Compare Tool

Professional file and text comparison in your browser. Diff plain text, JSON, XML, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, C#, VB, and CSV with side-by-side or inline views, word and character-level highlights, folder tree comparison, merge actions, search/replace via the editor, and HTML or PDF export. Designed to integrate with .NET DLL Compare, Git diff, and folder sync workflows.

How to Use the Compare Tool

Load two texts or folders, choose format and diff options, review side-by-side or inline highlights, merge edits, and export HTML or PDF reports.

  1. Open the Text or Folder tab depending on whether you are diffing content or directory trees.
  2. Paste or upload left and right inputs (or pick two folders for folder compare).
  3. Select the format (JSON, XML, JavaScript, etc.) and view mode (side-by-side or inline).
  4. Adjust ignore whitespace/case and line vs word vs character granularity.
  5. Review highlighted additions and removals; use Copy Left → Right or Copy Right → Left to merge.
  6. Download the merged right pane, or export/print an HTML or PDF diff report.

Text vs folder compare

  • Text mode — Monaco diff editor with syntax highlighting and merge actions.
  • Folder mode — lists added, removed, and changed paths; open any file pair in text diff.
  • Unified diff panel available for a single-stream summary view.

Worked example

Upload config-v1.json and config-v2.json, set format to JSON, and run compare. Toggle ignore whitespace if keys reorder but values match. Copy desired hunks to the right pane and download the merged file.

Privacy

All comparison happens locally. Folder picker reads file names and contents in-browser only — nothing is sent to ToolsLibrary servers.

Limitations

Git repository diff is not built in yet. Very large files or deep folder trees may be limited by browser memory and picker capabilities.

FAQ

Is comparison done locally?

Yes. Text and folder comparison run entirely in your browser. Files are not uploaded to ToolsLibrary servers.

Can I merge changes?

Use Copy Left → Right or Copy Right → Left, edit in the diff editor, then download the merged result from the right (modified) pane.

Does it support folder compare?

Yes. Pick two folders via the browser folder picker to see added, removed, and changed files by path. Open any pair in the text diff view.

Will Git diff be supported?

Git integration is on the roadmap. Use this tool for manual file and folder comparison today, or the .NET DLL Compare tool for assembly diffs.

Which file formats have syntax highlighting?

Text, JSON, XML, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, C#, VB, and CSV each map to Monaco language modes for readable diffs.

Can I ignore whitespace or case?

Yes. Toggle ignore whitespace, ignore case, and trim line endings in compare options before running the diff.

What diff granularities are available?

Line-level diff is default. Switch to word or character granularity for fine-grained HTML, prose, or code reviews.

Can I export or print a diff report?

Yes. Export an HTML report, download a PDF summary, or print directly from the toolbar after a comparison completes.

How do I load two files?

Paste into left and right editors, or use Upload on each pane to load .txt and code files from disk.

Does JSON comparison normalize formatting?

When JSON format is selected, inputs are preprocessed for stable structural comparison. Invalid JSON shows an error instead of a misleading diff.