File-compare by content

Support for Android version of Total Commander

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georgeb
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File-compare by content

Post by *georgeb »

Sorry if this is a silly question but I am new to this forum.

I love TC for Android because the usual file-managers there are just crap in comparison to TCA. However knowing also the TC-desktop-version for Windows there are still some serious drawbacks. Of course this is mostly due to the scaled-down functionality of the OS and the small-area screens of mobile phones, I understand that.

Still there is one field in particular where those leaned-down features seem to hurt most - and that is the domain of file and/or directory comparison.

My searches in web and forum have brought up somewhat contradictory information so far.

Question: does the latest TCA-version contain some basic file-comparison utility/functionality or not?

IMHO even a simple answer "files are identical - or not" based on binary content and regardless of name or size would help a lot as there seem to be no proper utilities in this field for Android. Yes, there is "difftool", but the file-selection-process in there alone is clumsy to the max b/c it does not offer a 2-panel display - like TCA - to simply select the files to compare. And for instance when trying to compare .apk-application-files I have been unable to select those files as a whole without entering the archive first and then having to select the whole inner structure.

Sometimes I have different versions of .apk_s of interest from slightly suspicious sources or want to delete older versions of the same type of .apk. File date alone or meaningless names won't help in any case and sometimes those files are identical albeit with different names or date. But without a comparison-tool it is hard to decide which one of them can be deleted without concern.

I am aware of the numerous requests to implement File-Synchronization like in TC-Win but so far Mr. Ghisler has been reluctant about that for valid reasons of screen-size and complexity. And of course I would support all those requests if some adapted ways of small-screen-representation could be made feasible.

But why not start with some simple compare-by-content-functionality for files (for instance with a vertically-split HEX-display) and simple directory-comparison by color-marking identical files and differences in both panels first? It's about time!
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ghisler(Author)
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Re: File-compare by content

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Question: does the latest TCA-version contain some basic file-comparison utility/functionality or not?
It only contains a function to compare two files, not something like "synchronize dirs".

The function will either show that the files are identical, or show the first difference.

You need to select two files by tapping on their icons, the choose "Compare selected files" from the context menu.
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georgeb
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Re: File-compare by content

Post by *georgeb »

Excellent! So far I've been unaware of that functionality or how to invoke it. Very important for me. Thanks a lot for that info.
I see this as a very important first step. Although the display of any differences found looks somewhat cryptic I have to say.

Question: Can the built-in TCA-Editor also display binary files? Or is there any equivalent to the TCWin file-viewer/-lister (F3) available in TCA?

If so - wouldn't it be (relatively easily) possible to implement invoking such a lister/viewer allowing the user to circle through the differences found in a horizontally/vertically-split screen in either text- or hex-mode?

Perhaps in a future paid-version of "TCA-pro"?

One more suggestion though. I find it a bit clumsy for so many internal commands to having to declare an icon/button first in order to invoke them. Especially on the limited screen-space of smartphones. For instance the simple-renaming-operation - and many others - will need such a (hidden) button which you have to scroll for "endlessly" first and then may not remember the correct meaning of all those cryptic icons.

On the other hand the long-click context-menu is limited too.

Now what about a structured context-menu with sub-menus, similar to "Files", "Mark", "Show" etc. in TCWin? Wouldn't that be a great way of unmistakably and more directly selecting an ever increasing number of internal commands? And the button-bar could be kept pretty lean for the handful of really most basic commands like "sort order", "select", "copy/rename/(un-)pack" and delete.

Also I'd like to again emphasize my desire for a simple "compare directories"-function for both panels just with marking the differences. But I agree, a full "Synchronize Dirs"-function might be a bridge too far. Just my 2 cents.
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Re: File-compare by content

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Question: Can the built-in TCA-Editor also display binary files? Or is there any equivalent to the TCWin file-viewer/-lister (F3) available in TCA?
No, it uses a standard Android edit control, and I send the file data to that control.
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