- ':' <mode> ' ' <mode> ' ' <sha1> ' ' <sha1> I <path> I <path> L
-
-By default, I and L are '\t' and '\n' respectively. When '-z'
-flag is in effect, both I and L are '\0'.
-
-In each <mode>, <sha1> and <path> pair, left hand side describes
-the left hand side of what is being compared (<tree-ish> in
-git-diff-cache, <tree-ish-1> in git-diff-tree, cache contents in
-git-diff-files). Non-existence is shown by having 000000 in the
-<mode> column. That is, 000000 appears as the first <mode> for
-newly created files, and as the second <mode> for deleted files.
-
-Usually two <path> are the same. When rename/copy detection is
-used, however, an "create" and another "delete" records can be
-merged into a single record that has two <path>, old name and
-new name.
-
-<sha1> is shown as all 0's if new is a file on the filesystem
-and it is out of sync with the cache. Example:
-
- :100644 100644 5be4a4...... 000000...... file.c file.c
+------------------------------------------------
+in-place edit :100644 100644 bcd1234... 0123456... M file0
+copy-edit :100644 100644 abcd123... 1234567... C68 file1 file2
+rename-edit :100644 100644 abcd123... 1234567... R86 file1 file3
+create :000000 100644 0000000... 1234567... A file4
+delete :100644 000000 1234567... 0000000... D file5
+unmerged :000000 000000 0000000... 0000000... U file6
+------------------------------------------------
+
+That is, from the left to the right:
+
+. a colon.
+. mode for "src"; 000000 if creation or unmerged.
+. a space.
+. mode for "dst"; 000000 if deletion or unmerged.
+. a space.
+. sha1 for "src"; 0\{40\} if creation or unmerged.
+. a space.
+. sha1 for "dst"; 0\{40\} if creation, unmerged or "look at work tree".
+. a space.
+. status, followed by optional "score" number.
+. a tab or a NUL when '-z' option is used.
+. path for "src"
+. a tab or a NUL when '-z' option is used; only exists for C or R.
+. path for "dst"; only exists for C or R.
+. an LF or a NUL when '-z' option is used, to terminate the record.
+
+<sha1> is shown as all 0's if a file is new on the filesystem
+and it is out of sync with the index.
+
+Example:
+
+------------------------------------------------
+:100644 100644 5be4a4...... 000000...... M file.c
+------------------------------------------------
+
+When `-z` option is not used, TAB, LF, and backslash characters
+in pathnames are represented as `\t`, `\n`, and `\\`,
+respectively.