


MERGE(1)                                                 MERGE(1)


NAME
       merge - three-way file merge

SYNOPSIS
       merge [ -L label1 [ -L label3 ] ] [ -p ] [ -q ] file1
       file2 file3

DESCRIPTION
       merge incorporates all changes that lead from file2 to
       file3 into file1.  The result goes to standard output if
       -p is present, into file1 otherwise.  merge is useful for
       combining separate changes to an original.  Suppose file2
       is the original, and both file1 and file3 are
       modifications of file2.  Then merge combines both changes.

       An overlap occurs if both file1 and file3 have changes in
       a common segment of lines.  On a few older hosts where
       diff3 does not support the -E option, merge does not
       detect overlaps, and merely supplies the changed lines
       from file3.  On most hosts, if overlaps occur, merge
       outputs a message (unless the -q option is given), and
       includes both alternatives in the result.  The
       alternatives are delimited as follows:

              <<<<<<< file1
              lines in file1
              =======
              lines in file3
              >>>>>>> file3

       If there are overlaps, the user should edit the result and
       delete one of the alternatives.  If the -L label1 and
       -L label3 options are given, the labels are output in
       place of the names file1 and file3 in overlap reports.

DIAGNOSTICS
       Exit status is 0 for no overlaps, 1 for some overlaps, 2
       for trouble.

IDENTIFICATION
       Author: Walter F. Tichy.
       Revision Number: 5.4; Release Date: 1992/02/17.
       Copyright 1982, 1988, 1989 by Walter F. Tichy.
       Copyright 1990, 1991 by Paul Eggert.

SEE ALSO
       diff3(1), diff(1), rcsmerge(1), co(1).










GNU                         1992/02/17                          1


