feature suggestions: desktop shortcuts

[fredc]

I see all the scripting features and how I could create .bat files that do basic tasks like open Beyond compare to a saved session, perform a particular folder synch, etc.

I haven't quite spent the time to write a .bat yet though. I can guess others put this learning step off also. It would be really cool if there was a "Save as desktop shortcut" feature or "mini app" or whatever you want to call it. The result would be a .bat or something that could perform the desired simple steps. The two obvious ones I can think of are.
- Synch this folder with that according to the rules defined in this session.
- Open BC to this session

Or even the ability to save "droplets" that you could drop two folders on, and a synch would be performed according to a particular sessions rules.

Basically some UI features that would help set up basic scripting tasks.
Or, maybe I am missing something, do some of these types of features already exist? I could find them.

Thanks
Fred

[Zoë]

Hi Fred,

We've discussed simplifying creating scripts and automating syncs, but we haven't done anything like that yet. You can save a directory compare session with all of the comparison settings and filters you want, and load that from a script, but that's it so far.

[Lutz]

Hello Fred,
some of your ideas are already possible using windows.

Have a look at this:

Hello,
here is a hint for running scripts:
I store my BC-scripts as files with the extension 'bcs'.
As I configured Windows to open 'bcs' files with the open-command '"D:\Programme\BC2\BC2.exe" "@%1"' I can start BC-scripts with just double-clicking an 'bcs'-file or an shortcut to one.

- Synch this folder with that according to the rules defined in this session
...
Or even the ability to save "droplets" that you could drop two folders on, and a synch would be performed according to a particular sessions rules.

Using the arguments %1 and %2 in the 'bcs'-file above would allow you to drag two folders on a shortcut (on desktop/quick launch/send to) to the 'bcs'-file which performs its task with the two dropped base folders.

- Open BC to this session

This is already possible:
1. Copy the name of a saved session to the clipboard.
1. Copy the quick launch- or desktop-shortcut to BC to any place.
2. Rename the copied shortcut to the name of the saved session (paste).
3. Open the shortcut-properties and add a space and paste the session name.

Greetings Lutz

[wcmead]

Nice idea. Meanwhile, I haven't used the BC3 documents or help for awhile (seem to use core features most frequently)-- are all these great capabilities being documented in reference form? I hope so.

[Aaron]

Lutz suggestion isn't directly in the help file, but the command line is, under the section Using Beyond Compare -> Command Line and scripting.

He is then just making the command line call a specific short cut

Great suggestion, Lutz.