diff --git a/lib/utils_files.py b/lib/utils_files.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b1ed94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/utils_files.py
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+r"""
+This module contains file functions such as file_diff.
+"""
+
+import time
+import os
+import re
+from gen_cmd import cmd_fnc_u
+robot_env = 1
+try:
+    from robot.libraries.BuiltIn import BuiltIn
+    from robot.libraries import DateTime
+except ImportError:
+    robot_env = 0
+
+
+##########################################################################
+def file_diff(file1_path,
+              file2_path,
+              diff_file_path,
+              skip_string):
+    r"""
+    Compare the contents of two text files.  The comparison uses the Unix
+    'diff' command.  Differences can be selectively ignored by use of
+    the skip_string parameter.  The output of diff command is written
+    to a user-specified file and is also written (logged) to the console.
+
+    Description of arguments:
+    file1_path       File containing text data.
+    file2_path       Text file to compare to file1.
+    diff_file_path   Text file which will contain the diff output.
+    skip_string      To allow for differences which may expected or immaterial,
+                     skip_string parameter is a word or a string of comma
+                     separated words which specify what should be ignored.
+                     For example, "size,speed".  Any line containing the word
+                     size or the word speed will be ignored when the diff is
+                     performed.  This parameter is optional.
+
+    Returns:
+    0 if both files contain the same information or they differ only in
+      items specified by the skip_string.
+    2 if FILES_DO_NOT_MATCH.
+    3 if INPUT_FILE_DOES_NOT_EXIST.
+    4 if IO_EXCEPTION_READING_FILE.
+    5 if IO_EXCEPTION_WRITING_FILE.
+    6 if INPUT_FILE_MALFORMED
+    """
+
+    FILES_MATCH = 0
+    FILES_DO_NOT_MATCH = 2
+    INPUT_FILE_DOES_NOT_EXIST = 3
+    IO_EXCEPTION_READING_FILE = 4
+    IO_EXCEPTION_WRITING_FILE = 5
+    INPUT_FILE_MALFORMED = 6
+
+    # The minimum size in bytes a file must be.
+    min_file_byte_size = 1
+
+    now = time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+
+    if (not os.path.exists(file1_path) or (not os.path.exists(file2_path))):
+        return INPUT_FILE_DOES_NOT_EXIST
+    try:
+        with open(file1_path, 'r') as file:
+            initial = file.readlines()
+        with open(file2_path, 'r') as file:
+            final = file.readlines()
+    except IOError:
+        file.close()
+        return IO_EXCEPTION_READING_FILE
+    except ValueError:
+        file.close()
+        return INPUT_FILE_MALFORMED
+    else:
+        file.close()
+
+    # Must have more than a trivial number of bytes.
+    if len(initial) < min_file_byte_size:
+        return INPUT_FILE_MALFORMED
+
+    if (initial == final):
+        try:
+            file = open(diff_file_path, 'w')
+        except IOError:
+            file.close()
+        line_to_print = "Specified skip (ignore) string = " + \
+            skip_string + "\n\n"
+        file.write(line_to_print)
+        line_to_print = now + " found no difference between file " + \
+            file1_path + " and " + \
+            file2_path + "\n"
+        file.write(line_to_print)
+        file.close()
+        return FILES_MATCH
+
+    # Find the differences and write difference report to diff_file_path file
+    try:
+        file = open(diff_file_path, 'w')
+    except IOError:
+        file.close()
+        return IO_EXCEPTION_WRITING_FILE
+
+    # Form a UNIX diff command and its parameters as a string.  For example,
+    # if skip_string="size,capacity",  command = 'diff  -I "size"
+    # -I "capacity"  file1_path file2_path'.
+    skip_list = filter(None, re.split(r"[ ]*,[ ]*", skip_string))
+    ignore_string = ' '.join([("-I " + '"' + x + '"') for x in skip_list])
+    command = ' '.join(filter(None, ["diff", ignore_string, file1_path,
+                       file2_path]))
+
+    line_to_print = now + "   " + command + "\n"
+    file.write(line_to_print)
+
+    # Run the command and get the differences
+    rc, out_buf = cmd_fnc_u(command, quiet=0, print_output=0, show_err=0)
+
+    # Write the differences to the specified diff_file and console.
+    if robot_env == 1:
+        BuiltIn().log_to_console("DIFF:\n" + out_buf)
+    else:
+        print "DIFF:\n", out_buf
+
+    file.write(out_buf)
+    file.close()
+
+    if rc == 0:
+        # Any differences found were on the skip_string.
+        return FILES_MATCH
+    else:
+        # We have at least one difference not in the skip_string.
+        return FILES_DO_NOT_MATCH
+###############################################################################