mtree enhancement request

["Malcolm Herbert" <mjch%mjch.net@localhost>]

I have a request for the developers in charge of mtree, although I am
not sure who they are to ask them directly.

How hard would it be to add functionality to mtree to allow it to detail
the differences between a file tree and the specification as an mtree
specification itself? ... ie, combine the existing functionality for the
-c and -W options ...

For example, here's how I'd expect it might be used:

mtree -c -p dirtree -K md5 > dirtree-0.mtree
[mods made to dirtree]
cat dirtree-*.mtree | mtree -? -M -p dirtree -K md5 > dirtree-1.mtree
[further mods made to dirtree]
cat dirtree-*.mtree | mtree -? -M -p dirtree -K md5 > dirtree-2.mtree
:
:

where -? represents the as-yet undefined option to perform this magic

Yes, this sort of thing can currently be done by writing out the
specification with the -C or -D option and then using diff against both
copies, but if mtree already allows _combining_ mtree specifications
then this would seem to be the final piece to the puzzle.

Regards,
Malcolm

-- 
Malcolm Herbert                                This brain intentionally
mjch%mjch.net@localhost                                                left 
blank