'Diff Doc' - Command Line

(Command Line or GUI Driven file comparison)

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 on-line documentation for a complete discussion of the command line.

What is the Command Line?

'Diff Doc' can be run from the command line allowing you to automate processes through the use of batch files. Alternatively you can launch 'Diff Doc' from 3rd party programs extending their functionality. To compare Excel files this way click here.

The syntax for the command line is:

DiffDoc /M{MasterFile} /S{Source File} [/I] [/W] [/A] [/B] [/E] [/H] [/X] [/Y#] [/Z#] [/1 - 4] [/T{ReportFile}] [/R#] [/F#] [/L{Log File}] [/V] [/O] [/D] [/C] [/U]

Items above enclosed in square brackets [ ] are optional, all other switches are required. Therefore /M, /S, should always be specified on the command line.

IMPORTANT: To use the command line successfully the operating system will need to know where exactly the application is located. Otherwise, you'll see the following error:

"DiffDoc" is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

We suggest you do one of the following:

A) Set the path in your operating system's environment variables to the installation location of DiffDoc.EXE. See your operating system's help for setting the path.

B) Create a batch file (a text file whose file name ends in .bat) that uses the fully qualified path of DiffDoc.EXE.

For example the following is a typical batch file:

"C:\Program Files\Softinterface, Inc\DiffDoc\DiffDoc.EXE" /S"C:\FilesNew\A.DOC" /M"C:\FilesNew\A.DOC" /V

Otherwise, you'll see the following error:

"'DiffDoc' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

Full descriptions for each switch are shown below, they are ordered from most to least frequently used:

Switch	Meaning
/M{Master File/Folder}	Master file, considered to be the original. The Source file is compared against the master file. See /S{Source File}.
/S{Source File/Folder}	Source file is compare against the master. The source file is typically the file that has been modified from the original Master.
/I	Ignore case when comparing files.
/W	Ignore whitespace characters (tabs, spaces, etc.) when comparing files.
/E	Ignore empty lines.
/B	Beep when finished doing a file compare.
/X	Exit application when done.
/L{Log File}	To specify a log file to log the success or failure of the comparison, use this switch.
/V	Verbose mode. Use this switch to have message box prompt the status of the comparison.

/T{Target File}	If you are going to create a report file, this switch must be used and the file name of the output target file must be supplied.
/R#	Report Format: 1 = HTML, 2 = Text, 3 = CSV, 4 = RTF/DOC. Defaults to HTML. NOTE: Only the HTML format supports the "Side By Side View" /F2
/F#	Report Style: 1 = All In One, 2 = Side By Side. Defaults to Side By Side. 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.

/Y#	Excel, master sheet number to compare. Defaults to 1.
/Z#	Excel, source 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 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 columns. Defaults to all.
/3	Excel, Select what rows of the Source 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 Source 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.

/H	HTML compare source code, 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 all DOC and HTM files within a folder use "/U .DOC .HTM"
/???	Not here, ask us, we may be able to accommodate you.