DELTA(1)                             BSD                              DELTA(1)



NAME
     delta - make a delta (change) to an SCCS file

SYNOPSIS
     delta  -r[SID] [ -s ] [ -n ] [ -glist ] [ -m[mrlist] ] [ -y[comment] ] [
     -p ] file ...

DESCRIPTION
     delta permanently introduces into the named SCCS file changes made to the
     file retrieved by get(1) (called the g-file, or generated file).

     delta makes a delta to each named SCCS file.  If you name a directory,
     delta behaves as though each file in the directory were specified as a
     named file, except that it silently ignores non-SCCS and unreadable
     files.  If you specify a dash (-) in place of a filename, delta reads
     from the standard input, interpreting each line as the name of an SCCS
     file to be processed.

     delta issues prompts on the standard output, depending on the presence of
     certain options in the SCCS file.  See admin(1) for more information.

OPTIONS
     The options described below apply independently to each named file.


     -rSID     Uniquely identify which delta is to be made to the SCCS file.
               This option is necessary only if the same person (log-in name)
               has two or more outstanding get commands for editing (get -e)
               on the same SCCS file.  The SID value specified with this
               keyletter is either the SID specified on the get command line
               or the SID to be made as reported by the get(1) command.  If
               you specify an ambiguous SID or if you omit it when it must be
               present, a diagnostic results.

     -s        Do not print the created delta's SID or the number of lines
               inserted, deleted, and unchanged in the SCCS file on standard
               output.

     -n        Retain the edited g-file normally removed at completion of
               delta processing.

     -glist    Specify a list of deltas to be ignored when the file is
               accessed at the change level (SID) created by this delta.  See
               get(1) for the definition of list.

     -m[mrlist]
               If the SCCS file has the v flag set, you must supply a
               modification request (MR) number as the reason for creating the
               new delta.  See admin(1) for more information.

               If -m is not used, and the standard input is a terminal, delta
               issues the prompt "MRs?" on the standard output before it reads
               the standard input; if the standard input is not a terminal,
               delta does not issue a prompt.  This particular prompt always
               precedes the prompt for comments (see the -y option).  MRs in a
               list are separated by blanks and/or tab characters.  An
               unescaped newline character terminates the MR list.

               Note that if the v flag has a value, it is taken to be the name
               of a program (or shell procedure) that validates the
               correctness of the MR numbers.  If a nonzero exit status is

               returned from the MR number validation program, delta assumes
               that the MR numbers were not all valid, and it terminates.

     -y[comment]
               Specify arbitrary text to describe the reason for making the
               delta.  A null string is considered a valid comment.

               If you do not specify -y, and the standard input is a terminal,
               delta issues the prompt ``comments?'' on the standard output
               before it reads the standard input.  If the standard input is
               not a terminal, delta does not issue a prompt. Use an unescaped
               newline character to terminate the comment text.

     -p        On the standard output, print the SCCS file differences before
               and after the delta is applied.  Use a diff(1) format.

BUGS
     Lines beginning with an SOH ASCII character (binary 001) cannot be placed
     in the SCCS file unless you escape the SOH.  This character has special
     meaning to SCCS and causes an error if you do not escape it.  Refer to
     sccsfile(4) for more information.

     Avoid a get of many SCCS files, followed by a delta of those files, when
     the get generates a lot of data.  Instead, use multiple get/delta
     sequences.

     If you specify the standard input on the delta command line, you must use
     the -m and/or -y keyletters.

     Comments are limited to text strings of 512 characters.

FILES
     g-file            Existed before the execution of delta; removed after
                       completion of delta.
     p-file            Existed before the execution of delta; may exist after
                       completion of delta.
     q-file            Created during the execution of delta; removed after
                       completion of delta.
     x-file            Created during the execution of delta; renamed to SCCS
                       file after completion of delta.
     z-file            Created during the execution of delta; removed during
                       the execution of delta.
     d-file            Created during the execution of delta; removed after
                       completion of delta.
     /usr/bin/bdiff    Program to compute differences between the "gotten"
                       file and the g-file.

DIAGNOSTICS
     Use help(1) for explanations.

SEE ALSO
     admin(1), bdiff(1), cdc(1), get(1), help(1), prs(1), rmdel(1), sccs(1),
     sccsfile(4)