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#### Unified Format

The unified output format is a variation on the context format that is more compact because it omits redundant context lines. To select this output format, use the `-U lines`, `--unified[=lines]`, or `-u` option. The argument lines is the number of lines of context to show. When it is not given, it defaults to three.

At present, only GNU `diff` can produce this format and only GNU `patch` can automatically apply diffs in this format. For proper operation, `patch` typically needs at least three lines of context.

- Detailed Unified: A detailed description of unified format.
- Example Unified: Sample output in unified format.