uutils/diffutils

`diff3` command is not implemented

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#15 opened on Feb 18, 2024

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good first issue

Description

Currently uutils' diffutils only implements the diff executable.

But GNU's diffutils also provide cmp, diff3 and sdiff.

This issue is a tracker for the implementation of the diff3 utility.

Documentation: https://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/manual/html_node/Invoking-diff3.html.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
cli
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Rust programmingUnderstanding of diff algorithm
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
Start by reading the GNU diff3 documentation at the linked URL to understand the command line interface and behavior. Examine the existing diff implementation in the same repository to identify reusable patterns for argument parsing, output formatting, and testing. Plan to implement diff3 from scratch, possibly breaking it into smaller sub tasks like parsing three way input, computing common subsequences, and merging with conflict markers.