Make Short Work of File Comparisons With ExamDiff Pro

At a Glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

Win over tricky file formats to text
Performs hirsute line matched
Color codes types of differences uniquely

Cons

Some plugins cause problems if used carelessly

Our Finding of fact

Compare the contents of a wide range of file types, merge changes, and generate diff reports with ExamDiff Pro.

It's been about cardinal years and a major release since I last looked at ExamDiff Pro. This quality program inhabits a narrowly settled recession used past programmers, Web site coders, and others World Health Organization need to comparability different versions of long, convoluted documents. A differential, OR a diff for short, highlights the differences between two documents, both from the 35,000 fundament view and kill to the line and lineament floor of particular. Typically, so much a program compares two files, but much advanced differs are equal to of diffing three files forthwith. Differs usually display the documents nether scrutiny tiled following to one another, and highlight differences in lines, whole sections of the document, and even character-by-character differences. ExamDiff Pro is perhaps the most versatile so much product disposable.

ExamDiff Pro 5.5 screenshot — ExamDiff Favoring 5.5 is a identical versatile diff tool.

But that doesn't imply there ISN't competition. At the rock-bottom end is the free, open-source KDiff3, which offers a great deal of diffing functionality albeit with a slightly less shining appearance. At the other end of the spectrum is UltraCompare, the $50 differ published by IDM Figurer Solutions, maker of the excellent copy editor UltraEdit. UltraCompare's drug user interface is much more processed and silky-looking for. UltraCompare encircles modified sections and literally draws lines between the related sections in adjacent documents, can compare two or cardinal files simultaneously, and color codes graphic symbol-level differences as well. However, it has a more cluttered toolbar and lacks the file processing plugins ExamDiff Affirmative uses that volition allow you to liken the text inside of PDF documents, for example.

Unlike version 4.5, the 5.5 variant of ExamDiff Pro is non distributed as two separate SKUs, unmatched with and one without the powerful conversion plugins that make this program uniquely proper to diffing the most important parts of documents–the matter content–published in a wide range of file cabinet formats. ExamDiff Favoring automatically converts the contents of Word .medico, Powerpoint .ppt, and Adobe .pdf to text systematic to comparison them; it converts Excel .xls spreadsheets to Polygonia comma-separated treasure (.csv) files, besides, and buttocks unzip or slow down any file format supported by the program 7-Zip.

Comparing executable files for which you undergo no root code can be tricky because, unequal document files, applications can use runtime packers that compress the size of the file cabinet on magnetic disc, and only decompress the program fully while it's running. ExamDiff Pro is the only disagree I've seen that can automatically generate a dump of 32-bit PE files so the equivalence is as accurate as possible. And ExamDiff Pro also is the lone diffing creature I've seen with a so-called Fuzzy Comparing feature, which ignores small formatting differences like line breaks or extra spaces, and concentrates on the text itself.

The only problem I encountered while victimization ExamDiff Pro was that I accidentally enabled the Sort plugin in front comparing two text files. The documents, which were a few lines of code, were grouped into a meaningless list of commands when I did this. Only by disabling the fireplug-in (click View, Options, so click Plug-Immigration and Naturalization Service in the left pane and deselect the checkbox succeeding to "14. Sort [installed]") was I able to view the table of contents of the files with their lines in the correct order.

ExamDiff, at $35 later on its 30-day trial expires, fits nicely in the feature and cost recession between free, but sparse diffing tools suchlike KDiff3, and higher-end tools like UltraCompare. Its ability to generate a dump of a positional notation file is a overnice bonus sport, but not a necessity; Coming up with something that resembles parity bit 'tween documents preserved in different file formats, something ExamDiff excels at, is harder and a Thomas More welcome feature. For most people who need a diffing tool, ExamDiff will suit their necessarily most of the time.

–St. Andrew Brandt

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/478081/examdiff_pro.html

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