Feature Request: Multiple

[dickdunbar]

I use folder compare a lot ... across multiple types of connections.

1. A better Explorer
I love working visually (and fast). Often, I have a single folder
on the left that I use to explore ... with all the BC3 goodies.
- Is it possible to have a single left-folder only, to expand the
columns across the screen.
Some of the code directories are very deep ... hard to keep track
of where I am.
status: Added to wish list

2. Directory Collapse
When I am working in one directory, have selected the directory
I want to work in. Today, if I start working in the opposite folder,
BC3 collapses my directory and I have to reposition again.

The same thing happens if I use Ctrl-F5 to force refresh.
I want the exposed folders to be refreshed (from ftp, for example).
I do not want BC3 to collapse all the directories.
More detail requested

3. Using filters extensively now, and I love the notion that you
can apply filters, and temporarily suppress filters to see what
I am missing.

I assign F12 to the "exclude" command to rapidly hide files/folders.

What I would like is an "exclude/include" flip-flop.
If a file/folder is filtered out, F12 would remove that filter.

Today, I have huge exclude lists ... a folder may have 100 source
files, and I want to only see one. What I would like to do is:

Hide the entire directory; suppress filters; locate the file I want,
and press F12 to unfilter that one file.
status: Added to wish list

4. Ignore Folder Structure
Is enormously valuable, especially with filters.

Suppose I have 5 files that I am trying to manage, in separate
directories. Further, these 5 files do not exactly match the
directory structure on both sides.

With Ignore File Structure, and filtering, I would like to see just
5 rows on each side. Since the directory structures don't match
exactly, I need to manipulate the PATH on either side to make them
match.

And, I would like to add rows to this list ... matching single files to
single files on each side. Each pairing would have a unique row.

For example, fileA in the left folder could appear multiple times,
but paired with a unique directory item in the right folder.
More detail requested

[dickdunbar]

Grrr ... I edited this item, added a bunch of stuff, then didn't know whether to click

Post Reply

Save

I chose "Post reply" and my current screen was replaced with a new item to reply.

Pressing Browser Back, did not return me to the Editing screen, so I lost the changes.

Suggestion: If I press Post Reply, please open that in a new tab/window, instead
of replacing my current browser view.

Not sure I can remember all the things I added.

[dickdunbar]

Trying to remember my last edit.

5. "Bash Here"

I have an explorer option similar to "Command Line Here" which brings up cygwin/bash.

Today, I click on the BC3 folder, then select Explorer, then select "Bash Here".

Explorer is so lame/slow ... is there a way I can get this functionality in BC3?
Working on implementation

6. 7-zip always expands to parent

I use 7-Zip to manage uncompressing files, and I'm having difficulties with it.

Tools / Options / "Open With" Applications

Desc | Command Line | Shortcut
7zip | "C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" e | Ctrl-7

Working folder: <base folder> (Other choice: <parent folder> )

[x] Accepts files
[x] Accepts folders
[x] Refresh when finished

Works fine as long as I'm in the parent folder.
Sometimes I forget ... and press Ctrl-7 on a file in a subdirectory.
The expanded file is placed in the parent folder.
Under discussion

[dickdunbar]

4. Ignore Folder Structure
Suppose I have 5 files that I am trying to manage, in separate
directories. Further, these 5 files do not exactly match the
directory structure on both sides.

How this might work

I start with a single folder on the left.

Select a folder (or a file), and press a short-cut key for a new command:

Pair-With

The right folder opens, and I navigate to the file in the target location that I want to manage.

"Pair-With" is a one-to-many relationship. I could pair a file in the left side with multiple target locations on the right.

[dickdunbar]

7. Open Folder Tabs

Another product I use (and like) is VanDyke SecureCRT.

If you place named terminal sessions in a folder (similar to Saved Sessions in BC3),
highlight the folder, and click Open, all of the sessions in that folder are opened
in tabs at once.

It makes it really convenient to setup sessions and have them show up
repeatedly in the tabs the same way every time.

Saves hunting for sessions, particularly when multiple tabs are open on
multiple BC3 windows.
Already available. Home Page / R-Click Folder / "Open Sessions"

[Aaron]

Hello,

For #7, You can right click a folder in the Home screen and it will open all of the child sessions inside that folder in new tabs. Is that the behavior you are looking for?

Also, you can Save a Workspace with a specific set of tabs and windows open, and opening that workspace will reopen the same way each time.

[Aaron]

#5. Do you know the specific command line call you could use for BASH? If you can, use our Open With to call it from the command line to open it? Open With can call a .bat file if multiple steps are necessary.

#6 We have 7zip support in BC3 by default. We can open and expand them like folders. You could then use the Copy To Folder command on the files inside to extract/copy them to another location.

[Aaron]

Sorry for the problem in posting. vBulletin has a few quirks here and there. Hitting back will sometimes allow you to get back the forum text box populated, but I've lost a couple of posts that way myself. Whenever I type in a particularly long post, I will copy it to my clipboard quick just in case something funny happens during the Post.

[Aaron]

#1. I have added to our Customer Wishlist. Thanks for the suggestion.

#2. Is the problem that folders are collapsing again when you do not want them to? This happens due to refreshing, loading a different folder, or other conditions in the application. Which action or Command in Beyond Compare are you doing that is causing the folders to collapse?

#3. I have added this to our Customer Wishlist.

#4. Could you go into more detail on this request? I am having difficulty understanding your specific example. Perhaps a mock-up or picture may help? Are you looking for Duplicate finding, or aligning one file to many files? How are you using this with a specific example?

[dickdunbar]

Exactly, Aaron ... I thought I saw it before, just couldn't remember how
to do it. (I won't forget this time ... I use it all the time).

For #7, You can right click a folder in the Home screen and it will open all of the child sessions inside that folder in new tabs. Is that the behavior you are looking for?

[dickdunbar]

You have support for archives, which behave the way you describe.

These are individual files that I need expanded (in place).
My 7Zip commands don't do what I want exactly ... gzip -d ... will expand
a file, and get rid of the zipped version.

My 7zip command expands (just not where I want it), and leaves both files
in the directory.

#6 We have 7zip support in BC3 by default. We can open and expand them like folders. You could then use the Copy To Folder command on the files inside to extract/copy them to another location.

[dickdunbar]

#5. Do you know the specific command line call you could use for BASH? If you can, use our Open With to call it from the command line to open it? Open With can call a .bat file if multiple steps are necessary.

I've been whacking away at this for awhile.

Does "Open With" take a directory as an argument?
Any examples of how one does that?

I've also tried to get directories recognized in my 7zip implementation,
without success.

BC3 is so intuitively obvious, that I don't think I've ever read the help
file through completely. (I will this week).

This is what "out of the box" cygwin.bat looks like.
It puts you into your home directory.

@echo off
C:
chdir C:\cygwin\bin
bash --login -i


And this is "bash-here.reg" entry, used to R-click a folder in Explorer,
and drop into bash at that location.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\BashHere]
@="&Bash here"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\BashHere\command]
@="C:\\cygwin\\bin\\bash.exe --login -c \"cd '%1' ; exec /bin/bash -rcfile ~/.bashrc\""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\BashHere]
@="Bash here"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\BashHere\command]
@="C:\\cygwin\\bin\\bash.exe --login -c \"cd '%1' ; exec /bin/bash -rcfile ~/.bashrc\""

[Aaron]

Hello,

Could you give a specific example of what you mean by "Expanded in place"?

If you have a base folder, C:\Temp\, with a Archive.7z file, you can double click that file and see the specific files inside. Selecting them and using the Copy To Folder command will let you select any destination (C:\Temp, C:\Temp\Archive\ creating a new folder, or even C:\Temp\Archive.zip creating a new zip file).

If your files are not treated as archives, you can add them to the .7z or .zip lists in the Tools menu -> Options; Folder Views

[Aaron]

Open With can be set to accept Folders and not Files, and disable Multiple Instances. The %p argument is the absolute path without the filename.

We have an example Open With KB article here:
http://www.scootersoftware.com/suppo...kb_openwithapp

If you need to call the .bat file, you can pass %p after the .bat:
Command Line: C:\Program Files\Beyond Compare 3\BatFiles\Bash.bat %p
Then reference it inside of the bat file as %1
If you run into any odd syntax errors, you may need quotes around arguments to help handle spaces.

Let us know if you have any questions.

[dickdunbar]

Could you give a specific example of what you mean by "Expanded in place"?

This is how gzip behaves; these are regular files, not archives.

$ gzip -v *log1
session01a.log1: 92.6% -- replaced with session01a.log1.gz

$ ls -l *log1*
-rwxrwxrwx 1 ddunbar None 3695 2010-02-20 04:35 session01a.log1.gz

$ gzip -dv *log1.gz
session01a.log1.gz: 92.6% -- replaced with session01a.log1

$ ls -l *log1*
-rwxrwxrwx 1 ddunbar None 49761 2010-02-20 04:35 session01a.log1