====== quilt(1) ======
''quilt'' is an excellent patch management utility. Especially upgrading a stack of many patches is often a pain in the ass. 
Using ''quilt'' all that matters are the right commands at the right time. :)


===== Refreshing External Patches =====
Not every project is using ''quilt'', but that's not a problem, one can use it nevertheless.

Assuming the patches are to be applied in alphabetical order and residing in ${PATCHES_DIR},
after unpacking the source package and ''cd'''ing into the root directory, you can use the following
script to import all patches in one run:
  for i in ${PATCHES_DIR}/*.patch; do 
          quilt import -P `basename $i` $i 
          quilt push `basename $i`
  done

Go back to the initial state:
  quilt pop -a

To actually update the patches, run:
  while quilt push; do 
          quilt refresh -p 1 -u --no-index --backup
  done
you will find the updated patches inside //patches/// along with their original version suffixed with tilde.

To get a total diff, use this script:
  for i in patches/*.patch; do 
          diff ${i}~ $i
  done >quilt_check.log
sometimes some ''grep'''ing is helpful, e.g.:
  cat quilt_check.log| grep -v -- '---' | grep -v '@@' | grep -v '+++' | grep -v 'diff ' | grep -ve '[0-9]*c'

====== Links ======
[[http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/quilt|Quilt Homepage]]