new feature request: SUMMARY TAB

[placebo]

the "Sessions Settings: Folder Compare: Comparison"-tab is the core setting of the whole software (originally, historically). the looks of the tab wasnt changed much ever since. so for both the novice and the occasional user that very tab is still a source of headache . Why would you want the user to look up and read the help file? answer: because the tab isnt clear nor very logical in itself so that the user himself/herself cannot find out the logics behind it on his/her own! am i right?

ok, i do have read the help file. and.. that gave me even more headache!! (i am not satisfied with the mediocre help file documentation of that very tab.. but i am not going to detail or suggest ..etc.. etc.. that is your job to conceive of a well documented help file with examples and cases or case studies)

INSTEAD.

Please, why cant you create some kind of summary *within* the "Session Settings: Folder Compare: Comparison", e.g. as "Session Settings: Folder Compare: Comparison (Quick tests|Requires opening files|Summary)" or as "Session Settings: Folder Compare: Comparison|Handling|Name Filters|Other Filters|Misc|Summary".

The summary should state in a clear way (in written sentences) how BC3 will proceed and is going to declare files as 'different' and/or 'the same', e.g.:

case1: (X)"Compare contents", (X)"Skip if quick...":
'If two files have the same name but different sizes the files will be declared as the same, and subsequent comparing of contents will be skipped.'

case2: (X)"Compare contents", (X)"Override quick...":
'All quick test results will be ignored. No matter file sizes, if two files have the same name, BC3 will perform a contents comparison. Only files with the same content will be declared as the same.'

case3: (X)"Compare contents", (X)"Skip if quick...", (X)"Override quick...":
'All quick test results will be ignored. If ...etc..'

case4: (X)"Compare file size", (X)"Override quick...":
'...etc.. '

case5: ..etc.

etc.

(there are many(!!) possible cases (even "senseless" ones), i.e. the possibilities how a user can check the boxes. insane. too difficult/complicated to know what BC3 is going to do in all these many cases.. )

[...]

SORRY TO TOOT MY OWN HORN, BUT THE 'settings summary' is a brilliant idea and a most-wanted feature request!

You MUST implement such a highly useful thing!
If you dont, i would call you guys i******t or else!!

[Aaron]

Thanks for the suggestion. Configuring the Content Comparison is a vital part of Beyond Compare and it is on our wishlist to improve our comparison criteria setup.

[placebo]

Hello Aaron, thanks for getting back..

My suggestion (and i really expect it to be implemented --it should not be too difficult-- since such a thing would boost the user's understanding by 3 times!) comprises the full "Comparison"-tab, not only the "Content Comparison" section of that tab.

Actually that's what makes the use of BC3 still confusing to me (since the help file on this tab is not satisfactory (=not long enough, not detailed enough, not clear enough, has no clarifying examples, sorry!)).. the cross- or counter-action between the upper part ("Quick comparison") and the lower part ("Contents comparison").

In my previous post I've listed a few cases where the user did NOT check the boxes of the upper section, but that was unintentional so that another case could be:

case6: (X)"Compare timestamps", (X)"Override quick..":

in other words, there are only 2(two!) green checkmarks set!

Here again, i am confused as to what this 'configuration/setting' means, what BC3 is going to do, how BC3 is going to proceed, and when BC3 is going to declare same-named items as "the same" or "different".

It costs too much (efforts/thinking ) to figure all these questions out on my own. I really expect BC3 to tell me .. in form of a "comparison settings summary" (in form of a couple of written SIMPLE sentences, and maybe by using Boolean operators AND, OR, AND NOT, IF, ELSE, BUT, etc.).

Actually.. i still dont know what the summaries for case4 and for case6 would be