Which file compare software are you using for comparing files and folders? How do you like it?
I ever tried several ones, include:
- Windiff: Comes along with the Windows SDK, I think it is the build in file compare tool of Visual Studio (TFS ).
- Tortoisemerge: Build in file compare tool of tortoisesvn.
- Winmerge: An open source differencing and merging tool for Windows.
- Beyond compare: Commercial, powerful.
- FCU: File-compare utility, light-weighted, freeware.
Honestly, each of above is good enough for me, but it's a problem when I have choices: FCU is green (no need to install) and fast, but less features. beyond compare is really powerful, but it isn' t free.
Eventually, after tried them for a while in my daily work, I found that for comparing files, tortoisemerge is the best, and winmerge is the best for comparing folders.
Now the question is, I don't like the build in file compare tool of Visual Studio, because:
- It ignores blank lines by default, and I don't want to waste my time on changing the settings for each of my computers, or each time I reinstall the Visual Studio.
- If you renamed a variable, or removed/added a white space in a line, what you can get from it is "the line has been changed", but I want more details.
- The colors of default settings are monotone, and I don't know how to change them.
Tortoisemerge is much better:
So can I use my own tools (tortoisemerge) for comparing files in Visual Studio (TFS )?
Surely I can, now let's do it:
- Visual Studio-> Tools-> options-> source control-> Visual Studio team Foundation server.
- Click Configure user tools button, a dialog will be shown, click Add button on it.
- Enter the settings properly. I choose ". *" as the extension here because I want to compare all kinds of files with my file compare tool.
For the "arguments", usually we don't need to change it.
- Save the settings.
That's it, now tortoisemerge is the default file compare tool of Visual Studio.
Enjoy it