Compare Files

An on-line video tutorial is available at:

http://www.softinterface.com/MD/Documentation/ (Copy link at left into your browser)

Comparing files is the primary feature of 'Diff Doc'. You can open the 'Compare Files' form by pressing CTRL-F or from the File menu, select 'Compare Files'. Below is the main screen used while doing file comparisons. There are 3 main tabs within the 'Compare Files' form, " Compare Files", " Compare Options" and " Report Options". Each tab is discussed below.

It is within the 'Compare Files' tab that you will spend most of your time.  There are 3 or at most 4 editor boxes displayed at any time.  The top two editors are referred to as the "Original editor" and "Modified editor".   If desired, these editors may be toggled between visible and invisible by pressing F8. Also, you can compare any section of text between to the top two editors. The text editors below are referred to as the "Diff Viewers".  It is within the Diff Viewers that the changes between the Original and Modified editors are updated and displayed.

The first step in comparing is to load both the " Original" and " Modified" editors either by opening previously saved files, copying and pasting data, or composing new text.  Use the File menu to load previously saved files, or position the mouse over the editor you wish to load and click the right mouse to display a context menu. Select Load File Into This Editor.  Copying and pasting is done differently for different programs.  However, in most cases, simply highlighting the text, and pressing CTRL-C will copy.   To paste, simply click on the Original or Modified editor, and press CTRL-V.

Note: if you are pasting or composing text within the Original or Modified editors, be sure to go to the ‘Compare Options’ and select ‘Do not reload files’ in the Refresh Options. Otherwise when you press the Refresh button the last selected files will be loaded, overwriting whatever was in the editors.

Next press the "Refresh Diff Viewer" button (or F5).  The differences between the Original and Modified editor boxes will be displayed in the Diff Viewer. You can abort the refresh process by pressing the abort button on the toolbar .

Diff Viewer Legend

Comparing Selected Text Within the Original And Modified Documents

Comparing selected text within the Original and Modified editors is a very powerful tool for overcoming any alignment issues, or simply comparing content in different sections of your file.

NOTE: To "select text" simply click the mouse down, and (while the mouse button is down) drag the mouse to the portion of text you are interested in, finally unclick the mouse.

Normally a file comparison is done by loading and/or reloading the Modified and Original editors. Once the text is in these editors you can select any portion of each, right mouse click (or from the "View" menu), then choose "Compare Selected Text". A new window will open containing the contents of the selected items, and the difference viewer will automatically refresh.

Note that the Compare Options of the newly opened window may be different than the original one. In particular the Refresh option.

Create Reports (F2)

A report is created by clicking the report button on the toolbar, pressing F2, or by selecting Report from the View menu. The report, which opens in a separate window, is based on criteria specified in the " Report Options" tab, further described below.

You can also print or save any of the editors or viewers by using the right mouse button; or, alternatively you can select the editor or viewer with the left mouse and then print or save from the File menu.

NOTE: Saving as MS Word, or HTML requires that MS Word be installed on your PC.

Swap The Original and Modified Files(F9)

The Swap button (or F9) will swap the contents of the Original and Modified editors and then automatically refresh the Difference Viewer. If "Reload Selected Files…" is selected from the Compare Options tab, the files are reloaded. Otherwise, only the text is swapped.

Find and Replace (F3)

Find and Replace button can be used to seek out text with any of the editors or viewers. Click the editor or viewer you want then press F3 to begin searching.

Toggle between Views (F6)

The largest button within the toolbar will alternate the Difference Viewer between the "All In One" and "Side By Side" views.  Typically, those dealing with literary content will like the "All In One" view, whereas programmers dealing with source code will like the "Side By Side" view for easy line-by-line comparison.  Alternating between views also gives you a feel for how the red-lining really works.

Another display option is Word Wrap from the View menu. If Word Wrap is on, the file will display the width of the viewable area in a window without the need to scroll horizontally. If Word Wrap is off, the file will display each line uninterrupted by carriage returns .

Navigation of the Differences Found (F7, Shift-F7…)

Once the difference view has been refreshed, and at least one difference has been found the navigation toolbar/keys may be used. The table below shows the available commands:

There is also a drop down listbox at the right end in the upper toolbar, which displays a difference with some identifying text that can be used for navigation. Selecting an item will take you to its location.

Toggle Editor Windows On or Off (F8)

Clicking F8 will act like a toggle to close or open the upper editor windows. When editors are closed, the Difference Viewer(s) will occupy the entire viewing area. All Windows are also resizable by simply dragging them to the desired size.

Vertical and Horizontal Scroll Lock (F11 and Shift+F11)

If you need to adjust the vertical or horizontal scrolling of the windows you can lock or unlock easily. Press F11 to toggle the vertical scroll lock. Press Shift+F11 to toggle the horizontal scroll lock.

Reload Selected Files

Select a file from the drop down list or type a file name directly into the listbox and load it by clicking this button. This is a useful timesaver when switching between multiple files.

Open Selected File in Default Application

Opens a file in a separate window in its native application, based upon the file’s extension, e.g., .doc opens in MS Word, .xls opens in Excel, .rtf or .txt open in Notepad.

Paragraph Scroller

Found in the center of the Lower Toolbar. Click on either control arrow to concurrently move the text in all editor windows paragraph by paragraph. Place the mouse over the center of the Paragraph Scroller until you see a double sided arrow then drag to rapidly scroll all windows simultaneously.

Summary Buttons

Directly above the Windows status bar on the ‘Diff Doc’ status bar are four buttons that can individually summarize and display each type of change detected within the Diff Viewer. These are populated with meaningful contents only after a comparison has completed successfully.