


MERGE(1)	    Printed December 19, 1991		 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: 5.3; Release Date: 1991/02/28.
     Copyright O 1982, 1988, 1989 by Walter F. Tichy.
     Copyright O 1990, 1991 by Paul Eggert.

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








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