Code Compare

How do i compare a local working copy to the latest version in TFS?  I have entered the information into Visual studio to replace it's compare tool but I can't compare a file to the tfs copy from solution explorer.  When I click 'Compare this file' from solution explorer the compare window opens with the local copy in the left pane but nothing in the right pane and I don't see a way to navigate to tfs to select the source copy.  I can only navigate the local file system.  I was able to do this compare but I have to locate the file in Source control explorer right click the file and start the compare but this seems clunky.  Am I missing something?

"Compare This File" just opens your local file. This command does not relate to any version control system. If you want to compare a local file with a file from server, you should use the "Compare..." TFS command.

I am using Visual Studio and really like Code Compare.  I originally wanted to see how it looked with Code Compare windows opening in Visual Studio instead of as an external app.  I do not like it...I would prefer it to always open the windows as a separate app.  How do I change this option?

 In order to select the comparison environment you can use the following command line argument: /environment=standalone. Possibility to choose what environment to use by default will be included in one of the next builds. With the current build you should launch standalone Code Compare manually before opening a comparison via Explorer context menu.

If I have a check in conflict, TFS/Visual Studio shows me my file, and the file in TFS then another window of what the "New" file will be.  Is this a two way merge or a three way merge?

Because I am not sure what a Two Way merge is, I am left wondering if I need the Paid Version of this tool to get the functionality that comes with Visual Studio now?  (As only "Two Way" merges are supported in the free version.)

Thanks!

Yes, what you have described is three-way merge. At  two-way merge, Code Compare will open a file from TFS on the left, and your file copy - on the right, that will be used as merge result after you apply changes.

I tried this add-on awhile back and uninstalled after too many problems. The uninstall hung and I've been left with the add-on apparently uninstalled except that the settings page still appears in Tools -> Options. ("An error occurred loading this property page" is displayed.)

How can I remove this, and any other vestiges of the add-on, from my Visual Studio install?

To remove all information about Code Compare from the registry, download this registry file -  http://www.devart.com/pub/CodeCompareClean.zip , and run it. We will be very grateful if you give a more detailed description of the problem. What exactly hung?  Uninstall process or devenv.exe? In the second case you should have waited till the Visual Studio process finishes. Did you kill any process during uninstall? Which problems occurred when you were working with Code Compare?

If I have to close my document to do a code compare, I lose my undo history on the file.  It would be entirely acceptable to me to allow the original document to remain open and open CodeCompare in a separate tab in VS.  

If I were silly enough to go edit my document in the other code window then codeCompare would do well to see that I've changed it and re-compare.  I think avoiding this problem may have been the reason for closing the original document, but it adds frustration, knowing I'm about to lose my undo history.

Using  Visual Studio native documents is the specificity of CodeCompare. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to clone (the Window -> New Window command is not available) some document types (for example, vb and html) or shift them to another window. That's why we have to ask user to close such documents before comparing them.

I wonder if it is possible to add a feature for comparing database, mostly MS-SQL. For example, I want to comapre two databases and see what are the difference in Schema, Tables and etc.

You can try dbForge Schema Compare for SQL Server. You can find more information about it at http://www.devart.com/dbforge/sql/schemacompare/ .

Can I use this to replace the default compare that the team foundation source control plugin uses?  And, if so, how do I configure it?  Someone else asked a similar question, but the link failed to explain how to do this.

Sorry for the delay. You can find the information about configuring TFS plug-in to use CodeCompare at http://www.devart.com/codecompare/articles/tfs.html . Also you can use our support page to get answer quickly: http://www.devart.com/codecompare/support.html .

I think the link is http://www.devart.com/codecompare/onlinedocs/Team_Foundation_Server.html

This looks great. Is there any support coming for Mercurial, in particular TortoiseHG? 

To integrate CodeCompare with TortoiseHg please paste the following lines in 
the mercurial.ini that is located in the user profile directory.

[merge-tools]
;codecompare.executable=C:\Program Files\Devart\CodeCompare\CodeComp.exe
codecompare.regkey=SOFTWARE\Devart\CodeCompare
codecompare.regname=ExecutablePath
codecompare.regappend=CodeComp.exe
codecompare.args=/SC=Hg /TF=$other /MF=$local /RF=$output
codecompare.gui=True
codecompare.check=prompt
codecompare.diffargs=/SC=Hg /B $parent $child


[merge-patterns]
**.** = codecompare

Trying to use this from the TortoiseHg contect menu. The Latest version (d/l at the time of writing) seems to have broken this. It can't find the SCC'd file. The previous version generally crashed VS.

Trying to use TortoiseHg from the context menu. Right click - visual diff. So far I can't diagnose the pattern of why but the temp file 

... [this forum fails at ampersands, apparently] ... and directory "...\temp\visualdiff.xxx\..." that looks like it was meant to be generated (it's the path of the left file) - wasn't created. Closing the diff *sometimes* throws an exception in VS but it doesn't crash. Of course, now that I want to actually take note of the exception, it won't throw another one.

It seems to generate the comparison about 1 in 10 times. I wish I knew why. Disabled Resharper, Power Toys and everything else. Nada. I managed to break it on a couple of computers, both running VS 2010 

ok, I think I have it. As per http://www.devart.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18645 I added " /WAIT" after the line "codecompare.diffargs=/SC=Hg /B $parent $child"

The issue was not that the temp file wasn't being created as much as it was deleted before it could be opened. Bah!  TortoiseHg was the culprit.

So far, so good.

I seem to have a similar problem. I get a 'kdgznt2o.sjr_Product.cs' file does not exist, when trying to use Diff Previous using HgSCC with Visual Studio 2010. I've added the /WAIT parameter but nothing changed.

This happens when I right click a .cs file and choose Mercurial->View History, then when I right click a modified file and choose Diff Previous this error message appears.

I really like the integration and CodeCompare and HgSCC together would make the Mercurial integration with Visual Studio 2010 perfect.

Hi,
is there any way to integrate this tool into any of the Express editions?
I don't own any retail version of Visual Studio since I only write programs for fun and at home. But recently I wanted to optimize some older tools of mine, from a time when I was rather unexperienced.
When I try to install this tool with only the Express editions installed I get a message that a version of Visual Studio has to be installed.
Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately, Express editions of Visual Studio support neither add-ins nor packages. You can read 
more about these limitations by the following links:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/86562/what-is-missing-in-the-visual-studio-express-editions
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/vssetup/thread/2263f2d9-ade3-4157-a024-957aa7397b0a
http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/f/e/5feb6914-bcdf-432f-81c7-e386812b086a/VisualStudio2008-ProductComparison-v1.08.pdf 
(Extensibility section)

Installing CodeCompare breaks the Tools.Options command in Visual Studio 2010 (I haven't tried it in 2008). If you open the Command window and enter "Tools.Options 57f6b7d2-1436-11d1-883c-0000f87579d2", it should open the Options window and take you to the "Fonts and Colors" page, but with CodeCompare installed you receive the message "Command "Tools.Options" does not accept arguments or switches.". This breaks the Quick Access feature of the Productivity Power Tools extension (http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/d0d33361-18e2-46c0-8ff2-4adea1e34fef).

This problem is already solved. The fix will be included in the next build (it will be available in a couple of days).