Various ways to check your working tree::
+
------------
-$ git diff <1>
-$ git diff --cached <2>
-$ git diff HEAD <3>
-
+$ git diff <1>
+$ git diff --cached <2>
+$ git diff HEAD <3>
+------------
++
<1> changes in the working tree since your last git-update-index.
<2> changes between the index and your last commit; what you
would be committing if you run "git commit" without "-a" option.
<3> changes in the working tree since your last commit; what you
would be committing if you run "git commit -a"
-------------
Comparing with arbitrary commits::
+
------------
-$ git diff test <1>
-$ git diff HEAD -- ./test <2>
-$ git diff HEAD^ HEAD <3>
-
+$ git diff test <1>
+$ git diff HEAD -- ./test <2>
+$ git diff HEAD^ HEAD <3>
+------------
++
<1> instead of using the tip of the current branch, compare with the
tip of "test" branch.
<2> instead of comparing with the tip of "test" branch, compare with
the tip of the current branch, but limit the comparison to the
file "test".
<3> compare the version before the last commit and the last commit.
-------------
Limiting the diff output::
+
------------
-$ git diff --diff-filter=MRC <1>
-$ git diff --name-status -r <2>
-$ git diff arch/i386 include/asm-i386 <3>
-
+$ git diff --diff-filter=MRC <1>
+$ git diff --name-status -r <2>
+$ git diff arch/i386 include/asm-i386 <3>
+------------
++
<1> show only modification, rename and copy, but not addition
nor deletion.
<2> show only names and the nature of change, but not actual
diff output. --name-status disables usual patch generation
-which in turn also disables recursive behaviour, so without -r
+which in turn also disables recursive behavior, so without -r
you would only see the directory name if there is a change in a
file in a subdirectory.
<3> limit diff output to named subtrees.
-------------
Munging the diff output::
+
------------
-$ git diff --find-copies-harder -B -C <1>
-$ git diff -R <2>
-
+$ git diff --find-copies-harder -B -C <1>
+$ git diff -R <2>
+------------
++
<1> spend extra cycles to find renames, copies and complete
rewrites (very expensive).
<2> output diff in reverse.
-------------
Author