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Is there a utility to compare folders visually?

Is there some Lion-compatible Finder-like utility that will do the following?


  1. Display the list of files from two different folders, in parallel columns.
  2. Preferably display, too, such other attributes as you select (kind, date modified, size).
  3. indicate visually the differences between the two folders: --
    (a) which files in the first folder are not in the second, and vice versa;
    (b) which files are in both folders but are newer in the first folder than in the second folder, and vice versa?


Obviously if a utility can list the contents of two folders next to one another, you could go through the two lists file-by-file. But that's not what I'm asking about.


Please note that I am not asking about comparing and showing the differences between two files. Thus so far as I can tell, the following apps do not do what I'm asking about:

  • Araxis Merge
  • Kaleidoscope
  • Path Finder


Path Finder, at least, can display two folders in parallel columns; but so far as I can tell, there's no way to get it to indicate what I ask in #3, above.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3), 3.4GHz Corei7, 16GB, SSD + 2T HD

Posted on Apr 6, 2012 5:36 PM

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90 replies

Apr 6, 2012 5:46 PM in response to murrayE

You can, of course, open a second instance of Finder and overlay the two file lists and visually compare them.

Use Cmd-N to launch a new Finder.


If you are familiar with using the terminal there are several other ways to compare the contents of two directories.

One such command is

diff

and here is some info on using it:

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20070408062023352


Not a trivial GUI solution, but it does work.

Apr 6, 2012 8:44 PM in response to nerowolfe

nerowolfe wrote:


You can, of course, open a second instance of Finder and overlay the two file lists and visually compare them....


If you are familiar with using the terminal there are several other ways to compare the contents of two directories...

Thanks, but neither of those does what I ask. Two instances of the Finder forces you to go through the two lists file-by-file to try to figure out which files are missing from which of the two folders, and which files present in both are newer in the one than in the other. I want the app to make the comparison automatically (after you select a menu command in it, or press some button, say). Then use colors to indicate the various situations of what's the same, what's not , what's older or newer -- with arrows, say, pointing from one folder in the direction of the other if the source needs to replace the target file.


The sort of thing I mean is Fileware's "FileSync" utility for Windows, as shown in the screen shot at http://www.fileware.com/screenshots.htm#FileSync.


Using diff on a Terminal command line is utterly a primitive and awkward way to do anything like this.

Apr 6, 2012 9:02 PM in response to macjack

macjack wrote:


Compare Folders

I did look at Compare Folders. Still fairly primitive and difficult to use. E.g., you cannot see files of the same name matched up next to one another in the two lists, with files from one folder shown in order (alphabetically, ow within subfolders, etc.) right in place with blank spaces in the other list to indicate they're missing from the latter, or arrows pointing from a newer to an older version of a file in the two folders.


To see how simple something like this ought to be, look as I referenced in another reply in this thread,

at http://www.fileware.com/screenshots.htm#FileSync.


(Having made the choice of moving from the Windows world to the Mac world two years ago, I just cannot believe that the latter lacks such a straigtforward, simple, user-friendly, elegant app as FileSync.)

Jul 18, 2012 9:22 AM in response to murrayE

This is the (most excellent) software I use on Windows:

http://www.scootersoftware.com/index.php



The are working on an OS X version - they already have Linux/Windows versions.


I'm actually waiting for their version to come out. I know their software is good on Windows, so I would rather wait for their MAC version than risk "trying out" something new.

Jul 18, 2012 12:52 PM in response to Richard E. Cooke

Richard E. Cooke wrote:


This is the (most excellent) software I use on Windows:

http://www.scootersoftware.com/index.php



The are working on an OS X version - they already have Linux/Windows versions.


I'm actually waiting for their version to come out. I know their software is good on Windows, so I would rather wait for their MAC version than risk "trying out" something new.

That looks promising. I'll try the demo of Beyond Compare in Windows, which I have running as a virtual machine under Parallels Desktop. (Of course I still want an OS X version of such a utility, since firing up Parallels and then Windows is an utterly ridiculous way to approach the problem.)

Jul 20, 2012 7:07 AM in response to murrayE

Heh. Yeah, running their Windows version in Parallels or VMware is the current "work around".


I do have the full version of BC (file compare) that I use all the time for software. I plan to buy the "alll OS" license for their folder contents compare when the MAC version comes out.


I'm hoping my "holding off" until the MAC version comes out is helping motivate them to hurry up!


I e-mailed a fresh "when" question to their sales department, it might be helpful if everybody watching this thread did so to. This is the reply I got back:

Scooter Sales <sales@scootersoftware.com>:

Hi Richard,


Thanks for your email. We are working on a Mac version of Beyond Compare, but we aren't far enough into development to announce a release or beta test date.


Most customers that need BC on the Mac are running it in a virtual copy of Windows using VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop.


Some customers have also reported success using CrossOver (http://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover/) or Wine (http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/) to run BC3 for Windows on a Mac.


Unfortunately, we don't have a Mac mailing list, but we'll have an announcement on our web site when a Mac version is available.


For new release information you can check our announcements forum:http://www.scootersoftware.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=22 or Twitter:http://twitter.com/scootersoftware


Regards,

Jessica Reuschlein

Scooter Software


Jul 20, 2012 7:25 AM in response to murrayE

Another most excellent Windows compare I have used since Windows 95 - or was it 3.1?


Anyway its been around a looooong time. And it extremely fast.


What I like about it is you can tell it to compare folders by date/time stamp or compare file contents. Date/time is blazinglyl fast. But if your not sure (DST can muck up date stamps for example), you can make it double-check actuall contents. Very handy.


"Directory Toolkit"

http://www.funduc.com/directory_toolkit.htm


mailto:support@funduc.com

Is there a utility to compare folders visually?

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