files of the packages using wdiff(1). This option suppresses this part of the processing.

--control
    Compare the respective control files; this is the default, and it can be used to override a configuration file setting.

--controlfiles FILE,FILE,...
    Specify which control files to compare; by default this is just control, but could include postinst, config and so on. Files will only be compared if they are present in both .debs being compared. The special value ALL compares all control files present in both packages, except for md5sums. This option can be used to override a configuration file setting.

--wp, --wl, --wt
    Pass a -p, -l or -t option to wdiff respectively. (This yields the whole wdiff output rather than just the lines with any changes.)

--show-moved
    If multiple .deb files are specified on the command line, either using .changes files or the --from/--to syntax, then this option will also show which files (if any) have moved between packages. (The package names are simply determined from the names of the .deb files.)

--noshow-moved
    The default behaviour; can be used to override a configuration file setting.

--renamed FROM TO
    If --show-moved is being used and a package has been renamed in the process, this command instructs debdiff to treat the package in the first list called FROM as if it were called TO. Multiple uses of this option are permitted.

--exclude PATTERN
    Exclude files that match PATTERN. Multiple uses of this option are permitted.

--no-conf, --noconf
    Do not read any configuration files. This can only be used as the first option given on the command-line.

--help, -h
    Show a summary of options.

--version, -v
    Show version and copyright information.

--quiet, -q
    Be quiet if no differences were found.

CONFIGURATION VARIABLES
The two configuration files /etc/devscripts.conf and ~/.devscripts are sourced by a shell in that order to set configuration variables. Command line options can be used to override configuration file settings. Environment variable settings are ignored for this purpose. The currently recognised variables are:

DEBDIFF_DIRS
    If this is set to yes, then it is the same as the --dirs command line parameter being used.

DEBDIFF_CONTROL
    If this is set to no, then it is the same as the --nocontrol command line parameter being used. The default is yes.

DEBDIFF_CONTROLFILES
    Which control files to compare, corresponding to the --controlfiles command line option. The default is control.

DEBDIFF_SHOW_MOVED
    If this is set to yes, then it is the same as the --show-moved command line parameter being used.

DEBDIFF_WDIFF_OPT
    This option will be passed to wdiff; it should be one of -p, -l or -t.

EXIT VALUES
Normally the exit value will be 0 if no differences are reported and 1 if any are reported. If there is some fatal error, the exit code will be non-zero, and will depend upon the type of error encountered: if it was an external error, then it will be the exit code of that program, else it should be 255.

SEE ALSO
dpkg-deb(1), wdiff(1), interdiff(1) and devscripts.conf(5).

AUTHOR
debdiff was originally written as a shell script by Yann Dirson <dirson@debian.org> and rewritten in Perl with many more features by Julian Gilbey <jdg@debian.org>. The software may be freely redistributed under the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public Licence, version 2.