Comparing Files and folders by command line using 'Diff Doc'
Have a question? Ask us! We love to help. !
Note: The description below is a sub-set of the command line capabilities, abridged for clarity and will be enough for 95% of all users. See the online documentation for a complete discussion of the command line.
Get started quickly by looking at the many examples provided. If you are not familiar with the command line, then please continue reading.
'Diff Doc' can be run without a user interface with command line arguments. You can initiate command line execution by going to the operating system's command prompt or from batch files (files with *.BAT extension). A batch file can be created in a simple editor like Notepad.EXE. Once saved, double click the bat file in Windows Explorer to execute it. Alternatively you can launch 'Diff Doc' from 3rd party programs extending their functionality.
Important: If you see the following error or have any other issues:
"DiffDoc is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."
then please read Helpful Hints for Creating a Command Line for further assistance.
Command Line Syntax
The syntax for the command line is:
DiffDoc /M{Original File} /S{Modified File} [/I] [/W] [/Q] [/A] [/B] [/E] [/H] [/X] [/Y#] [/Z#] [/1 - 4] [/7 - 9] [/T{ReportFile}] [/R#] [/F#] [/L{Log File}] [/V] [/O] [/D] [/C] [/U] [/K] [/WS#] [/P] [/N]
Items above enclosed in square brackets "[ ]" are optional, all other 'switches' are required. Therefore /M, /S, should always be specified on the command line.
You can include or exclude spaces between switches and parameters. For example, "/R1" is the same as "/R 1". Quotation marks are required for long file names. For example /S"C:\My Data Folder\MyDoc.DOC".
At a minimum, you could use no switches at all and only specify the two files to compare. For example:
DiffDoc c:\MyOriginalFile.PDF c:\MyModifiedFile.PDF
Note: If you don't specify a particular option in the command line, the option will default to whatever was last set in the user interface.
Command Line Switches
Full descriptions for each switch are listed below from the most to the least commonly used:
Switch |
Use |
/M{Original File} |
Specify the Original file (to be compared to the modified file). |
/S{Modified File} |
Specify the Modified file (to be compared to the original file). |
/X |
Exit application when done |
/V |
Verbose mode. Use this switch to have pop-up messages show the status of the comparison. Good for troubleshooting. |
/I |
Ignore case when comparing files |
/W |
Ignore whitespace characters (tabs, spaces, etc.) when comparing files |
/E |
Ignore empty lines |
/P |
Remove empty lines |
/N |
Remove formatting |
/B |
Beep when finished doing a file compare |
/Q |
Do a Quick file compare when comparing files. Quick compare only compares the binary file, byte by byte, not the actual content. If there is a binary difference, it is found quickly. |
/L{Log File} |
Specify a log file to log the success or failure of the comparison. |
/WS# |
After comparison is complete, specify the main Window State (0 = Normal, 1 = minimized, 2 = maximized). /X switch should not be used with /WS#. |
|
|
/T{Report File} |
If you are going to create a report file, this switch must be used. The fully qualified path of the report file name should be specified. For example /T"C:\Reports\Output.HTM" NOTE: You may specify Date/Time fields. |
/R# |
Report Format: 1 = HTML (Default) 2 = Text 3 = CSV 4=MS Word. NOTE Only the HTML Format supports the Side By Side view /F2 |
/F# |
Report Style: 1 = All In One 2 = Side by Side (Defaults) NOTE Only the HTML Format supports the Side By Side view /F2 |
/O |
O for Open report when done. Notepad or Internet Explorer is launched depending on the Report type. |
/K |
Do NOT create a report if there were 0 differences found. |
|
|
/Y# |
Excel, Original sheet number to compare. Defaults to 1 |
/Z# |
Excel, Modified sheet number to compare. Defaults to 1 |
/A |
Excel, Compare formulas in Excel files |
/1 |
Excel, Select what rows of the Master file to compare. The syntax is: "1,5-10,20" where commas and dashes indicate single and whole sections of sheets. Use the "*" to compare all rows. Defaults to all. |
/2 |
Excel, Select what columns of the Original file to compare. The syntax is: "1,5-10,20" where commas and dashes indicate single and whole sections of sheets. Use the "*" to compare all columns. Defaults to all. |
/3 |
Excel, Select what rows of the Modified file to compare. The syntax is: "1,5-10,20" where commas and dashes indicate single and whole sections of sheets. Use the "*" to compare all rows. Defaults to all. |
/4 |
Excel, Select what columns of the Modified file to compare. The syntax is: "1,5-10,20" where commas and dashes indicate single and whole sections of sheets. Use the "*" to compare all columns. Defaults to all. |
|
|
/5 |
Report Original File Column Title. Applies only to an HTML-style report. |
/6 |
Report Modified File Column Title. Applies only to an HTML-style report. |
/7 |
Report title. Applies only to an HTML-style report. |
|
|
/8 |
User password. Applies
only to PDF files. |
/9 |
Owner password. Applies
only to PDF files. |
|
|
/H |
When comparing HTML: Compare html script source and not textual content. |
|
|
/D |
Compare Folders (Directories). See /C switch also. |
/C |
Compare Subfolders. Only valid when /D switch is used. |
/U |
Folder Comparison, specify which extension(s) to compare. Leave blank to compare all extensions. To compare only DOC files use "/U *.DOC". Note that the asterisk character "*" is important. To compare DOC and HTM use "/U *.DOC *.HTM" |
|
|
/? |
This command line information shows up |
|
|
/??? |
Not here, ask us, we may be able to accommodate you. [email protected] |
See Also:
