WinMerge 2.8 release is more headed into improving backend of WinMerge - the code doing all the work. There are no many user visible changes this time.
- Optional bigger toolbar
- Optional tabbed interface
- Improved interface for line filters
- New regular expression implementation (uses PCRE library)
- Printing improvements
- Optimized folder compare
WinMerge 2.6 release has some long-waited new features plus important usability and stability fixes.
- New icons and splash screen
- Simpler and auto-closing folder compare progress bar
- Line numbers in file compare
- Word-wrap in file compare
- GUI for bookmarks in file compare
- Better character-level difference indication in file compare
- New Short size- columns in folder compare
- Merge difference which has cursor inside it (no need to select difference first)
- Improved Project file saving and editing
- Creating patch file from multiple files (selected in folder compare)
- User-defined folder for file filters
- New folder compare types to compare by sizes or modify times
- Renaming items in folder compare
WinMerge 2.4 is an important update to 2.2. Great new features and usability improvements. And bug fixes.
Now it is possible to open (after enabled from Options) several folder- and file-compare windows inside one WinMerge instance. This changes the way work is done with WinMerge.
WinMerge can be now limited to one instance. Opening new files from commandline, shell extension or external application opens new windows instead of new instances.
This helps when switching between different instances in Task Manager or in Task Switcher (Alt-Tab).
Archive file support is greatly improved:
- Archive files can be opened from folder compare
- WinMerge can (optionally) detect archive files from file signature. This allows for example Open Office files to be detected as archive files and opened.
- Path to archive file and path inside archive is shown instead of path to temporary folder
Lots of important improvements have been implemented:
- New Quick Contents -compare methdod allows faster compares
- Available memory does not anymore restrict maximun filesize
- Compare statepane shows progressbar and compared/total amount of items
- Possible to re-compare only selected items (from context menu)
- Items can be hidden from view
- Simple reports
Showing line difference for all diffs (enabled from View-menu) is the most important change. Others include:
- Character difference highlighting (more fine-grained differences)
- Selecting syntax highligh colors
- Merge all selected differences with normal merge commands (separate commands removed)
- Opening files to external editor from file compare
- Punctuation characters can break diffs in line differences (so numbers separated by commas get properly highlighted as diffs)
WinMerge 2.2 is distributed with an ANSI executable (WinMerge.exe) for Windows 95/98/ME, and a Unicode executable (WinMergeU.exe) for Windows NT /200/XP. The unicode executable supports UCS-2 and UTF-8 files and filenames.
![[Note]](images/note.gif) |
Note |
|---|---|
|
It is unfortunate that two executable files are needed. But there is no current way to get only one executable working. MS Unicode layer does not help WinMerge since WinMerge needs to be able to compare files in different codepages. |
|
WinMerge 2.2 can open and save several archive types. Archive support requires installing 7-zip. Refer to Read Me.rtf file for info about compatible 7-zip versions. 7-zip can be downloaded from 7-zip.org.
WinMerge 2.2 can be integrated into the Windows Shell. Shell integration adds a "" menuitem to Windows Explorer's context menu for easy and fast comparing files and directories.
New -f commandline switch allows selecting used filter or mask for files.
WinMerge can read paths to open from project files. Project files are simple XML files storing one or two paths, and also possibly the choice of which filter to use and whether to include subfolders.
GNU/diffutils compatible patch files can be created from two files. Several formats and compare options are supported.
Plugins are now supported to preprocess files before actual comparison, or to extend editor functionality. Plugins can be programmed using several languages supporting COM. Example plugins are included.
Many new features and improvements:
- More columns have been added (e.g. file sizes and attributes), and columns may be reordered, hidden, and displayed.
- Filtered items now have a distinct category (Skipped) and icons. Filtered items can be set to hidden/visible from -menu.
- There is a new floating statusbar during the compare process, and comparison may be aborted, and the the files/dirs compared so far are shown.
- Newer file/directory is indicated with asterisk (*) in date field.
- One or both directories can be set read-only, preventing accidental overwriting.
- The number of selected items is shown in the statusbar.
Many new features and improvements:
- Rewritten undo/redo code.
- Fixed "Ignore blank lines" feature.
- Enhanced EOL handling (files can contain different EOL styles in one file).
- Linenumber, current column and char, line length and char count shown in statusbar.
- One ot both files can be set read-only to prevent accidental edits.
- Copy difference to left/right and advance to next makes merging faster.
- Diff pane to show current difference in two vertical panes.
- Highlight word differences in lines.
- Merge-mode (or 1.7 mode) to navigate and merge differences easier and faster.
- Goto -dialog for moving fast to certain line or difference.
- Location pane showing overall picture from files and allowing moving to location by double-clicking.
- Moved lines detection. Moved lines can be shown with different color in file area and location pane.
- More color options. Text color, missing line colors and moved line colors can be configured.