Overview of Ellié Computing Merge

What is Ellié Computing Merge ?

Ellié Computing Merge is a graphical and command line utility for comparing and merging files and folders. It exists also as a component. It is fully scriptable and let you apply or export patches, reports about differences and ability to merge.

This tool helps software developers in comparing and understanding changes in source file versions, allowing them to integrate concurrent changes in entire branches structures based on a common ancestor or side by side. Quality controllers can validate new project steps knowing exactly the modifications made in the repository. Any computer user can take advantage of this program to synchronize multiple folders hierarchies (for example between a desktop computer and a laptop) or to work on consecutive revisions of text-based files. Its scripting is very complete (dozens of native objects specific to comparisons semantics, hundreds of macros, hundreds of scriptable settings).

Ellié Computing Merge takes advantages of new double-core and multi-processors systems. Thanks to its multi-threaded architecture Merge compares documents in parallel from folders views, the speed is almost multiplied by the number of processors.

Details

Ellié Computing Merge is a cross-platform program: it runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris operating systems (x86 versions currently, PowerPC also on Mac). This is a major feature for teams working in heterogeneous environments.
It can access files from FTP or FTPS server, SFTP (Secure Shell FTP), network share, mounts and various VCS repositories. It is able to propose to check files out when you modify files under VCS mappings.

The Text Comparison function automatically highlights the modifications between two or three text-based files (plain text, HTML, XML) whatever their encoding. Ellié Computing Merge can handle text files using ANSI, MBCS or Unicode encodings. It will automatically detect the encoding of each input file and you will be able to set the encoding in which the result will be saved with comprehensive options that will allow you mix Unicode and native encoding files in your folders.

Ellié Computing Merge can also handle files with mixed line ending characters. Thus, teams working on the same files from various operating systems, will be able to see changes coming from colleagues.

The Text Comparison function presents the two or three input files side by side, the result (if you asked for a merge instead of a differentiation) being displayed below. It uses customizable colours to highlight the differences between files, the differences can be displayed on the whole lines, or parts of them (detailed in-line changes). Some linking lines are drawn between each pair of files to show how these differences are related. It has a variety of search and editing functions.

Converters can be defined to preprocess files (in text, binary or image formats). They can be used to transform them into readable format that will be used in the text editor or a Comparison view (Text, Image or Folder). Converters can as well be used to convert between unsupported image format to bitmap for example. They can be setup through scripting allowing a one-for-all approach (we can write specific scripts and you just have to download and install them to get all the parameters set up on your computers). In addition, a converter is provided to directly work with OpenOffice Writer, Microsoft Office Word (DOC and DOCX), and RTF documents.

You can solve a conflict by clicking on the marker in the margin, in the conflict area in the text. You can easily resolve several conflicts by selecting them in the text view and right clicking and choosing Resolve with... in the menu. You can also directly edit the output version in the bottom text editor. Standard differences are automatically integrated in the result window, so that only conflicts remain to solve manually. Files comparisons can be launched directly from a folder comparison. You can choose which are the differences that you consider harmless with the security area system. The changes that are considered as insignificant can be merged automatically from whichever source you want.

The Image Comparison function highlights the differences between the two or three input images, it also generates reports including thumbnails, difference images and metrics.

Common image formats are handled natively. Converters can be used to convert complex images (Adobe Photoshop, SVG, Corel Paint Shop Pro...) into usable formats. Text-based images can also be compared using the Text Comparison algorithm.

The Binary Comparison can display files with any format as an array of bytes (with hexadecimal and ASCII interpretation). You can declare fields to ignore in binary file types and have ECMerge ignore them during comparison, for example to ignore time stamps. Binary comparison works with two or three files, it generates simple reports with changes statistics. Binary comparison can be used as well to compare huge text files as ECMerge can compare files up to hundred of tera bytes.

Ellié Computing Merge contains a Three-Way Merge function for both files and folders. This enables you to compare and synchronize two or three entire folders hierarchies. The comparison with ancestor is particularly useful when integrated with software control management solutions.

Ellié Computing Merge can save a comparison status file, so that you can stop your work and re-open it later on in the same situation (solved conflicts and comparison settings). You can even restart from different situations thanks to the built-in re-synchronization engine. The software can also be launched in "silent-if-possible" mode, so that the graphical interface is displayed only when a user action is required to solve a conflict. A quiet mode exists as well for batch operations.

For a higher readability, Folder Comparisons can display a sub-set of the data sources, by filtering items by name, date or status.

File or folder comparisons reports can be generated in XML, HTML or UNIX patch format. A folder comparison report can include sub-reports for text, binary file and image comparisons as embedded reports or independant files. All reports can be highly customized (see Reports options). They are also tailored for printing, in particular with comprehensive options to limit the quantity of text that you consider uninteresting.

The command line interface is fully documented: this allows you to integrate Ellié Computing Merge with various software configuration management systems and to generate reports automatically without user interaction.

Ellié Computing Merge is integrated in the Windows Explorer contextual menu. Thus, you can launch it for comparing files or folders previously selected in the file explorer application.

The Explorer contextual menu integration is available on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and on major Linux explorers (Gnome Nautilus, KDE Konqueror, Xfce Thunar). The Free Compare feature which gives a similar functionality is available from within any folder view.

See also