Dreamweaver can work with file comparison tools (also known as “diff tools”) to compare the code of local and remote versions of the same file, two different remote files, or two different local files. Comparing local and remote versions is useful if you’re working on a file locally and you suspect the copy of the file on the server has been modified by someone else. Without leaving Dreamweaver, you can view and merge the remote changes into your local version before putting the file to the server.
Comparing two local files or two remote files is also useful if you keep previous, renamed versions of your files. If you’ve forgotten the changes made to a file from a previous version, a quick comparison will remind you.
Before you start, you must install a third-party file comparison tool on your system. For more information on file comparison tools, use a web search engine such as Google Search to search for “file comparison” or “diff” tools. Dreamweaver works with most third-party tools.
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In Windows, click the Browse button and select the application that compares files.
On the Macintosh, click the Browse button and select the tool or script that launches the file comparison tool from the command line, not the actual comparison tool itself.
Launch tools or scripts are typically located in the /usr/bin folder on your Macintosh. For example, if you want to use FileMerge, browse to /usr/bin and select opendiff, which is the tool that launches FileMerge.
The following table lists common file comparison tools for the Macintosh and the location of their launch tools or scripts on your hard disk:
If you use |
Select the following file |
|---|---|
FileMerge |
/usr/bin/opendiff (or /Developer/usr/bin/opendiff) |
BBEdit |
/usr/bin/bbdiff |
TextWrangler |
/usr/bin/twdiff |
Note:
The usr folder is normally hidden in Finder. However, you can access it with the Browse button in Dreamweaver.
Note:
The actual results displayed depends on the diff tool you are using. Check the user manual for your tool to understand how to interpret the results.
You can compare two files located on your remote server. You must define a Dreamweaver site with remote settings before you can accomplish this task.
You can compare a local file to a file located on your remote server. To do this, you must first define a Dreamweaver site with remote settings.
You can compare a remote file to a local file. You must define a Dreamweaver site with remote settings before accomplishing this task.
If you edit a file locally and then try to upload it to your remote server, Dreamweaver will notify you if the remote version of the file has changed. You have the option of comparing the two files before you upload the file and overwrite the remote version.
Before you start, you must install a file comparison tool on your system and specify it in Dreamweaver.
You can compare the local versions of your files with the remote versions when you synchronize your site files with Dreamweaver.
Before you start, you must install a file comparison tool on your system and specify it in Dreamweaver.
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