dired-backup-diff only diffs with the latest backup

dired-backup-diff only diffs with the latest backup

[Dan Jacobson]

    ESC = runs the command dired-backup-diff
    Diff this file with its backup file or vice versa.
    Uses the latest backup, if there are several numerical backups.

How inflexible.

    With prefix arg, prompt for argument SWITCHES which is options for `diff'.

You could make this: if ARG is 1,2,3... diff with the next, second to
next... latest backup.  Otherwise prompt for switches. If ARG is -1 -2
-3... do the same as 1, 2, 3, but also prompt for switches.
-- 
http://jidanni.org/ Taiwan(04)25854780

Re: dired-backup-diff only diffs with the latest backup

[Eli Zaretskii]

On 24 Nov 2002, Dan Jacobson wrote:

>     ESC = runs the command dired-backup-diff
>     Diff this file with its backup file or vice versa.
>     Uses the latest backup, if there are several numerical backups.
> 
> How inflexible.

The "Uses the latest backup" thing just means that the latest backup is 
_suggested_as_the_default_ when Emacs prompts for the second file name.  
There's nothing in the world that prevents you from editing, say, 
"foo.bar.~123~" into "foo.bar.~1~" in the minibuffer when you are at that 
prompt.

By contrast, I'm quite sure that the special meaning of the values 1, 2, 
3, etc. of ARG will be remembered by exactly 2 persons in the whole world: 
Dan Jacobson and the programmer who will implement his suggestion.

In other words, too much flexibility is not necessarily a Good Thing.

Re: dired-backup-diff only diffs with the latest backup

[Dan Jacobson]

>>>>> "Eli" == Eli Zaretskii <eliz@is.elta.co.il> writes:

Eli> On 24 Nov 2002, Dan Jacobson wrote:

>> ESC = runs the command dired-backup-diff
>> Diff this file with its backup file or vice versa.
>> Uses the latest backup, if there are several numerical backups.
>> 
>> How inflexible.

Eli> The "Uses the latest backup" thing just means that the latest backup is 
Eli> _suggested_as_the_default_ when Emacs prompts for the second file name.  
Eli> There's nothing in the world that prevents you from editing, say, 
Eli> "foo.bar.~123~" into "foo.bar.~1~" in the minibuffer when you are at that 
Eli> prompt.

Prompts for the second file: I bet you are thinking about the = command, not ESC =

Even with C-u ESC = all one is given to modify is "-c"

I bet you think my backup files are right there handy in the same
dir., however, I (require 'backup-dir)

When I hit ESC = I see
cd ~/analog/
diff -c /home/jidanni/.backups/analog.cfg\!\!\!home\!jidanni\!analog\!.\~24\~ /home/jidanni/analog/analog.cfg

I don't see any feature in emacs that is going to help me from telling
emacs by hand the whole path of ....~23~, in case I want to diff with
it instead of the latest, even though emacs knows where the latest,
24, is.

Eli> By contrast, I'm quite sure that the special meaning of the values 1, 2, 
Eli> 3, etc. of ARG will be remembered by exactly 2 persons in the whole world: 
Eli> Dan Jacobson and the programmer who will implement his suggestion.

OK, then how about ESC 23 ESC = do the diff with backup #23

Or maybe one should diff 23 with 24, not with the current version.

>>>>> "A" == Andreas Schwab <schwab@suse.de> writes:

A> Not necessary.  Just type M-= on the backup you want to diff with.

I bet you think my backup files are right there handy in the same
dir., however, I 
(require 'backup-dir)
(setq bkup-backup-directory-info
      '(("/home/jidanni/.*"
	 "/home/jidanni/.backups/" ok-create full-path prepend-name)
	("^/[^/:]+:"     ".backups/") ; handle EFS files specially: don't
	("^/[^/:]+:"     "./")        ; search-upward... its very slow
	(t               ".backups/"
                         full-path prepend-name search-upward)))

Re: dired-backup-diff only diffs with the latest backup

[Andreas Schwab]

Dan Jacobson <jidanni@dman.ddts.net> writes:

|>     ESC = runs the command dired-backup-diff
|>     Diff this file with its backup file or vice versa.
                                              ^^^^^^^^^^
|>     Uses the latest backup, if there are several numerical backups.
|> 
|> How inflexible.
|> 
|>     With prefix arg, prompt for argument SWITCHES which is options for `diff'.
|> 
|> You could make this: if ARG is 1,2,3... diff with the next, second to
|> next... latest backup.  Otherwise prompt for switches. If ARG is -1 -2
|> -3... do the same as 1, 2, 3, but also prompt for switches.

Not necessary.  Just type M-= on the backup you want to diff with.

Andreas.

-- 
Andreas Schwab, SuSE Labs, schwab@suse.de
SuSE Linux AG, Deutschherrnstr. 15-19, D-90429 Nürnberg
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