Using Standalone Version

This section introduces you to the environment workspace of the Code Compare standalone version. The environment workspace consists of toolbars, menus, tool windows and document area described further in this section.

To start working with the standalone version, click the Windows Start button, navigate to the Code Compare folder and select the Code Compare menu item.

Documents

The means designed for managing documents in the document area are described below.

Managing Documents

The main tool designed for switching between documents and managing them is the Windows dialog box. To open it, in the Window menu select Windows. This dialog allows you to save and close multiple documents at once, and activate the required document.

To save documents, select the required documents and click the Save button.

To close documents, select the required documents and click the Close Window(s) button.

Note

You can close an open document by clicking the document title with the middle mouse button (mouse wheel).

To activate the required document, select the document and click the Activate button.

Working with Document Tab Groups

Multiple documents can be arranged in horizontal or vertical tab groups in order to organize a workspace for working with several documents at the same time. New document tab group can be created either by dragging a document to the required place or by selecting New Horizontal Tab Group or New Vertical Tab Group from the document header popup menu.

Documents can be moved between tab groups by dragging-n-dropping or by selecting the required command from the popup menu. You can expand a tab group to the whole document area and restore document tab groups’ sizes by selecting Prominent from the document header popup menu.

Document Header Popup Menu

Document header popup menu appears when right-clicking the document header. It consists of the following items.

  • Save

    Saves the selected document.

  • Close Document

    Closes the selected document.

  • Close All But This

    Closes all documents except the selected one.

  • Copy Full Path

    Copies the full path for the document.

  • Open Containing Folder

    Opens the folder containing the document.

  • Prominent

    Expands the selected tab group to fit the size of the document area.

  • Rebalance

    Returns all tab groups to the default size.

  • New Horizontal Tab Group

    Creates a new horizontal tab group.

  • New Vertical Tab Group

    Creates a new vertical tab group.

  • Move to Next Tab Group

    Moves the document to the next tab group.

  • Move to Previous Tab Group

    Moves the document to the previous tab group.

Toolbars

The environment has a set of toolbars that contain buttons, using which you can accomplish most frequent tasks. The toolbar you can access depends on the kind of the document currently active. If it is not visible, right-click in the toolbar area and choose the required toolbar from the context menu.

You can control which toolbars are allowed to appear, and which must always be visible. By default, when you switch between views or documents, corresponding toolbars appear and disappear. When a toolbar is visible, right-click in the toolbar area and deselect its item in the popup menu to prevent it from being shown even if the corresponding view is active. If you want to make a toolbar always visible, select it in the popup menu, when the corresponding document or view is not active. To return a toolbar to its default state, select it in the popup menu when the corresponding document or view is active. You can edit any toolbar, delete, or add your own one in the Customization dialog box. To open it, choose Customize from the toolbar popup menu.

Code Compare has the following toolbars:

  • Code Comparison toolbar;
  • Folder Comparison toolbar;
  • Layout toolbar;
  • Standard toolbar;
  • Text toolbar.

Toolbars can be moved and docked at any edge of the application’s window by dragging them to desired location.

Note

If you drag a toolbar to the right or left side of the window, toolbar drop-down lists or combo boxes will not be available.

Tool Windows

Common Tool Windows

Find and Replace Window

This window allows you to find and replace text in a currently active document or in multiple documents located in a certain directory. To open this window press Ctrl+F or Ctrl+H. When using this window, you can control the scope of find and replace and choose the way of reviewing search matches and replacements.

You should consider the following information when you search and replace text:

  • Options set in the Find and Replace window are global; certain options selected in one dialog box are selected for all the dialogs. These options are Match case, Match whole word, Search all open documents, Search hidden text, Search up, Wildcards and Regular Expressions.
  • Undo is available only for documents left open after a replace operation.
  • Undo for a Replace All operation rolls back all replacement changes in the current document.

You can search one or more open files or windows and move through the search matches one by one using the Find and Replace window. This technique allows you to review each individual search match in the context of the text around the match.

You may click Replace All to replace all matches. A message box will be displayed listing the total number of replacements. The Replace All command replaces all search matches, including those you have skipped with the Find Next button. To reverse Replace All, in the Edit menu select Undo in each changed file before closing any of the files.

Searching and replacing text in files has the following peculiarities:

  • You can enter disc folder as search location or even create and use named folder sets.
  • You can only find all occurrences, you cannot use Find Next.

Find Results Window

This window displays the following search results: file name, line number and part of the text containing the match, and allows you to navigate to text search results.

Docking Tool Windows

To dock a tool window, drag it from its current location towards the document area or another tool window, if you want to dock it to its edge. Drop points will appear. Then drop the window on the required drop point to dock the tool window.

  • If you drop a tool window on an arrow drop point in the center of the document area or another tool window, it will be docked to the side of the document area or the corresponding tool window, towards which an arrow points.
  • If you drop it on an arrow drop point near the environment window edge, tool window will be docked to this edge.
  • If you drop a tool window on the central drop point , it will be placed over the target tool window.

For detailed description of a certain tool window click it and press F1.

Placing Tool Windows to the Document Area

To place a tool window to the document area, activate it and, in the Window menu, select Tabbed Document, or right-click its title and choose Tabbed Document from the popup menu. To make it dockable again, activate it and, in the Window menu, and choose Dockable, or right-click its title and choose Dockable from the popup menu.

Switching Between Documents and Tool Windows

To switch between open documents, use CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB key combinations. Press CTRL+TAB to change over to the previously used document. Pressing CTRL+TAB again will return you to the current document. Press the TAB key while holding the CTRL key to shift through recent documents stack. You can also use CTRL+SHIFT+TAB combination to browse documents in the other direction.

You can also switch between documents in the following ways.

  • By clicking document titles.
  • By clicking the down arrow near the right upper corner of the document area and selecting document name from the displayed menu.
  • By selecting a document from the Window menu.
  • By selecting a document in the Windows dialog and pressing the Activate button.

To activate a tool window, use its shortcut key. See Keyboard Shortcuts to know the default shortcuts. To return back to the document use the ESC key.

This section provides a brief introduction to Code Compare menus.

  • File

    This menu contains general commands both for files and folders and allows you to create, open, save and close Code Compare documents.

  • Edit

    This menu contains commands for text editing, bookmarks management and commands for find and replace.

  • View

    This menu allows you to manage toolbars display, enable tool windows display and customize document display settings like Show Line Numbers and Word Wrap.

  • Comparison

    This menu contains commands for comparison customization.

  • Changes

    This menu allows you to navigate between changes and add them to the required document taking part in the comparison.

  • Layout

    This menu allows you to customize the display of comparison panes.

  • Tools

    This menu allows you to customize toolbars and environment, text editor and comparison options.

  • Window

    This menu allows you to customize tool windows, documents and tab groups display.

  • Help

    This menu allows you to view general information about the application version, call help documentation, check for updates and leave feedback to the development team.