VS Code has a very powerful diff tool. This quick post is going to teach you how to perform diffs (compare files) in VS Code.
File Difference tool will help you to compare text files, XML, JSON, Code, String, binary files. Upload files, Copy and Paste String/Text, Load Urls and Compare. The semantic JSON compare tool Validate, format, and compare two JSON documents. See the differences between the objects instead of just the new lines and mixed up properties.
There's two primary types of diffs you can do with VS Code.
- Compare two files in your project
- Compare git file versions
Diff from Explorer Panel
This is the quickest, easiest way to bring up the diff panels.
1. Right click the first file and 'Select for Compare'
2. Right click on the second file and 'Compare with Selected'
3. You should see the diff panel appear once you've completed these steps:
Note: you can also CTRL-select both files, right click on one, and select 'Compare Selected' to achieve the same thing:
Diff from command line
This is convenient if you want to build up muscle memory of typing out the commands into the terminal. Here's how to do it.
Paste this command into the command line with your file names.
Executing this command should bring up the diff panel, just like it did from the explorer window.
Git diff in from the Activity Bar
If you would like to compare your local file changes with the latest git version of a file, click the git icon in the activity bar, then select the file that you would like to compare.
Open Source File Compare Tool
Note: you can also edit files from within the diff panels! VS Code is awesome.
File Compare Tool Windows 10
I hope this helped you! Diffing in VS Code is very useful for quickly seeing changes between two files. It also helps to remind yourself of the changes you've made from the master version of a file on git once in a while. VSCode diffs are a great thing to add to your developer toolbox.
If you’ve ever needed to compare two text files you’ll know it can be tedious – but what you may not know is Notepad++ can do this, and do it quite well.
If you’re not already familiar with Notepad++, it is a text editor designed for coding. This small piece of software has big features, such as allowing you to view code with colour styling and line numbers to make the code easier to read and debug.
How to compare two text files using Notepad++
These instructions have been written for Notepad++ v7.8.2.
Step 1: Install Compare plugin
- Open Notepad++
- Click on the ‘Plugins’ then ‘Plugins Admin’
- A list of available plugins will appear
- TIP: if the list is empty you need to check your Internet connection or proxy settings.
- Either search or scroll until you see ‘Compare’
- Place a tick next to the name then click on the ‘Install’ button
- Once the plugin is installed you will be prompted to restart Notepad++
- Click ‘Yes’ to finish the install.
Step 2: Compare two files using Notepad++ Compare plugin
File Compare
- Now that the Compare plugin has been installed, open two files
- Click on the ‘Plugins’ menu then ‘Compare’ and ‘Compare’ again
- The files will be displayed, side by side, with the differences highlighted
Please note: it helps to keep the ‘old’ copy of your file on the left and the ‘new’ on the right – this should help with understanding how the plugin shows the difference between files.