Make previous/next difference in Compare contents start from the current cursor position

[browny]

Two files, lets say the right one has all ten lines with single digits from 0 to 9, left has only even numbers.
Of course, comparison shows empty lines on the left where numbers are missing.
Turn on Edit mode, press Ctrl+Home to go to the top, then use Alt+Down Alt+Right combinations to advance to next difference and copy left to right.
Second Alt+Down would skips one differece while it should not (goes from line with "2" to line with "5" instead of "3").
"Next difference" button does the same.

[ghisler(Author)]

The compare tool counts multiple linked lines of differences as one difference. So if lines 2,3 and 5 are different, lines 2+3 are counted as one difference, and line 5 as the next.

[browny]

Line numbering stays unchanged between comparisons, so lets refer to the numbers as "left/right"
Initially, there are 5 differences - all odd numbers at lines -/2, -/4, -/6, -/8, -/10.
Equal are lines 1/1, 2/3, 3/5, 4/7, 5/9.
The topmost difference is at -/2 (digit 1), and after elimination the cursor is at equal line 2/3 (digit 2), which is above the next highlighted difference at -/4.
The natural way to advance down would be landing on the highlighted difference below the current line, which is -/4 and not -/6.

[ghisler(Author)]

I have tried to reproduce this, but I can't. My two files are (left all numbers, right only even numbers as stated):
Left file:

Code: Select all

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
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8
9
10

and right file:

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0
2
4
6
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10

Resulting comparison:
https://www.ghisler.ch/images/compare_odd_even.png

Pressing "n" jumps through all the numbers. What am I doing wrong?

[browny]

What am I doing wrong?

Simple. Your configuration:

My two files are (left all numbers, right only even numbers as stated):

Stated was different:

Two files, lets say the right one has all ten lines with single digits from 0 to 9, left has only even numbers.

Right, not left. With your mirrored files, keys in Edit mode should have been Alt+Down Alt+Left.

Pressing "n" jumps through all the numbers.

Have you switched to Edit mode and changed files as described? The bug is seen in changed files.
Mockup of what happens here after the first replacement before Next difference:

Code: Select all

1:0 | 1:0 <-- equal
2:2 | 3:2 <-- equal, cursor is here
    | 4:3 <-- highlighted difference, real next
3:4 | 5:4 <-- equal
    | 6:5 <-- here jumps on Next difference

[ghisler(Author)]

Right, not left.

Even if I swap the two files, I can go through all the results with Alt+N, and none is skipped.

Something with your files mist be different.
Could you post your two files in [ code ] [ /code ] blocks, please?

[browny]

File "0", left

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2
4
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8

File "1", right

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2
3
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5
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9

Settings: not Binary, ANSI-ANSI, Case sensitive marked, tried with two next checkboxes both marked or unmarked.
Cursor initially is in the left pane.
Actions: press Alt+M, Ctrl+Home, hold Alt and press Down, Right, Down.
Now active difference in the line with "5" instead of expected "3".

Previous versions of TC did the same, now it is TC 11.58 RC2 64-bit in the updated Windows 11 25H2.

[ghisler(Author)]

I will try it, thanks!

[petermad]

I can confirm that after I press Alt+down the cursor is between line 1 and 2 on the left side (on line 2 on the right side) and when I press Alt+Right line 2 in the right side is removed, and the next press on Alt+Down highlights line 5 in the right side and not line 3 as should be expected.

Maybe I is connected to the fact that if I press Alt-down and then manually move the cursor up to a previous line, then the next Alt-down press will go to the next difference from the previous last difference, not from the current cursor position - to illustrate that with the test files: press Alt+down (the cursor goes to the line between 2 and 4 in the left side). Now click on the first line (or press Ctrl+home) and press Alt+down again - the cursor goes between line 3 and 4 - not between 2 and 4.. Now click on the first line again and press Alt+down - now the cursor goes between line 4 and 5.

In my opinion pressing Alt+down should go to the next difference from the CURRENT cursor position, not to the next difference from the cursor position of the last difference. If that was changed, maybe browny's problem would be fixed too?

[Galizza]

Now active difference in the line with "5" instead of expected "3"

Previous versions of TC did the same, now it is TC 11.58 RC2 64-bit in the updated Windows 11 25H2.

Confirmed, TC 11.57 32Bit // Windows 11 25H2

[ghisler(Author)]

Sorry, this is not how "Next/Previous difference" works. The next difference found only partially depends on the cursor position:
1. If the last found difference is outside of the current view, "Next/Previous difference" starts searching from the first line
2. Otherwise, it starts searching from the last found difference position

Changing this to start from the current cursor position would be a major change, which I'm currently not willing to make.

Moderator message from: ghisler(Author) » 2026-06-11, 07:51 UTC

Moved to will not be changed

[browny]

1. If the last found difference is outside of the current view, "Next/Previous difference" starts searching from the first line
2. Otherwise, it starts searching from the last found difference position

The last found difference had been deleted, difference position is invalidated, so the logical choice would be - continue from the current line.

[JOUBE]

Sorry, this is not how "Next/Previous difference" works. The next difference found only partially depends on the cursor position:
1. If the last found difference is outside of the current view, "Next/Previous difference" starts searching from the first line
2. Otherwise, it starts searching from the last found difference position

Changing this to start from the current cursor position would be a major change, which I'm currently not willing to make.

Moved to will not be changed

2ghisler(author)Thank you for those clear words, which would also like to see in other threads. Please keep it up.

[browny]

Not the first time when deleted lines in Compare tool were causing troubles.

The existing behaviour is counterintuitive, it differs from what could be seen in other next/previous cases, and certainly is not the best way to handle the situation.
Deletion of several consecutive differences now requires much more attention and twice more key presses.
This could be moved into Suggestions, instead of being dumped.

[petermad]

This could be moved into Suggestions, instead of being dumped.

 

Moderator message from: petermad » 2026-06-12, 10:41 UTC

Moved to "TC suggestions (English)" from "TC Behaviour which will not be changed"

 
 
2browny
I have changed the topic title to "Make previous/next difference in Compare contents start from the current cursor position" - If you can not agree with that, then please change it yourself.