<para>File compare window is basically two files opened to editor into two
horizontal panes. Editing files is the big difference between 1.7.1 and
- newer versions. Editing allows user to easily do small changes without need
- to open the files to other editor or development environment.</para>
+ newer versions. Editing allows user to easily do small changes without the
+ need to open the files to other editor or development environment.</para>
+
+ <para>WinMerge editor is not comparable to specialized editor programs, but
+ it has basic features like
+ <guilabel>Undo</guilabel>/<guilabel>Redo</guilabel>,
+ <guilabel>Find</guilabel>/<guilabel>Replace</guilabel> and
+ <guilabel>Goto</guilabel> (to linenumber). The editor also has a syntax
+ highlighting feature supporting several file formats (colors configurable).
+ Note however WinMerge does not syntax highlight text inside differences.
+ Syntax highlighting can be disabled from options.</para>
<tip>
<para>If <guilabel>Automatic rescan</guilabel> is not enabled manual
<sect2>
<title>File Headerbar</title>
- <para>File headerbar has many functionalities. See screenshot
+ <para>The file headerbar has several functionalities. See screenshot
below:</para>
<para><inlinemediaobject>
</imageobject>
</inlinemediaobject></para>
- <para>Firstly, headerbar shows filename and full path for file. Headerbar
- also shows:<itemizedlist>
+ <para>Headerbar shows full path to the open file. If the path is longer
+ than available space one part of the path is replaced with an ellipsis
+ (...). Headerbar also shows:<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
- <para>current active file with sunken border (like in screenshot),
- non-active file is shown with flat headerbar.</para>
+ <para>the current active file with sunken border (like in the above
+ screenshot), the non-active file is shown with flat
+ headerbar.</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
- <para>if file has unsaved changes. This is indicated by adding
- asterisk (<guilabel>*</guilabel>) before filename, like in
- screenshot.</para>
+ <para>if the file has been modified (has unsaved changes). This is
+ indicated by adding asterisk (<guilabel>*</guilabel>) before the
+ filename, like in the screenshot.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist></para>
- <para>Headerbar also has context menu with items to copy full path or
+ <para>Headerbar has a context menu with items to copy full path or
filename to clipboard.</para>
</sect2>
Left</guimenuitem> copy difference from side to side. At simplest this
means replacing text in destination difference with text in source
difference. But because difference can contain also removed lines, new
- lines may be created or some lines removed.</para>
+ lines may be created or some lines removed. If there are several
+ differences selected, then all fully selected differences are merged with
+ one command. This makes merging many small differences a lot
+ faster.</para>
<para>WinMerge rescans files after every merging operation. This is done
to ensure differences were copied correctly and all changes after last
<important>
<para>It is strongly advised to run <guimenuitem>Rescan</guimenuitem>
(<keycap>F5</keycap>) before merging differences if <guilabel>Automatic
- rescan</guilabel> is set off.</para>
+ rescan</guilabel> is set off. Usually files get out of sync when editing
+ and merging differences may have unpredictable results. If merging
+ result looks incorrect try undoing (<menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+
+ <guimenuitem>Undo</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice> from menu or <keycombo>
+ <keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
+
+ <keycap>Z</keycap>
+ </keycombo>) it and rescanning files. And then merging again.</para>
</important>
<para><guimenuitem>Copy to Right/Left and Advance</guimenuitem>-commands
faster.</para>
<para><guimenuitem>Copy All to Right/Left</guimenuitem>-commands sync two
- open files merging all differences.</para>
-
- <para><guimenuitem>Copy diffs in Left/Right selection to
- Right/Left</guimenuitem>-commands allow user to select several differences
- and merge them in one command. User can even select whole file and then
- merge all differences with one command. These commands are handy when
- there are several small differences that should be merged. Its easier and
- faster to select those differences first and then merge with these
- commands than merging those differences one by one.</para>
+ open files by merging all differences. Note that you can undo this whole
+ operation with one undo command.</para>
+
+ <tip>
+ <para>Enable <guilabel>Automatically scroll to first
+ difference</guilabel> -option from general options. This saves you from
+ scrolling to first difference and selecting it. See <link
+ linkend="Configuration">Options & Configuration</link> -chapter for
+ more information.</para>
+ </tip>
</sect2>
<sect2>
<sect2>
<title>Line Difference Highlight</title>
- <para>Maybe the greatest new feature in WinMerge 2.4 is difference
- highlight in all differences and lines in differences. Screenshot tells it
- best:</para>
+ <para>Maybe the greatest new feature in WinMerge 2.4 is the difference
+ highlight in all differences of the files.</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
</imageobject>
</mediaobject>
- <para>This feature can be turned on/off from menu <menuchoice>
+ <para>This feature can be enabled and disabled from menu <menuchoice>
<guimenu>View</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>View Line Differences</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice>. There are couple of options for the feature in
- Edit-options and <guilabel>Line Difference Coloring</guilabel>
- frame.</para>
+ </menuchoice>.</para>
+
+ <para>With default settings WinMerge uses whitespace characters (namely
+ spaces and tabulators) to separate words. WinMerge does not consider
+ commas or dots as word separators. That means WinMerge thinks "For
+ Example" is two words but "For,Example" is one word. More characters can
+ be included as word-separator characters from editor options (select from
+ menu <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+
+ <guimenuitem>Options</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice> and <guilabel>Editor</guilabel> page). See <link
+ linkend="Configuration">Options & Configuration</link> -chapter for
+ more information.</para>
</sect2>
<sect2>
<para>Most of these items are familiar from Main menu. Worth noting is
last item <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem>. It allows to open file with
- (system) registered application or with external editor.</para>
+ (system) registered application or with external editor. Also context menu
+ merge-commands are not relative to active file. They always merge the
+ selected difference.</para>
</sect2>
<sect2>
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