Enhancements for "Skipping"

[OLLI_S]

Hello,

I have ExamDiff PRO 3.2c

I have two delphi projects. Both started from the same source so in my project I have to adapt all changes the other group has made.
The same for the other group: they have to adapt my sources.
So source code comparison is extremly important for me!

If there is a passage, that I want to skip, I click the checkbox "skip" and if I navigate to the "Next Diff" and Previous Diff" these passages are skipped.
This is OK but some things could be enhanced.

It would be fine if skipped passages get shown as "ignored text".
In Version 3.5 (I test the trial version) you have a separate color for this.
Please add an option where I can select that skipped passages will be shown as ignored text.
So I select the ignored backround to the color "white", select "ignore" at a passage and so this passage seems to be equal in both files.
At the end of the file I see just passages that REALLY are different highlighted.

This is for example useful, if I add a passage that is not present in the other file and want to say "that's OK, skip this and do not highlight it".
My current file has 106 differences and 95% are "OK".
This would help me a lot.

As further enhancement it would be useful if ExamDiff remembers the passages that I have marked as "skip".
So if I reload these two files again, I still have my "skipped" passages (still have the information what passages are skipped).
This must rely on the file date of each file, so if there is a change on any file, then the list of skipped files is no longer valid for these two files.

This would help me a lot!

Greetings


OLLI

[psguru]

Please add an option where I can select that skipped passages will be shown as ignored text. So I select the ignored backround to the color "white", select "ignore" at a passage and so this passage seems to be equal in both files. At the end of the file I see just passages that REALLY are different highlighted.

There's already a visual indicator for the skipped blocks: the Current Diff rectangles (on the left of the comparison panes) become green instead of the normal yellow.

As further enhancement it would be useful if ExamDiff remembers the passages that I have marked as "skip". So if I reload these two files again, I still have my "skipped" passages (still have the information what passages are skipped). This must rely on the file date of each file, so if there is a change on any file, then the list of skipped files is no longer valid for these two files.

We try to stay away from saving such data, both because of its temporary nature, and of the general reluctance to write anything to the user PC. There are only two places where such data can be stored: the file system or the Registry. Both are not ideal, especially taking into account Vista UAC restrictions.

[OLLI_S]

There's already a visual indicator for the skipped blocks: the Current Diff rectangles (on the left of the comparison panes) become green instead of the normal yellow.

Indeed there is such a green indicator on the left side.
But I speak of the colors in the source dode itself.
It would be very useful if the source gets the color "ignored text" if I ignore a passage.
Then I see it at once in the source code, that there no changes must be made.
Very useful if I added a passage that is not present in the second file and I just want to add the changes from the second file in my file.

We try to stay away from saving such data, both because of its temporary nature, and of the general reluctance to write anything to the user PC. There are only two places where such data can be stored: the file system or the Registry. Both are not ideal, especially taking into account Vista UAC restrictions.

I read in the "changelog" that in 3.5 there is a new feature called "session files".
Is the information about skipped passages stored in a session file?
Then this would help me.

Greetings


OLLI

[psguru]

Indeed there is such a green indicator on the left side.
But I speak of the colors in the source dode itself.
It would be very useful if the source gets the color "ignored text" if I ignore a passage.
Then I see it at once in the source code, that there no changes must be made.
Very useful if I added a passage that is not present in the second file and I just want to add the changes from the second file in my file.

Perhaps. Still, once you know that the green bar means "skipped", you should be able to easily spot a difference that you marked as such.

I read in the "changelog" that in 3.5 there is a new feature called "session files".
Is the information about skipped passages stored in a session file?
Then this would help me.

No, such information is not stored in the session files. Note that marking diffs as "Skipped" is intended only for the duration of one comparison session. It is similar to manual synchronization links information, and we don't save (and don't indent to, at least at this point) that either.

[OLLI_S]

Perhaps. Still, once you know that the green bar means "skipped", you should be able to easily spot a difference that you marked as such.

If I have the two files opened, I do not look at the bar at the side.
I look at the source code itself and if there are any markings.
So if the "skipped" passages can be marked as "ignored" passages, then there would not be any source code markup for these passages.
Of cause I navigate from one diff to the next, but there are so many differences between those files that ignoring skipped passages would really help a lot!
This can be an option, that is NOT set as default.

No, such information is not stored in the session files. Note that marking diffs as "Skipped" is intended only for the duration of one comparison session. It is similar to manual synchronization links information, and we don't save (and don't indent to, at least at this point) that either.

Then please cosider this idea.

Greetings


OLLI

[psguru]

We will consider both of these suggestions for future releases.