Problems with Display colors in ED 4.0 beta

[naiditsch]

Some options that I have set:
Comparing Lines and characters
Document type: plain/text
Perform full file comparison
Run new instance when comparing FILES

My problem:
I make a directory comparison of two different folders, the content are *.cpp and *.h files of my VC project, that means I compare text files.

Afterwards I get two panes which show me the different files in left and right pane.

I hit the Return/Enter key for comparing two different files.

A new instance of ED is opening.

Then in the file compare two pane view I want to set some new colors for difference highlighting. So I go to Options dialog/Display/Colors.

I make some differences for the text colors of changed/newly inserted/ignored text (For File comparison only).

Then I exit the options dialog box with OK button.

Afterwards the difference highlighting is changing in the way I choose colors.

Then I hit the ESC key, the file comparison window/application is closing.

I hit Return/Enter key on the next two different files in directory comparison view.

Now it happens from time to time, that my file comparison text colors are all gone and that them will be restored to the previous text colors that I have had before, when I started the directory comparison.

Is this a bug or a feature. I'm not using sessions and I don't want to use sessions. I want that the text colors changes will be accepted for both file comparison panes simultaneously.

I also saw that the file comparison text colors were only changing in one of the file comparison panes. Maybe someone could explain this ?

Thx in advance,
best regards,

Michael Kuelshammer

[psguru]

Is this a bug or a feature. I'm not using sessions and I don't want to use sessions. I want that the text colors changes will be accepted for both file comparison panes simultaneously.

The latter When you launch a comparison from an instance of directory comparison, the child process will inherit all settings of the parent process (the directory comparison). If you change settings in the child process, then exit, and then launch another child file comparison from the parent process, the child's settings will again be copied from the parent. So if you want to change settings for all child comparisons, do so in the parent directory comparison process.

I also saw that the file comparison text colors were only changing in one of the file comparison panes. Maybe someone could explain this ?

This was possible (in the early builds of 4.0 Beta) if your second file was not matched to any doc types, therefore it used the default/plain type. The later builds include a feature that will, in such cases, color the second file the same way as the first file.

[naiditsch]

Thx for the fast reply, as I understand now, it is a hidden feature

But I think you should write this somewhere in your help file, so if anyone has the same problem, that he gets quickly information about it. Put this information maybe in the "Color" help page of your html-help files.

Only a suggestion.

When I check for comparison of files in the options dialog only "Comparison of lines", you don't see my described problems. It was the first time that I changed to comparison of "lines and characters" because I missed a highlighting of only few character changes. But tricky to find, this option is there in the options dialog. You have also to know, that not only change the text colors make the effect, you also must check the checkbox "Comparison of line and characters". Very tricky!

Bye,
Michael

[psguru]

But tricky to find, this option is there in the options dialog

It's also on the default toolbar of the text file comparison mode: Detail Level button (with a drop-down arrow).

[naiditsch]

It was after update from version 3.3 not in the toolbar, after I just customized the toolbar, I found the detail level button. I had to customize it.

Thx again,
Michael