Compare directories view

Use this view to compare directories.

To access this view, select a directory to compare, right-click and select Compare with Predecessor to compare the resource to its preceding version or select Compare with Another ClearCase Version to compare the resource to a version other than its predecessor.

Directory comparisons can only be performed by the ClearCase tools or the ClearCase Remote Client Integrated (UTF-8) tools.

For each contributor version, information about the contents of the directory is displayed. Hover over a file or directory to display resource information such as type, name, creation information, difference type, and OID. Use the buttons on the toolbar or the options in the Compare/Merge options menu to navigate through the differences.

You can adjust display and behavior preferences for the Compare directories view in the Compare/Merge Preferences page (ClearCase Remote Client > Integration > Compare/Merge). These preferences include ignoring blank spaces and automatically scrolling to the first difference point.

Difference and merge point markers

The following table provides a description of the difference markers used in the Compare/Merge view.

Difference type Marker Description
Changed a yellow triangle Indicates that this difference contains lines that are changed from the base contributor.
Default blank space Indicates that this section of text (if a file) or set of files (if a directory) is the same in all contributors. Note that there is no visual marker. However, a hover help is displayed when you hold the cursor over the beginning of the line.
Deleted A lowercase a overlaid by a red x Indicates that this difference does not contain lines that are included in the base contributor.
DeleteMoved A lowercase a overlaid by a red x and to its right a red horizontal arrow Indicates that lines have been removed from this location and moved to a new location.
Different Object ID A light blue rectangle overlaying a white rectangle with a dashed outline (Comparing or merging directories only) Indicates that this difference contains at least one file or directory that has the same name in the base contributor, but that the file or directory was deleted and created again and is considered to be a different file or directory.
Inserted A lowercase a under which is a red triangle Indicates that this difference contains lines that are not displayed in the base contributor.
InsertMoved A lowercase a under which is a red triangle and to its right a red horizontal Indicates that this difference contains lines that were moved from another location to this location.
Padding A white rectangle with a black dashed outline Indicates that Diff Merge has padded this difference with extra blank lines to align text with other contributors, which have insertions in this region. This padding is not displayed in the merge output.
Unchanged green check mark Indicates that this contributor does not differ from the base contributor at this location, but that another contributor does contain differences at this location. Also appears in the base contributor to indicate that there is a difference at the marked point in another contributor.

ClearCase Compare/Merge View Toolbar

The ClearCase Compare/Merge view toolbar contains the following icons for the compare operation:

Icon name Icon Description
Go To First Difference go to first difference icon Click to highlight the first difference in both contributors.
Go To Previous Difference Go To Previous Difference icon Click to highlight previous difference. Only available if there is a difference higher in the file than the currently selected difference.
Go To Next Difference Go To Next Difference icon Click to highlight next difference. Only available if there is a difference lower in the file than the currently selected difference.
Go To Last Difference Go To Last Difference icon Click to highlight the last difference in both contributors.
Pin View pin view icon Click to pin the current Compare/Merge view to your workspace. This allows you to run a new compare or merge operation in a separate Compare/Merge view.
Menu eclipse drop-down menu icon Displays the Compare/Merge view options menu, which contains the following options:Go To First Difference, Go To Previous Difference, Go To Next Difference, Go To Last Difference, and Pin View.
Related concepts
Compare and Merge operations
Related tasks
Using tools to compare and merge files and directories

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