WinMerge HowTo

Compare two branches

First open WinMerge, and install a new filter: Go in the menu to Tools, Filters, New. Paste the following code:

## This is a directory/file filter template for WinMerge
name: OpenPetra Filter
desc: Filter useful for OpenPetra, ignores some directories and files

## Select if filter is inclusive or exclusive
## Inclusive (loose) filter lets through all items not matching rules
## Exclusive filter lets through only items that match to rule
## include or exclude
def: include

## Filters for filenames begin with f:
## Filters for directories begin with d:
## (Inline comments begin with " ##" and extend to the end of the line)

f: \.aps$ ## VC Binary version of resource file, for quick loading
f: \.bsc$ ## VC Browser database
f: \.dll$ ## Windows DLL
f: \.exe$ ## Windows executable
f: \.obj$ ## VC object module file
f: \.pdb$ ## VC program database file (debugging symbolic information)
f: \.res$ ## VC compiled resources file (output of RC [resource compiler])
f: \.suo$ ## VC options file (binary)
f: \.cache$ ## ??
f: \.resources$ ## Compiled resource file.
f: \.xfrm ## ??
f: \.bak$ ## backup
f: \-generated.
f: \\*~
f: \\*template.js
f: \\*yaml.xml
f: \\generatewinforms.log
f: \\generateextjsforms.log

d: \\cvs$ ## CVS control directory
d: \\.svn$ ## Subversion control directory
d: \\.bzr
d: \\delivery
d: \\tmp
d: \\log
d: \\lib\data
d: \\customized
d: \\bin

Now File/Open, and select the 2 directories. Tick Include Subfolders. Select the OpenPetra Filter.

In View menu, you can prevent the identical files to be shown, same for binary files.

You can store this as a project, in File/Save Project, to remember your settings.

PreDiffer Plugin

A while ago, I wrote my own prediffer plugin. This is useful for everything, that cannot be done with the LineFilters. See my blog: http://tpokorra.blogspot.com/2007/11/using-winmerge-to-compare-cvs-branches.html