Difference between revisions of "Patch"

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==NAME==
 
patch - apply a diff file to an original
 
  
==SYNOPSIS==
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A '''patch''' is a file that is used to modify other files, usually [[ROM]]s. The [[Sonic scene]] has seen several types of patches, including [[IPS]] and [[RXL]], used for [[ROM hacks]]. Patches were used during a time when downloading full ROMs would be a lengthy task for slow Internet connections, but with the advent of high-speed Internet connections, patches have fallen into disuse as hackers have made fully modified ROMs available.
'''patch''' [''options''] [''originalfile'' [''patchfile'']]
 
 
 
but usually just
 
 
 
'''patch''' -p''num'' <''patchfile''
 
 
 
==DESCRIPTION==
 
'''patch'''  takes  a  patch  file ''patchfile'' containing a difference listing produced by the '''diff''' program and applies those differences to one or more original files, producing patched versions.  Normally  the  patched versions are put in place of the originals.  Backups can be made; see the '''-b''' or '''--backup option'''.  The names of the files  to  be  patched  are  usually taken  from  the patch file, but if there’s just one file to be patched it can specified on the command line as ''originalfile''.
 
 
 
Upon startup, patch attempts to determine the type of the diff listing, unless overruled by a  '''-c''' ('''--context'''), '''-e''' ('''--ed'''), '''-n''' ('''--normal'''), or '''-u''' ('''--unified''') option.  Context diffs (old-style, new-style, and unified) and normal diffs are applied by the  '''patch'''  program  itself, while '''ed''' diffs are simply fed to the '''ed'''(1) editor via a pipe.
 
 
 
'''patch''' tries to skip any leading garbage, apply the diff, and then skip any trailing garbage.  Thus you could feed an article or message containing a diff listing to '''patch''', and it should work.  If the entire diff is indented by a consistent amount, or if a context diff contains lines ending in CRLF or is encapsulated one or more times by prepending "'''-'''  " to lines starting with "'''-'''" as specified by Internet RFC 934, this is taken into account.
 
 
 
With context diffs, and to a lesser extent with normal diffs, '''patch''' can detect when the line numbers mentioned in the patch are incorrect, and attempts to find the  correct  place to apply each hunk of the patch.  As a first guess, it takes the line number mentioned for the hunk, plus or minus any offset used in applying the previous hunk.  If that is not the correct place, '''patch''' scans both forwards and backwards for a set of lines matching the context given in the hunk.  First '''patch''' looks for a place where all lines of the context match.  If no such place is found, and it’s a context diff, and the maximum fuzz factor is set to 1 or more, then another scan takes place ignoring the first and last line of context.  If that fails, and the maximum fuzz factor is set to 2 or more, the first two and last two lines of context are ignored, and another scan is made.  (The default maximum fuzz factor  is 2.)  If '''patch''' cannot find a place to install that hunk of the patch, it puts the hunk out to a reject file, which normally is the name of the output file plus a  '''.rej'''  suffix, or '''#''' if '''.rej''' would generate a file name that is too long (if even appending the single character '''#''' makes the file name too long, then '''#''' replaces the file name’s last  character).  (The  rejected hunk comes out in ordinary context diff form regardless of the input patch’s form.  If the input was a normal diff, many of the contexts are  simply  null.)  The line numbers on the hunks in the reject file may be different than in the patch file: they reflect the approximate location patch thinks the failed hunks belong in the  new file rather than the old one.
 
 
 
As each hunk is completed, you are told if the hunk failed, and if so which line (in the new file) '''patch''' thought the hunk should go on.  If the hunk is installed at a different line from the line number specified in the diff you are told the offset.  A single large offset may indicate that a hunk was installed in the wrong place.  You are also told if a fuzz factor was used to make the match, in which case you should also be slightly suspicious.  If the '''--verbose''' option is given, you are also told about hunks that match exactly.
 
 
 
If no original file ''origfile'' is specified on the command line, '''patch''' tries to figure out from the leading garbage what the name of the file to edit is, using the following rules.
 
 
 
First, '''patch''' takes an ordered list of candidate file names as follows:
 
 
 
* If the header is that of a context diff, '''patch''' takes the old and new file names in the header.  A name is ignored if it does not have enough slashes to satisfy the '''-p'''''num'' or '''--strip='''''num'' option.  The name '''/dev/null''' is also ignored.
 
 
 
* If there is an '''Index:''' line in the leading garbage and if either the old and new names are both absent or if '''patch''' is conforming to POSIX, '''patch''' takes the name in the '''Index:''' line.
 
 
 
* For the purpose of the following rules, the candidate file names are considered to be in the order (old, new, index), regardless of the order that they appear in the header.
 
 
 
Then '''patch''' selects a file name from the candidate list as follows:
 
 
 
* If some of the named files exist, '''patch''' selects the first name if conforming to POSIX, and the best name otherwise.
 
 
 
* If '''patch''' is not ignoring RCS, ClearCase, and SCCS (see the '''-g''' ''num'' or '''--get='''''num''  option), and  no named files exist but an RCS, ClearCase, or SCCS master is found, '''patch''' selects the first named file with an RCS, ClearCase, or SCCS master.
 
 
 
* If no named files exist, no RCS, ClearCase, or SCCS master was found, some names are given, '''patch''' is not conforming to POSIX, and the patch appears to create a file, '''patch''' selects the best name requiring the creation of the fewest directories.
 
 
 
* If no file name results from the above heuristics, you are asked for the name of the file to patch, and '''patch''' selects that name.
 
 
 
To determine the best of a nonempty list of file names, '''patch''' first takes all the names with the fewest path name components; of those, it then takes all the names with the shortest basename; of those, it then takes all the shortest names; finally, it takes the first remaining name.
 
 
 
Additionally, if the leading garbage contains a '''Prereq:''' line, '''patch''' takes the first word from the prerequisites line (normally a version number) and checks the original file to see if that word can be found.  If not, '''patch''' asks for confirmation before proceeding.
 
 
 
The upshot of all this is that you should be able to say, while in a news interface, something like the following:
 
 
 
'''| patch -d /usr/src/local/blurfl'''
 
 
 
and patch a file in the '''blurfl''' directory directly from the article containing the patch.
 
 
 
If the patch file contains more than one patch, '''patch''' tries to apply each of them as if they came from separate patch files.  This means, among other things, that it is assumed that the name of the file to patch must be determined for each diff listing, and that the garbage before each diff listing contains interesting things such as file names and revision level, as mentioned previously.
 
 
 
==OPTIONS==
 
{|class="prettytable"
 
!Parameter||Description
 
|-
 
|'''-b''' or '''--backup'''
 
|Make backup files.  That is, when patching a file, rename or copy the original instead of removing it.  When backing up a file that does not exist, an empty, unreadable backup file is created as a place holder to represent the nonexistent file.  See the '''-V''' or '''--version-control''' option for details about how backup file names are determined.
 
|-
 
|'''--backup-if-mismatch'''
 
|Back up a file if the patch does not match the file exactly and if backups are not otherwise requested.  This is the default unless '''patch''' is conforming to POSIX.
 
|-
 
|'''--no-backup-if-mismatch'''
 
|Do not back up a file if the patch does not match the file exactly and if backups are not otherwise requested.  This is the default if '''patch''' is conforming to POSIX.
 
|-
 
|'''-B''' ''pref'' or '''--prefix='''''pref''
 
| Prefix ''pref'' to a file name when generating its simple backup file  name.  For example, with '''-B /junk/''' the simple backup file name for '''src/patch/util.c''' is '''/junk/src/patch/util.c'''.
 
|-
 
|'''--binary'''
 
| Read and write all files in binary mode, except for standard output and '''/dev/tty'''.  This option has no effect on POSIX-conforming systems.  On systems like DOS where this option makes a difference, the patch should be generated by '''diff -a --binary'''.
 
|-
 
|'''-c''' or '''--context'''
 
| Interpret the patch file as a ordinary context diff.
 
|-
 
|'''-d''' ''dir'' or '''--directory='''''dir''
 
| Change to the directory ''dir'' immediately, before doing anything else.
 
|-
 
|'''-D''' ''define'' or '''--ifdef='''''define''
 
| Use the '''#ifdef''' ... '''#endif''' construct to mark changes, with ''define'' as the differentiating symbol.
 
|-
 
|'''--dry-run'''
 
| Print the results of applying the patches without actually changing any files.
 
|-
 
|'''-E''' or '''--remove-empty-files'''
 
| Remove output files that are empty after the patches have been applied.  Normally this option is unnecessary, since '''patch''' can examine the time stamps on the header to determine whether a file should exist after patching.  However, if the input is not a context diff or if '''patch''' is conforming to POSIX, '''patch''' does not remove empty patched files unless this option is given.  When '''patch''' removes a file, it also attempts to remove any empty ancestor directories.
 
|-
 
|'''-f''' or '''--force'''
 
| Assume that the user knows exactly what he or she is doing, and do  not  ask  any  questions.  Skip patches whose headers do not say which file is to be patched; patch files even though they have the wrong version for the '''Prereq:''' line in the  patch; and assume that patches are not reversed even if they look like they are.  This option does not suppress commentary; use '''-s''' for that.
 
|}
 
 
 
[[Category:Programs]]
 

Revision as of 19:57, 20 February 2009


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A patch is a file that is used to modify other files, usually ROMs. The Sonic scene has seen several types of patches, including IPS and RXL, used for ROM hacks. Patches were used during a time when downloading full ROMs would be a lengthy task for slow Internet connections, but with the advent of high-speed Internet connections, patches have fallen into disuse as hackers have made fully modified ROMs available.