Visual aid for Compare Directories (and elsewhere)

[browny]

Recently in the topic about Compare by Content tool I suggested to add visual map of found differences near or on a scrollbar.

That idea might be is applicable to directory comparison as well.
That would not be needed when directories are short, or different files could be easily groupped with sort order (most commonly by time).

But when directories have hundreds of files and only one file is different (of very few files are), there is no good way to pinpoint differing file(s) in the long list.
There are no hotkeys as Next/Previous difference in text comparison; and scrolling fast while trying not to miss highlighted file name is rather inconvenient work around.

Edit. As I understood later, this feature might be used whenever there are marks in file panes (for example, marks after Compare Directoriies command could be changed manually).

[Lefteous]

But when directories have hundreds of files and only one file is different (of very few files are), there is no good way to pinpoint differing file(s) in the long list.

In such cases I hide the equal files to focus on the unique and different files.

[browny]

In such cases I hide the equal files to focus on the unique and different files.

How you do that in Compare Directories?

[MVV]

One may do that in Sync tool.

[browny]

I have to remind that the suggestion was for Compare Directories feature.

Though after more thinking I understood that this visual mapping could be used all the time in directory panes.
Maybe I will need to change the topic title.

[MVV]

Compare directories just selects some items in both panels, it doesn't open any new windows, so there is nothing where anything may be drawn.

[browny]

MVV, please try to read carefully before posting answers.
Otherwise your opinion would be useless.

[MVV]

So what? There are still no controls between file panels or everywhere else for such marks. Compare directories is just a quick function for marking items that are newer or absent on another side. And what should TC do when user switches to multi-column view mode?

BTW there are internal commands cm_GotoNextSelected/cm_GotoPrevSelected for moving cursor within selection, and also you can use cm_ShowOnlySelected command to hide non-selected items. Anyway, for comparing large directories Sync tool is much more powerful than Compare Directories.

[petermad]

2browny

There are no hotkeys as Next/Previous difference in text comparison

How about using cm_GotoNextSelected and cm_GotoPrevSelected assigned to hotkeys of your own choice?

[browny]

So what? There are still no controls between file panels

Wrong; there is at least a splitter control.
Thogh this is irrelevant in current context; because you skipped the point of reading carefully:

everywhere else for such marks.

Wrong again. Marks were supposed to be somewhere around scrollbars.
Scrollbars were at the bottom of each pane.
Unlike file contents comparison with one map for two files, here each pane's map should be drawn independently.


petermad,
Keybard shortcuts is a good idea, but it does not replace visual representation of how many files are marked and where approximately are these files in the list.

[petermad]

Keybard shortcuts is a good idea, but it does not replace visual representation of how many files are marked and where approximately are these files in the list.

I just wanted to point that there in fact are commands availble already for the hotkeys you advertised.

And until (if ever) visual aid is provided, the shortcuts may help you.

[Horst.Epp]

As MVV allready explained Sync dirs is the Tool for such Jobs and there is no need to use compare dirs for it.

[MVV]

Wrong; there is at least a splitter control.

Wrong again. Marks were supposed to be somewhere around scrollbars.

You've split single sentence to two and take separate sense from them? Major mind was (I'll remove extra words for you) that there is no controls for such marks, and splitter control is definitely not for marks.

I admit that I've missed that you're talked about scrollbars in the first post but it would be more rational and gentle from your side to tell which point was exactly missed instead of senseless blaming. Perhaps it would be really nice to see some marks on scrollbars if TC will ever draw them manually...

Anyway it is in your best interest to use some kind of visualization to let others understand your ideas better.

[browny]

As MVV allready explained Sync dirs is the Tool for such Jobs

As already explained above, these are two different tools.
One is only Shift-F2 away, keeps results (marks) and main TC window is active at that time.
The other is a modal dialog; you have to recompare every time the dialog opens. To do anything else in TC you must close the dialog first.

Besides, with the latest corrections the suggested kind of visualization could be used in any file pane.

That makes discussion Compare Directories vs Syncronize Directories mostly pointless.

[browny]

You've split single sentence to two and take separate sense from them?

What separate senses, if there were several incorrect points in one phrase?
For example, splitter control (no pun intended) could be wide enough to provide space for drawing.