cmp(C)
cmp --
compare two files
Syntax
cmp [ -l ] [ -s ] file1 file2
Description
cmp compares two files. By default, if they are different,
it displays the byte and line number at which the first difference
occurred. If
file1 or file2 is ``-'', standard input
is used.
The options are:
-l-
Prints the byte number (decimal) and the
differing bytes (octal) for each difference.
-s-
Returns an exit code only, 0 for identical files, 1 for different
files, and 2 for inaccessible or missing files.
cmp understands the -- option delimiter.
This command is most useful for comparing binary files. Use
diff(C)
or
diff3(C)
to compare the textual content of text files.
Exit values
cmp returns the following values:
0-
the files are identical
1-
the files are different: this includes the case where one file is
identical to the first part of the other
>1-
an error occurred
See also
comm(C),
diff(C),
diff3(C)
Standards conformance
cmp is conformant with:
ISO/IEC DIS 9945
2:1992, Information technology Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) Part 2: Shell and Utilities (IEEE Std 1003.21992);
AT&T SVID Issue 2;
X/Open CAE Specification, Commands and Utilities, Issue 4, 1992.
© 2003 Caldera International, Inc. All rights reserved.
SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.7 -- 11 February 2003