Diff Tools

Initial difference behavior

Behavior when an input is verified for the first time.

Behavior depends on if an EmptyFiles can be found matching the current extension.

• If an EmptyFiles can be found matching the current extension, then the tool will be launched to compare the input to that empty file.
• If no EmptyFiles can be found no tool will be launched.

Detected difference behavior

Behavior when a difference is detected between the input and an existing current verified file.

Not Running

If no tool is running for the comparison of the current verification (per test), a new tool instance will be launched.

Is Running

If a tool is running for the comparison of the current verification (per test), and a new verification fails, the following logic will be applied:

Auto Refresh	Mdi	Behavior
true	true	No action. Current instance will refresh
true	false	No action. Current instance will refresh
false	true	Open new instance. Previous instance must be manually closed
false	false	Kill current and open new instance

This allows, in most cases, for no manual closing of the tool to be required.

MaxInstancesToLaunch

By default a maximum of 5 tool instances will be launched. This prevents a change that breaks many tests from causing too much load on a machine.

This value can be changed using an environment variable or by explicitly specifying the value by code. When both are used, the environment variable value will be used.

Using an environment variable

Setting the DiffEngine_MaxInstances environment variable to the number of instances to launch.

This value can also be set using the DiffEngineTray options dialog.

Using code

DiffRunner.MaxInstancesToLaunch(10);

^{snippet source | anchor}

Left/Right diff behavior

By default, when a diff is opened, the temp file is on the left and the target file is on the right.

This value can be changed by setting the DiffEngine_TargetOnLeft environment variable to true.

This value can also be set using the DiffEngineTray options dialog.

Successful verification behavior

If a tool is running for the comparison of the current verification (per test), and a new verification passes, the following logic will be applied:

Mdi	Behavior
true	No action taken. Previous instance must be manually closed
false	Kill current instance

This allows, in most cases, for no manual closing of the tool to be required.

Disable orphaned process detection

Resharper has a feature Check for orphaned processes spawned by test runner.

By default, ReSharper maintains a list of all processes that are launched by the executed tests. If some of theses processes do not exit after the test execution is over, ReSharper will suggest you to terminate the process. If your setup requires some processes started by the tests to continue running, you can clear this checkbox to avoid unnecessary notifications.

Since this project launches diff tools, it will trigger this feature and a dialog will show:

All unit tests are finished, but child processes spawned by the test runner process are still running. Terminate child process?

As such this feature needs to be disabled:

Disable for solution

Add the following to [Solution].sln.DotSettings.

<s:String x:Key="/Default/Housekeeping/UnitTestingMru/UnitTestRunner/SpawnedProcessesResponse/@EntryValue">DoNothing</s:String>

Disable for machine

Resharper

ReSharper | Options | Tools | Unit Testing | Test Runner

Rider

File | Settings | Manage Layers | This computer | Edit Layer | Build, Execution, Deployment | Unit Testing | Test Runner

Supported Tools:

Tools location is automatically detected. If a tool installed in a custom location, it can be manually configured using an environment variable, that points to the executable. The environment variable format is DiffEngine_{ToolName}.

Non-MDI tools

Non-MDI tools are preferred since it allows DiffEngineTray to track and close diffs.

BeyondCompare

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_BeyondCompare
• Supported binaries: .7z, .bcpkg, .bin, .bmp, .bz, .bz2, .cab, .chm, .deb, .ear, .gif, .gz, .ico, .img, .iso, .iso, .jar, .jpeg, .jpg, .kmz, .nupkg, .pdf, .png, .rar, .rpm, .rtf, .svg, .swm, .tar, .tbz, .tbz2, .tbz2, .tgz, .tif, .tiff, .war, .webp, .wim, .xlsx, .xz, .zip, .zipx

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise BeyondCompare over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.BeyondCompare);

Notes:

• Command line reference
• Enable Automatically reload unless changes will be discarded in Tools > Options > Tweaks > File Operations.
• For .kmz, and .nupkg, Beyond Compare needs to be configured to treat them as zip. Tools > Options > Archive Types. Scroll down to Zip, then add extra extension to the semicolon delimited list.

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

/solo /rightreadonly /nobackups "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

/solo /leftreadonly /nobackups "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Beyond Compare *\BCompare.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Beyond Compare *\BCompare.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Beyond Compare *\BCompare.exe
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Beyond Compare *\BCompare.exe
  • %PATH%BCompare.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-solo -rightreadonly -nobackups "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-solo -leftreadonly -nobackups "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/Beyond Compare.app/Contents/MacOS/bcomp
  • %PATH%bcomp

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-solo -rightreadonly -nobackups "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-solo -leftreadonly -nobackups "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /usr/bin/bcompare
  • %PATH%bcompare

DeltaWalker

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_DeltaWalker
• Supported binaries: .bmp, .bz2, .doc, .docx, .ear, .gif, .gz, .htm, .html, .ico, .j2k, .jar, .jp2, .jpg, .pbm, .pct, .pdf, .pgm, .pic, .pict, .png, .pnm, .ppm, .ppt, .psd, .rtf, .svg, .tar, .tbz2, .tgz, .tif, .xls, .xlsx, .zip

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise DeltaWalker over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.DeltaWalker);

Notes:

• Command line usage

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-mi "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-mi "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Deltopia\DeltaWalker\DeltaWalker.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Deltopia\DeltaWalker\DeltaWalker.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Deltopia\DeltaWalker\DeltaWalker.exe
  • %PATH%DeltaWalker.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-mi "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-mi "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/DeltaWalker.app/Contents/MacOS/DeltaWalker
  • %PATH%DeltaWalker

Diffinity

• Cost: Free with option to donate
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Diffinity
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Diffinity over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Diffinity);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" -forceNewInstance

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" -forceNewInstance

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Diffinity\Diffinity.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Diffinity\Diffinity.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Diffinity\Diffinity.exe
  • %PATH%Diffinity.exe

ExamDiff

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_ExamDiff
• Supported binaries: .bin, .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise ExamDiff over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.ExamDiff);

Notes:

• Command line reference
• /nh: do not add files or directories to comparison history
• /diffonly: diff-only merge mode: hide the merge pane

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" /nh /diffonly /dn1:targetFile.txt /dn2:tempFile.txt

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" /nh /diffonly /dn1:tempFile.txt /dn2:targetFile.txt

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\ExamDiff Pro*\ExamDiff.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\ExamDiff Pro*\ExamDiff.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\ExamDiff Pro*\ExamDiff.exe
  • %PATH%ExamDiff.exe

Guiffy

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Guiffy
• Supported binaries: .bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .svg, .wbmp

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Guiffy over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Guiffy);

Notes:

• Command line reference
• Image Diff Tool
• -ge1: Forbid first file view Editing
• -ge2: Forbid second file view Editing

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" -ge2

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" -ge1

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Guiffy\guiffy.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Guiffy\guiffy.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Guiffy\guiffy.exe
  • %PATH%guiffy.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" -ge2

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" -ge1

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/Guiffy/guiffyCL.command
  • %PATH%guiffyCL.command

Kaleidoscope

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Kaleidoscope
• Supported binaries: .bin, .bmp, .gif, .ico, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .svg, .tif, .tiff

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Kaleidoscope over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Kaleidoscope);

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%ksdiff

KDiff3

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_KDiff3
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise KDiff3 over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.KDiff3);

Notes:

• --cs CreateBakFiles=0 to not save a .orig file when merging

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" --cs CreateBakFiles=0

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" --cs CreateBakFiles=0

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\KDiff3\bin\kdiff3.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\KDiff3\bin\kdiff3.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\KDiff3\bin\kdiff3.exe
  • %ProgramFiles%\KDiff3\kdiff3.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\KDiff3\kdiff3.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\KDiff3\kdiff3.exe
  • %PATH%kdiff3.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" --cs CreateBakFiles=0

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" --cs CreateBakFiles=0

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/kdiff3.app/Contents/MacOS/kdiff3
  • %PATH%kdiff3

MsExcelDiff

• Cost: Requires Excel installed
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: False
• Use shell execute: False
• Create no window: True
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_MsExcelDiff
• Supported binaries: .xls, .xlsx

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise MsExcelDiff over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.MsExcelDiff);

Notes:

• Install via dotnet tool install -g MsExcelDiff
• Requires Spreadsheet Compare (Office Professional Plus / Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise)
• Uses Microsoft's Spreadsheet Compare to show differences between workbooks

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools\diffexcel.exe
  • %PATH%diffexcel.exe

MsWordDiff

• Cost: Requires Word installed
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: False
• Use shell execute: False
• Create no window: True
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_MsWordDiff
• Supported binaries: .doc, .docx

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise MsWordDiff over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.MsWordDiff);

Notes:

• Install via dotnet tool install -g MsWordDiff
• Uses Word's built-in document comparison feature

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools\diffword.exe
  • %PATH%diffword.exe

Neovim

• Cost: Free with option to sponsor
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Neovim
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Neovim over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Neovim);

Notes:

• https://neovim.io/doc/user/diff.html

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-d "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-d "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • C:\Program Files\Neovim\binnvim.exe
  • %PATH%nvim.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-d "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-d "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%nvim

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-d "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-d "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%nvim

P4Merge

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_P4Merge
• Supported binaries: .bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pbm, .pgm, .png, .ppm, .svg, .tif, .tiff, .xbm, .xpm

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise P4Merge over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.P4Merge);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments for text:

-C utf8-bom "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments for text:

-C utf8-bom "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on left arguments for binary:

"targetFile.png" "tempFile.png"

• Example target on right arguments for binary:

"tempFile.png" "targetFile.png"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Perforce\p4merge.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Perforce\p4merge.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Perforce\p4merge.exe
  • %PATH%p4merge.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments for text:

-C utf8-bom "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments for text:

-C utf8-bom "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on left arguments for binary:

"targetFile.png" "tempFile.png"

• Example target on right arguments for binary:

"tempFile.png" "targetFile.png"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/p4merge.app/Contents/MacOS/p4merge
  • %PATH%p4merge

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments for text:

-C utf8-bom "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments for text:

-C utf8-bom "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on left arguments for binary:

"targetFile.png" "tempFile.png"

• Example target on right arguments for binary:

"tempFile.png" "targetFile.png"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%p4merge

Rider

• Cost: Paid with free option for OSS
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Rider
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Rider over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Rider);

Notes:

• https://www.jetbrains.com/help/rider/Command_Line_Differences_Viewer.html

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Rider*\bin\rider64.exe
  • %ProgramFiles%\JetBrains\JetBrains Rider *\bin\rider64.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\JetBrains\JetBrains Rider *\bin\rider64.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\JetBrains\JetBrains Rider *\bin\rider64.exe
  • %PATH%rider.cmd

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/Rider.app/Contents/MacOS/rider
  • /usr/local/bin/rider
  • %PATH%rider

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %HOME%/.local/share/JetBrains/Toolbox/apps/rider/bin/rider.sh
  • %PATH%rider.sh

TkDiff

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_TkDiff
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise TkDiff over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.TkDiff);

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/TkDiff.app/Contents/MacOS/tkdiff
  • %PATH%tkdiff

TortoiseGitIDiff

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: False
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_TortoiseGitIDiff
• Supported binaries: .bmp, .gif, .ico, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise TortoiseGitIDiff over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.TortoiseGitIDiff);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\TortoiseGit\bin\TortoiseGitIDiff.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\TortoiseGit\bin\TortoiseGitIDiff.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\TortoiseGit\bin\TortoiseGitIDiff.exe
  • %PATH%TortoiseGitIDiff.exe

TortoiseGitMerge

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_TortoiseGitMerge
• Supported binaries: .bin, .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise TortoiseGitMerge over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.TortoiseGitMerge);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\TortoiseGit\bin\TortoiseGitMerge.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\TortoiseGit\bin\TortoiseGitMerge.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\TortoiseGit\bin\TortoiseGitMerge.exe
  • %PATH%TortoiseGitMerge.exe

TortoiseIDiff

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: False
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_TortoiseIDiff
• Supported binaries: .bmp, .gif, .ico, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise TortoiseIDiff over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.TortoiseIDiff);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

/left:"targetFile.txt" /right:"tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

/left:"tempFile.txt" /right:"targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseIDiff.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseIDiff.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseIDiff.exe
  • %PATH%TortoiseIDiff.exe

TortoiseMerge

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_TortoiseMerge
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise TortoiseMerge over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.TortoiseMerge);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseMerge.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseMerge.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseMerge.exe
  • %PATH%TortoiseMerge.exe

Vim

• Cost: Free with option to donate
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Vim
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Vim over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Vim);

Notes:

• Options
• Vim help files
• autoread
• nobackup
• noswapfile

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-d "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" -c "setl autoread | setl nobackup | set noswapfile"

• Example target on right arguments:

-d "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" -c "setl autoread | setl nobackup | set noswapfile"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Vim\*\vim.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Vim\*\vim.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Vim\*\vim.exe
  • %PATH%vim.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-d "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" -c "setl autoread | setl nobackup | set noswapfile"

• Example target on right arguments:

-d "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" -c "setl autoread | setl nobackup | set noswapfile"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/MacVim.app/Contents/bin/mvim
  • %PATH%mvim

WinMerge

• Cost: Free with option to donate
• Is MDI: False
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_WinMerge
• Supported binaries: .bin, .bmp, .bw, .cut, .dds, .exr, .g3, .gif, .hdp, .hdr, .ico, .iff, .j2c, .j2k, .jif, .jng, .jp2, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .jxr, .koa, .lbm, .mng, .pbm, .pcd, .pct, .pcx, .pfm, .pgm, .pic, .pict, .png, .ppm, .psd, .ras, .rgb, .rgba, .sgi, .svg, .targa, .tga, .tif, .tiff, .wap, .wbm, .wbmp, .wdp, .webp, .xbm, .xpm

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise WinMerge over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.WinMerge);

Notes:

• Command line reference.
• /u Prevents WinMerge from adding paths to the Most Recently Used (MRU) list.
• /wl Opens the left side as read-only.
• /dl and /dr Specifies file descriptions in the title bar.
• /e Enables close with a single Esc key press.
• /cfg Backup/EnableFile=0 disable backup files.

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

/u /wr /e "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" /dl "targetFile.txt" /dr "tempFile.txt" /cfg Backup/EnableFile=0

• Example target on right arguments:

/u /wl /e "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" /dl "tempFile.txt" /dr "targetFile.txt" /cfg Backup/EnableFile=0

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\WinMerge\WinMergeU.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\WinMerge\WinMergeU.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\WinMerge\WinMergeU.exe
  • %LocalAppData%\Programs\WinMerge\WinMergeU.exe
  • %PATH%WinMergeU.exe

MDI tools

AraxisMerge

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: True
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_AraxisMerge
• Supported binaries: .bmp, .dib, .emf, .gif, .j2c, .j2k, .jif, .jp2, .jpc, .jpeg, .jpg, .jpx, .pbm, .pcx, .pgm, .png, .ppm, .ras, .svg, .tga, .tif, .tiff, .wmf

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise AraxisMerge over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.AraxisMerge);

Notes:

• Supported image files
• Windows command line usage
• MacOS command line usage
• Installing MacOS command line

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

/nowait "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

/nowait "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Araxis\Araxis Merge\Compare.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Araxis\Araxis Merge\Compare.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Araxis\Araxis Merge\Compare.exe
  • %PATH%Compare.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

-nowait "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

-nowait "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/Araxis Merge.app/Contents/Utilities/compare
  • %PATH%compare

Cursor

• Cost: Free and Paid
• Is MDI: True
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: False
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Cursor
• Supported binaries: .bin, .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Cursor over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Cursor);

Notes:

• Command line reference

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

--diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

--diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Cursor\Cursor.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Cursor\Cursor.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Cursor\Cursor.exe
  • %PATH%Cursor.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

--diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

--diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/Cursor.app/Contents/MacOScursor
  • %PATH%cursor

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

--diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

--diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%cursor

Meld

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: True
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_Meld
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise Meld over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.Meld);

Notes:

• While Meld is not MDI, it is treated as MDI since it uses a single shared process to managing multiple windows. As such it is not possible to close a Meld merge process for a specific diff. Vote for this feature

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Meld\meld.exe
  • %ProgramFiles%\Meld\meld.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Meld\meld.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Meld\meld.exe
  • %PATH%meld.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/meld.app/Contents/MacOS/meld
  • %PATH%meld

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

"targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

"tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%meld

SublimeMerge

• Cost: Paid
• Is MDI: True
• Supports auto-refresh: False
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_SublimeMerge
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise SublimeMerge over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.SublimeMerge);

Notes:

• While SublimeMerge is not MDI, it is treated as MDI since it uses a single shared process to managing multiple windows. As such it is not possible to close a Sublime merge process for a specific diff. Vote for this feature

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

mergetool "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

mergetool "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Sublime Merge\smerge.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Sublime Merge\smerge.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Sublime Merge\smerge.exe
  • %PATH%smerge.exe

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

mergetool "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

mergetool "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/smerge.app/Contents/MacOS/smerge
  • %PATH%smerge

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

mergetool "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

mergetool "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%smerge

VisualStudio

• Cost: Paid and free options
• Is MDI: True
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: True
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_VisualStudio
• Supported binaries: .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise VisualStudio over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.VisualStudio);

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

/diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

/diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Preview\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Preview\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Preview\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Community\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Community\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Community\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Professional\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Professional\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Professional\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramW6432%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\*\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
  • %PATH%devenv.exe

VisualStudioCode

• Cost: Free
• Is MDI: True
• Supports auto-refresh: True
• Supports text files: True
• Use shell execute: False
• Create no window: False
• Environment variable for custom install location: DiffEngine_VisualStudioCode
• Supported binaries: .bin, .svg

Tool order:

Use tool order to prioritise VisualStudioCode over other tools.

DiffTools.UseOrder(DiffTool.VisualStudioCode);

Notes:

• Command line reference

Windows settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

--diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

--diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %LocalAppData%\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd
  • %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd
  • %ProgramW6432%\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd
  • %PATH%code.cmd

OSX settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

--diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

--diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • /Applications/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/bin/code
  • %PATH%code

Linux settings:

• Example target on left arguments:

--diff "targetFile.txt" "tempFile.txt"

• Example target on right arguments:

--diff "tempFile.txt" "targetFile.txt"

• Scanned paths:
  • %PATH%code