NUMDIFF(1)

NAME
numdiff - compare similar files with numeric fields

DESCRIPTION
Usage: numdiff -h|--help|-v|--version or

numdiff [-s IFS][-D DELIMS][-a THRVAL[:RANGE|:RANGE1:RANGE2]][-r THRVAL[:RANGE|:RANGE1:RANGE2]][-2][-F NUM][-# NUM][-P][-N][-I][-c CURRNAME][-d C1C2][-t C1C2][-g N1N2][-p C1C2][-n C1C2][-e C1C2][-i C1C2][-X 1:RANGE][-X 2:RANGE][-E][-U][-b][-V][-O[NUM]][-q][-S][-z 1:RANGE][-z 2:RANGE][-Z 1:RANGE][-Z 2:RANGE][-m][-H][-f[NUM]][-T][-B][-l PATH][-o PATH] FILE1 FILE2

Compare putatively similar files line by line and field by field, ignoring small numeric differences or/and different numeric formats.

RANGE, RANGE1 and RANGE2 stay for a positive integer value or for a range of integer values, like 1-, 3-5 or -7. The two arguments after the options are the names of the files to compare. The complete paths of the files should be given, a directory name is not accepted. The given paths cannot refer to the same file but one of them can be "-", which refers to stdin.

Exit status: 1 if files differ, 0 if they are equal, -1 (255) in case of error

-s, --separators=IFS

    Specify the set of characters to use as delimiters while splitting the input lines into fields (The default set of delimiters is space, tab and newline). If IFS is prefixed with 1: or 2: then use the given delimiter set only for the lines from the first or the second file respectively

-D, --delimiters=DELIMS

    Specify the set of strings to use as delimiters while splitting the input lines into fields (The default set of delimiters is space, tab and newline). If DELIMS is prefixed with 1: or 2: then use the given delimiter set only for the lines from the first or the second file respectively

-a, --absolute-tolerance=THRVAL[:RANGE|:RANGE1:RANGE2]

    Set to THRVAL the maximum absolute difference permitted before that two numeric fields are regarded as different (The default value is zero). If a RANGE is given, use the specified threshold only when comparing fields whose positions lie in RANGE. If both RANGE1 and RANGE2 are given and have the same length, then use the specified threshold when comparing a field of FILE1 lying in RANGE1 with the corresponding field of FILE2 in RANGE2

-r, --relative-tolerance=THRVAL[:RANGE|:RANGE1:RANGE2]

    Set to THRVAL the maximum relative difference permitted before that two numeric fields are regarded as different (The default value is zero). If a RANGE is given, use the specified threshold only when comparing fields whose positions lie in RANGE. If both RANGE1 and RANGE2 are given and have the same length, then use the specified threshold when comparing a field of FILE1 lying in RANGE1 with the corresponding field of FILE2 in RANGE2

-2, --strict

    Consider two numerical values as equal only if both absolute and relative difference do not exceed the corresponding tolerance threshold

-F, --formula=NUM

    Use the formula indicated by NUM to compute the relative errors. If 'NUM' is 0 use the classic formula. If 'NUM' is 1 compute the relative errors by considering the values in FILE1 as sample values. If 'NUM' is 2 compute the relative errors by considering the values in FILE2 as sample values.

-#, --digits=NUM

    Set to NUM the number of digits in the significands used in multiple precision arithmetic

-P, --positive-differences

    Ignore all differences due to numeric fields of the second file that are less than the corresponding numeric fields in the first file

-N, --negative-differences

    Ignore all differences due to numeric fields of the second file that are greater than the corresponding numeric fields in the first file

-I, --ignore-case

    Ignore changes in case while doing literal comparisons

-c, --currency=CURRNAME

    Set to CURRNAME the currency name for the two files to compare. CURRNAME must be prefixed with 1: or 2: to specify the currency name only for the first or the second file

-d, --decimal-point=C1C2

    Specify the characters representing the decimal point in the two files to compare

-t, --thousands-separator=C1C2

    Specify the characters representing the thousands separator in the two files to compare

-g, --group-length=N1N2

    Specify the number of digits forming each group of thousands in the two files to compare

-p, --plus-prefix=C1C2

    Specify the (optional) prefixes for positive values used in the two files to compare

-n, --minus-prefix=C1C2

    Specify the prefixes for negative values used in the two files to compare

-e, --exponent-letter=C1C2

    Specify the exponent letters used in the two files to compare

-i, --imaginary-unit=C1C2

    Specify the characters representing the imaginary unit in the two files to compare

-X, --exclude=1:RANGE

    Select the fields of the first file that have to be ignored

-X, --exclude=2:RANGE

    Select the fields of the second file that have to be ignored

-E, --essential

    While printing the differences between the two compared files show only the numerical ones

-U, --dummy

    While printing the differences between the two compared files neglect all the numerical ones (dummy mode)

-b, --brief

    Suppress all messages concerning the differences discovered in the structures of the two files

-V, --verbose

    For every couple of lines which differ in at least one field print an header to show how these lines appear in the two compared files

-O, --overview[=NUM]

    Display a side by side difference listing of the two files showing which lines are present only in one file, which lines are present in both files but with one or more differing fields, and which lines are identical. If 'NUM' is zero or is not specified, output at most 130 columns per line. If 'NUM' is a positive number, output at most 'NUM' columns per line. If 'NUM' is a negative number, do not output common lines and display at most -'NUM' columns per line.

-q, --quiet, --silent

    Suppress all the standard output

-S, --statistics

    Add some statistics to the standard output

-z, --blur-if-numerical=1:RANGE

    Select the fields of the first file that have to be blurred during the synchronization procedure only if they turn out to be numeric

-z, --blur-if-numerical=2:RANGE

    Select the fields of the second file that have to be blurred during the synchronization procedure only if they turn out to be numeric

-Z, --blur-unconditionally=1:RANGE

    Select the fields of the first file that have to be unconditionally blurred during the synchronization procedure

-Z, --blur-unconditionally=2:RANGE

    Select the fields of the second file that have to be unconditionally blurred during the synchronization procedure

-m, --minimal

    During synchronization try hard to find a smaller set of changes

-H, --speed-large-files

    During synchronization assume large files and many scattered small changes

-f, --test-filter[=NUM]

    Run only the filter and then show the results of its attempt to synchronize the two files. If 'NUM' is zero or is not specified, output at most 130 columns per line. If 'NUM' is a positive number, output at most 'NUM' columns per line. If 'NUM' is a negative number, do not output common lines and display at most -'NUM' columns per line.

-T, --expand-tabs

    Expand tabs to spaces in output while displaying the results of the synchronization procedure (meaningful only together with option -O or -f)

-B, --binary

    Treat both files as binary files (only meaningful under Doz/Windoz)

-l, --warnings-to=PATH

    Redirect warning and error messages from stderr to the indicated file

-o, --output=PATH

    Redirect output from stdout to the indicated file

-h, --help

    Show help message and predefined settings

-v, --version

    Show version number, Copyright, Distribution Terms and NO-Warranty

Default numeric format (for both files to compare):

Currency name = ""
Decimal point = `.'
Thousands separator = `,'
Number of digits in each thousands group = 3
Leading positive sign = `+'
Leading negative sign = `-'
Prefix for decimal exponent = `e'
Symbol used to denote the imaginary unit = `i'

COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Ivano Primi <ivprimi@libero.it>
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later, see <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO
The full documentation for numdiff is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and numdiff programs are properly installed at your site, the command

    info numdiff

should give you access to the complete manual.