Program for comparing 2 files. The program for comparing text files Compare Suite - a quick and complete analysis of the differences between texts. Comparing text files in WinMerge

Why create various programs of a certain direction, for example, there are various options for defragmenters, or registry cleaners? I think that the user would have the choice to apply one or another program that is most convenient to use for specific needs. After all, the user not only gives preference to some program only for its convenience, but also finds additional functions that distinguish the selected option from other programs of this type.

As is known, a computer it's universal tool, designed for various kinds of activities, one of which, and perhaps especially in demand, is creation of texts, documents in various text editors. Not infrequently, the user is faced with the question of what is different, for example one document from another, or need to compare previously written text followed by subsequent entries, and find differences, and possibly combine several related texts. But what? After all, manually it is long and boring. In fact, such tools programs for comparison quite a lot, and it is clear that among them there are paid and free options. For example, in Microsoft Word it is possible not only to place two documents in one window, but also compare them on content.

ZFC Features.
But now I would like to talk about other similar options. text comparison. There is such free program ZSKSoft File Comparer (ZFC), which, in contrast to Word can compare text files as a regular format with an extension txt, and files in format Word and excel automatically converting them to "flat text" before comparing. Another difference from programs of this type is that ZFC combines content both files in one window, highlighting with color what is added and what is removed. This is not to say that any user will like this principle. It all depends on the habits and preferences of a person, but if you imagine an option when you need to find a slight difference in the text, and as given by the developers, an example: if only 100 rubles in a line is corrected for 1000 rubles, then it will be clearly and most informatively noticeable exactly in this display. In this case, the added zero will be highlighted in color and is easy to spot.

In addition, the program can compare Not only text, but also binary files. And also show the result in textual, and in hexadecimal. She works encoded WINDOWS and DOS.

Installation and setup.
The installation itself, like most programs, does not cause problems. The only thing to note is that for the program to work under Windows 7 with the ability to compare not only files txt, but also Word, excel, version 1.31 beta 2 should be installed.
At the top of the program window, in the "View" item, check "Auto line wrap", for convenience displacement according to the text.

Here, if necessary, you can check the item "Encoding DOS" and "hexadecimal form". This can be done later, for the convenience of quick switching, these items are on the toolbar.

To make individual changes to the settings, click this item,

and in the window that opens, on the first tab "View", you can select font size, and set the desired color that will stand out text during the comparison.

Set your preferred color by clicking "Change". In this box, you can not only select the highlight color, but also the background color, and font properties.

On the next tab, "Transformations", you can change the rules transformations in plain text. For example, you can add file type format Microsoft Word 2010. To do this, click the "Properties" button

and edit in the window file types by typing ".docx" with a dot in front. You can remove or add your own transformation rules.

In the "Other" item, leave or uncheck the items: "Remember window coordinates on exit" and "Remember modes on exit", as you wish.

In the window that opens, click on the folder icon on the right side and add the first file you need for comparison, it will be considered - " a new version". Then the second, "old version".

After pressing the "OK" button, the text will appear in the program window, with highlighted sections of files that have differences. By default, what is added to the first text will be colored with a warmer red color, and what is removed, that is, what is not in the first one, will be colder, blue. It takes some getting used to, but it's not difficult.

FreeFileSync is a utility that has been developed to synchronize files in user-specified directories. Implemented file comparison not only by size and date, but also by content (byte-by-byte comparison). A distinctive feature of the application should be considered a simple and intuitive graphical interface. Filters can be applied to synchronized files, with the help of which you can exclude files from the process or, conversely, include them in it. Several synchronization methods are supported: automatic mode, in which changes occur in both folders; mirroring, in which the specified folder becomes a "mirror" of another; update mode, when only changed and/or new files are copied; manual mode. Scheduled synchronization is also provided. The utility can handle files larger than 4 GB.

System requirements:
Windows: XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10

Torrent File comparison program - FreeFileSync 9.9 in detail:
Comparison of files (by size or by date) and their synchronization
No limit on the number of compared files
unicode support
Network support
· Synchronization of databases for search deleted files and other conflicts
·Support synchronization with different configurations
Full support for symbolic links on Windows/Linux and NTFS Junction Point
Simple and clear interface, optimized for fast work with a lot of information
Algorithms written entirely in C++
All processes are optimized for maximum performance
Creation of tasks for automatic synchronization with the ability to hide the GUI
Emphasis on convenience
Support for files larger than 4 GB
Ability to move files to trash instead of deleting
The "RECYCLER" and "System Volume Information" directories are automatically ignored during synchronization (Windows)
A large number of localizations
Ability to clean the disk before copying large files to it
·Using a filter to include/exclude files in the list for synchronization without re-comparing directories
Ability to temporarily exclude a file from the synchronization list
Correct change of file creation time on volumes with FS FAT/FAT32
There is a 64-bit version of the program
Support for \\?\ prefix without path length limitation (Windows)
Automatic check for updates
Copying locked files using Shadow Copy Service (Windows)
Create backups using %time%, %date% variables instead of folder name

What's new:
Added support for high resolution screens
Enable automatic retries at configuration level
Error handling settings are shown during synchronization
Removed dependency libpng.so (Linux)
Fixed incorrect behavior when closing the progress dialog while paused
Added check for DLLs loaded into the address space
Fixed FTP parsing error for Windows CE devices
·Added workaround for VSS provider issue
Prioritize macOS custom settings for date and thousands separator
Updated language translations

The article uses an example to work with Compare Suite - the most powerful comparison program text files. Comparing two simple text files

The Compare Suite text file comparison program is a convenient and highly optimized utility for analyzing and synchronizing virtually any document used while working on a computer. To compare documents created in the Microsoft office suite, PDF files, and other types. Just as easily and extremely quickly, the utility allows you to analyze and compare entire directories with documents, although the main purpose of Compare Suite is a program for comparing text files. We will focus on this function of the program on this page. Run Compare Suite and select "New File Compare" from the menu. The same command is executed by the hot key combination Shift+Ctrl+F. Then you need to tell the program which text files we need to compare, it is most convenient to use the drag-and-drop technique - by placing each compared file in its own window with the mouse.

After that, no additional actions are required - the program for comparing text files Compare Suite will perform its work automatically. Selecting another file comparison method from the menu (character-by-character, word-by-word or by "keywords") you will start a new comparison procedure. In the same menu, you can also set the conditions for comparison, for example - "ignore all spaces in the text." The menu items "Go to the next (previous) difference" will automatically move the cursor to the required line. The same actions are initiated by the hot keys "Ctrl+N" and "Ctrl+P".

Of particular note is the fact that the program for comparing text files Compare Suite has the ability to "highlight" special characters used in various programming languages ​​and text markup.

In addition, Compare Suite, a program for comparing text files, makes it possible to compare the contents of a text file with the contents of the clipboard, and edit text directly in its window. The edited file, of course, can then be saved. The program for comparing text files Compare Suite works correctly with different text encodings. In the screenshots given as an illustration, the "right" text file was intentionally converted to UTF-8 encoding, that is, to those very "crazy words" that the built-in Widows Notepad fails. The program for comparing text files Compare Suite also freely handles text files of various formats. operating systems, both Windows and Unix and Mac systems.

A program for comparing files and folders, including those archived or located on a remote server. With Beyond Compare 3, you can also compare Registry keys, images, MP3 tags, synchronize directories, edit source code, and perform many other tasks.

The Beyond Compare interface is convenient due to the multi-tabbed interface: this allows you to work with several sessions in parallel and in one window. In addition, you can create workspaces (workspaces) - collections of open sessions.

Important differences between this product and most analogues are the clarity of comparison and ease of editing in all available modes. Let's say comparing binary files also involves editing with a HEX editor. When working with images, the differences are displayed as pixels, not to mention the full editing of files. MP3 files can be compared by metadata. Support for additional formats is provided by plugins.

The file comparison mode uses a traditional two-pane interface. The color of the font allows you to mark important differences (red marking) and less significant ones (blue), the background color also has a functional meaning. To edit the text, a full-fledged source code editor with support for the appropriate formats is provided (see Tools → File Formats).

When comparing directories, the same two-pane view is used. To show the differences, markings and icons are used, the meaning of which is easy to find in the documentation. You can compare directories either byte by byte (slow method) or by specified properties such as date or size (fast method).

The display of data is regulated by a file filter (output specified types files) or display filter (show changes). All the necessary tools are placed on the toolbar to the right of the tabs. The Actions menu contains commands related to synchronization and comparison. Display control is available in the View menu.

Different sources can be used in directory comparison — not only local, but also remote directories, archives (supported formats are RAR, ZIP, 7z, etc.), snapshots file structure(snapshots). Thanks to the preview, you can see the result of synchronization in advance.

Routine tasks are automated using scripts. Beyond Compare has command line and regular expression support. The report is available for printing or output in HTML and TXT formats.

Summary. Beyond Compare is a feature-rich solution for synchronizing, merging, editing various types data. Along with functionality, the multi-tabbed interface with support for sessions and workspaces is very convenient. As a result, the program is good at working with both small and fairly complex projects.

[+] Convenient interface
[+] Working with archives and remote directories
[+] Automation options
[+] Available filters and display modes

Compare++

Compare++ is a program for comparing directories and text files in Windows OS. It is positioned primarily as a tool for programmers and web developers: thanks to the recognition of functions, classes, a source code document is easily structured, easy to navigate, and edit.

The Compare++ shell is very simple and uncluttered. Saving sessions is not provided, instead you can use the history. The tabbed interface allows you to work with several projects at the same time.

Key features include file comparison, directory comparison, and three-way merge. When comparing data, you can quickly switch to one of two modes focused on working with text or code. In the second case, the Function View panel displays a list of classes, each of which is easy to go to in the document and perform the necessary actions with it (for example, merging) with a couple of mouse clicks. Generally speaking, Function View is not such a rarity for source code editors, but for programs in this category it is an isolated case.

Other editing features include line numbering, syntax highlighting (C / C ++, Java, C #, Javascript, CSS, and many others), including paired brackets. All changes made to the documents are marked: the text has been changed, deleted or added. The comparison result can be exported to a diff-, txt- or html-file and, optionally, sent to email.

Directory comparison is performed without preview. Synchronization of the contents of archives with a remote server is not provided, but you can save snapshots of the file structure and apply filters for files and directories. You can also find additional display modes on the toolbar. Comparison is carried out by file properties — modification date and size, recursive comparison and comparison by content is possible (the corresponding options are available in the Folder Compare section of the settings). The columns are sortable but not customizable.

You can work through the command line interface. Accordingly, Compare++ integrates with SVN, Git, Perforce, Microsoft TFS, SourceSafe and other systems as an external comparison tool.

Summary. Compare++ can be thought of as a highly customizable source code editor, with comparison and synchronization features. As well as vice versa - as a program for synchronization with editorial functions. In conjunction with the integration capabilities, the program will be useful as an addition to the IDE environment.

[-] No full session support
[-] No extensions
[+] Convenient operation with source code
[+] Three-way merger
[+] Creation of diff patches and reports

Araxis Merge

Araxis Merge is a program for visual comparison, merging and synchronization of folders. The built-in editor recognizes various document formats: source code, web pages, XML, PDF, Microsoft office, images, etc. Merge also provides integration with popular version control systems and other development environments.

Merge uses a tabbed interface, supports saving sessions and workspaces with all settings in a separate file. Ribbon is divided into sections, thanks to which the arrangement of commands is easy to remember, tools for working with text are always at hand. All actions related to editing and navigating through the text are available on the ribbon. The toolbar is highly customizable only on Mac OS, and there may be other differences between versions of Merge, depending on the platform. The layout of the panels can be easily changed to a vertical or horizontal arrangement, additional information columns can be added. Thus, the program is convenient, its interface is thought out to the smallest detail.

Merge supports 4 comparison modes. Additional modes (comparison of images and binary data) are not so interesting due to the lack of editing tools. Therefore, further we will talk about comparing files and directories.

The text editor supports syntax highlighting, line numbering. When comparing, in addition to the changes marked with the corresponding color, it is convenient to track the links between the lines using the connecting lines (Linking lines). By hovering over the corresponding block, you can apply the merging operation to it with an adjacent file (Point-and-click merging function). Here we catch an analogy with the SmartSynchronize program mentioned in the first part of the review. You can add bookmarks and comments to your document. Export of reports, including all differences, is carried out in DIFF, HTML, HTML slideshow and XML formats.

Araxis Merge's second main mode of operation is directory comparison and synchronization. Forte this tool - support for various sources: virtual file system, network drives, projects and other sources. When comparing, two panels are available showing the directory structure, and it is also easy to activate the three-way merge mode.

The configuration of filters for directories and files is available in the Filters section of the settings. They are divided into visual (displaying only the necessary data) and selection filters (selecting files according to specified criteria).

The list of available operations includes folder merging, byte-by-byte comparison, and comparison by size and date. With auto-sync, files with conflicts are not processed and set aside for the user to decide.

The potential possibilities of Araxis Merge increase significantly if we take into account the integration with Mercurial, Git, Subversion, Perforce and environments. Extensibility is provided by plug-ins built into the program.

Summary. Araxis Merge is a program with a well-thought-out interface, an optimal set of tools for comparing, synchronizing and merging data. From the wishes - there are not enough additional data comparison modes, combined with convenient editing, as is the case with Beyond Compare.

[+] Integration with development environments
[+] Convenient visual comparison
[+] Switching display modes
[+] Statistics and reporting

UltraCompare Professional

UltraCompare allows you to compare text files, Word documents, binary files, directories and archives, local and remote directories and removable media. Automatic synchronization, three-way merge, search for duplicates and other auxiliary operations are supported.

The UltraCompare interface provides for both sessions and workspaces. It is convenient, not least, due to quick access to file operations: for example, you can select to compare necessary files straight from the sidebar. Here, in the left panel, you can create a filter. Additional options can be found in the Ignore Options section of the settings.

The following modes of working with data are available to choose from: comparison of text and folders (plus a three-way merge for both types), binary files, folder synchronization. Changing the mode is done through the Mode menu. Once selected, you can specify the sources for the left and right panels by dragging them into the window and clicking the Go button.

When comparing text, lines with differences are marked with a background color and marked with symbols next to the numbering. Connector lines allow you to trace the relationship between two documents and help with merging, the corresponding commands are available in the Merge menu section. To edit the source code, it is recommended to use the toolkit of the UltraEdit program. The question arises: how reasonable is it to pay for one of the additional features if the cost of this editor is higher than UltraCompare.

Local, remote and removable sources are available for recursive and non-recursive comparison, ZIP-, RAR-, JAR-archives are also supported. The comparison results are displayed on both panels (source - destination). The comparison is based on the size and age or content of the files.

The user has the ability to create synchronization rules (rules): replacing files, deleting obsolete elements, copying, and others. Scheduled synchronization is possible. Supported command line, available integration with version control applications: AnkhSVN Perforce, QVCS, Subversion, TortoiseCVS, TortoiseSVN and others.

Summary. The UltraCompare toolkit includes the most requested compare, merge and sync modes, allowing you to use different data sources. Wide integration possibilities through the command interface. It seems that everything is to please the developer, but the editor without syntax highlighting is a clear drawback.

[+] Comparison of archives and remote directories
[+] Integration with version control applications
[+] Three-way comparison
[-] Limitations of the built-in editor

ExamDiff Pro

The ExamDiff program is designed for visual comparison of text, binary files and directories. Plugin support can be found in the long list of core features. Thanks to them, it is possible to work with such formats as XML, HTML, PDF, MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint and others.

Obviously, ExamDiff opens up wide opportunities for editing code, both in terms of functionality and convenience. The View menu allows you to customize the display of panels at the discretion of the user, the toolbar is fully customizable.

The editor supports syntax highlighting, numbering, you can create bookmarks in the document. There are various ways to navigate through the document: in fact, the navigation bar, drop-down list, synchronous scrolling. Many actions are performed without unnecessary, as often happens, manipulations: for example, to go to the color scheme settings, just click on the markings in the status bar, to add an exception, check the Skip checkbox next to the drop-down list, and access to plugin commands through the context menu.

Additional features for directory synchronization include support for remote sources and archives. In ExamDiff, you can create snapshots for later comparison, apply filters for different groups of files (there are a number of presets in the settings), apply filters by timestamp and size.

In addition to the Pro Standard and Pro Master editions, there is a free version of ExamDiff. It does not have a three-way merge, directory comparison and binary files.

Summary. ExamDiff Pro contains the necessary editing tools. The editor is adapted to work with large documents, source code, allowing you to quickly navigate through the document and move to the desired section of the file.

[+] Flexible configuration
[+] Advanced editing functions
[+] Extension support
[+] Convenient document navigation

pivot table

Free program for comparing text files and folders. It has a user-friendly interface, syntax highlighting for many programming languages, as well as extensive settings. In addition, the program can create reports and work in tandem with many version control systems.

Human laziness can work wonders! Laziness in a good sense of the word :). Well, you will agree that it is unreasonable to do routine work manually if it is possible to entrust it to a computer. So our today's program was found precisely when trying to shift the laborious process of comparing different text files onto the “shoulders” of a PC.

And it was like this ... Recently, Ruslan Bogdanov and I translated website to HTML5 using Schema.org markup. At the same time, it was often necessary to compare the old (not yet corrected) version of each page with the new one, in which certain changes had already been made.

And after a couple of hours of work in two Notepad windows, the idea came to my mind that there should be a program for automatic search differences in text files. This question was asked to the ubiquitous Google, and such a program was found :). It's called WinMerge.

This program automatically finds and displays the difference in the contents of two text files, which allows you to compare and edit open documents much faster than with a conventional visual search! In terms of its capabilities, WinMerge is only slightly inferior to paid competitors, such as, for example, Compare Suite:

Comparison with a paid analogue

In addition, both programs support many encodings (including Unicode), can be included in almost any version control system and allow you to compare even archived documents (to support WinMerge, this function requires the installed 7-ZIP archiver and a special plug-in).

Installing WinMerge

The program has two versions: a regular installer and a portable version. To work with a portable one, it will be enough for you to unpack it from the archive and (if you wish) run the bat file ( Register.bat) to integrate application items into the context menu of the system (the second batch file ( UnRegister.bat) can be removed).

If you choose a standard installer, you will need to run it from the downloaded archive and follow the instructions of the installation wizard. You can agree with all the suggestions by clicking "Next" until you get to the component selection screen:

Here, carefully check the language(s) that is selected by default: it should be "Russian". You can also install additional plugins that will add several new prefilters to the program.

The next step that requires your intervention will be the window for selecting additional tasks:

By default, WinMerge only creates a panel shortcut quick launch and integrated into the context menu. You can also create a shortcut on the Desktop (which, IMHO, is more convenient :)) and add the program folder to the system paths for quick access.

Comparing text files in WinMerge

Once the installation is complete, a blank WinMerge window will launch. To get started, you will need to open a couple of files to be compared. This can be done by calling the “Open” item from the “File” menu, or by clicking on the button of the same name on the toolbar:

In the window that opens, you are given the opportunity to specify the files to be compared by clicking the "Browse" button, as well as select filters (used to exclude certain types of files when working with folders) and an unpacker for archived files (if the appropriate plugin is installed).

In fact, it will be enough for us to select the files that will be displayed in the left and right panels, and we can press “Ok”.

The WinMerge window will look something like this:

So what can we do with all this:

1. Using the buttons on the toolbar (or the context menu) you can navigate through the found differences and quickly copy changes from one file to another.
2. Using the "Difference Map" ("Locations" window), you can quickly assess the location of differences in different documents. At the same time, there are several color symbols on the “map”:

• yellow - any difference in documents is indicated;
• red - the selected difference is indicated;
• gray - indicates the missing part of the code in one of the documents.

I also advise you to periodically pay attention to the status line at the very bottom of the working window when working with the program. In it, you can sometimes see various hints, as well as a counter of differences found.

Upon completion of work with documents (or if necessary), you can save both edited files, or only individual ones. To do this, go to the "File" menu and select "Save file on the left" or "Save file on the right" respectively:

Program settings

In principle, after installation, the program is completely ready to work. However, you can improve or change some of its functions. The first thing you can do is add convenience to yourself :). You can do this by going to the "View" menu and activating the items "Show line numbers" and "Word wrap":

This will add a column with line numbers in front of the code panel, and the lines themselves will now fit into any panel size due to automatic text wrapping (while the line structure is fully preserved)!

In the same menu, you can activate some other features (such as displaying non-printing characters and tab indents), as well as disable any elements of the working window (for example, you can disable the comparison panel and / or the "map" of differences).

For some programming languages ​​and programs in WinMerge, there are add-ons that allow you to ignore certain parameters when comparing files. If during the installation of the program you checked the option to install plugins, then you can find these features in the "Add-ons" menu:

Here in the "Precomparison" section we have access to add-ons for:

• ignoring comments;
• ignoring columns (apparently for HEX);
• ignoring punctuation;
• ignoring tabs;
• ignoring line numbers.

To be honest, I did not use these plugins, because the standard WinMerge capabilities were enough for me, but they may come in handy for someone;).

If these features of the program are not enough for you, then you can easily adjust almost everything in the "Settings":

You can “get lost” in these settings in no time, since there are a lot of them, but I will pay attention only to those that we can use for further work.

In the first group of settings (“General”), I would advise activating two options: “Automatically set to first difference” (for more convenience) and “Folder comparisons” in the “Enable multiple comparison windows for” section. The last option will allow you to open an unlimited number of tabs with comparisons when comparing folders (which we will talk about a little later).

The following settings to be changed are in the "Comparison" section:

In principle, you can not change anything here, but in the process of work, I encountered a number of inconveniences that can be avoided by activating some items in this settings section.

First, you can disable the comparison of non-printable characters. This can significantly narrow the search for file differences.

Secondly, you can activate the skipping of empty lines and commands in different registers, which will also reduce the number of mismatches between files.

Thirdly, there is the ability to filter comments, which is similar to that in the Add-ons menu. All these settings are optional, but sometimes they can significantly reduce the number of differences found in files.

Folder comparison

In addition to the fact that in WinMerge we can automatically compare files, we can also compare folders, finding all the changed files in them! However special button to open the folder in the program is not provided. How to be? We need to specify any file from the directory we need in the "Left" field, and then remove its name, leaving only the folder name:

After such a manipulation, the "Right" field will automatically switch to the "Select directory" mode and we will only have to select the desired folder.

A feature of the folder comparison mode is that all files are displayed in one general list. Wherein:

Now, if in "Settings" you have activated the option of multiple tabs when comparing folders, then you can open any subfolders and files - their comparison will open in a new tab.

Report generation

If you work in a development team or need to present your work to third parties, then you will need the comparison reporting feature. You can find this function in the "Tools" menu:

The report generation window contains only two fields: in the first one we specify the file to save (possibly non-existent), and in the second we select the report style. There are four styles available in WinMerge:

1. A comma-separated list (plain text, such as a .txt file).
2. Tab-delimited list (also a text file).
3. Simple HTML (web page format (in my opinion, the most convenient)).
4. Plain XML (also better to open in a browser, because this format allows you to collapse unnecessary comparison branches).

We select any of the styles, and then click "Browse" and indicate in which folder and under what name (as well as with what name extension) to save the report. Press "Ok" - rejoice :).

Here (in the "Tools" menu) you will find a few more items that will please only serious developers. These are the functions of creating patches and filtering the contents of files and directories.

The first allows you to create files containing a list of differences in different versions of the source. This list can be used, for example, to correct the final version in the final project in automatic mode using various version control systems.

The second function allows you to set exceptions for compared files in directories by mask or by file type. There are also ready-made presets for various types of projects and the ability to create your own filters of any complexity.

Advantages and disadvantages of the program

• high accuracy of difference recognition;
• the ability to quickly replace text fragments;
• the ability to compare folders;
• reporting function;
• extensive settings.

• you cannot compare more than two documents;
• support for archives requires installation of additional software;
• there is no keyword search function.

findings

Having tested several free programs to compare files, I found that WinMerge works the most correctly. The percentage of errors when comparing files was minimal, which means that the program can be used in everyday activities. At the same time, the number of false recognitions can be further reduced by working with the settings.

If you work with texts and need to frequently compare different versions of the same document, then WinMerge can greatly facilitate and speed up your work. But the computer was created for that, to take on as much of the routine as possible, leaving us time for creativity;).

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.