Comparing Workspaces or Custom Transformers

The Compare tool allows you to:

• View the differences between two workspaces or two exported custom transformers, component by component.
• Incorporate components that differ from one version, which is designated read-only, to another, which is designated editable.

The Compare tool is useful when multiple people are collaborating on building a workspace or custom transformer, with each person making their own changes and contributing their own file, or version.

Optionally, you can configure a git tool, such as Git Bash, TortoiseGit, and Sourcetree, to interface directly with the Compare tool to view differences and resolve conflicts when merging versions. For more information, see Integrating a git Workflow with the Compare Tool.

What Is Compared?

The Compare tool highlights differences that affect how a workspace or custom transformer behaves when it runs. It does not highlight differences that have no impact at runtime, such as the presence of bookmarks and annotations, or the positioning of objects on the canvas.

Getting Started

1. To open the Compare tool, do one of the following:
• Select Tools > Compare.
• Click the Compare icon on the Toolbar.
2. On the Compare dialog, specify the two workspaces or two custom transformers you want to compare:
• Editable: This file will open on the left side of the tool, and is editable. This is the version into which you can incorporate changes from the other (Read-Only) file.
• Read-Only: This file will open on the right side of the tool, and remains read-only.
3. If comparing custom transformers, the Select Transformer Version dialog opens. Specify:
   • Create New Version: Instructs the Compare tool to save changes to a new version of the custom transformer.
   • Edit Existing Version: Instructs the Compare tool to save changes to the specified version of the custom transformer.

   For more information, see Working with Multiple Versions of Custom Transformers

4. Click OK. The Compare tool opens the specified files.

Viewing Differences: An Overview

Both files, Editable and Read-Only, show the differences between them in two ways:

• On their respective canvases. Note that this view does not show differences between readers, writers, user parameters, FME Flow parameters, and workspace parameters, since these elements do not display on the canvas.
• Below the canvases, in list form. This view shows differences between all compared components, including those that do not display on the canvases.

Differences are color-coded, as follows:

Light	Dark (Canvas View)	Dark (List View)	Meaning
			Component exists only on the left side.
			Component exists on both sides, but they differ from each other.
			Component exists only on the right side.

Things to Consider

When viewing differences, keep in mind the following:

• Comparisons are based on components on each side that have the exact same names, including suffix.
• Differences are not highlighted in the Navigator panes. If the Navigator pane distracts you from viewing differences, you can close it. For more information, see Viewing Differences on the Canvas, below.
• The Compare tool highlights differences that affect how the workspace or custom transformer behaves when it runs. It does not highlight differences that have no impact at runtime, including differences between:
  • Bookmarks
    Note  Bookmarks in the Read-Only file that are collapsed cannot be expanded. However, you can still view the differences between the components inside them when Viewing Differences in List Form. To expand a bookmark in the Read-Only file, open and save it outside of the Compare tool. Alternatively, swap the Editable and Read-Only versions, expand the bookmark, and swap again.
  • Annotations
  • Positioning of objects on the canvas.
  • Grouping and ordering of user parameters in the runtime prompt.
• If a file consists of more than one tab, such as for custom transformers in a workspace, the comparison corresponds to whichever tab is active.
  Warning  If the Compare tool opens workspaces with custom transformers that were last saved with their corresponding tabs closed, you are prompted to open the tabs so they are included in the comparison. If you choose not to open them, the Compare tool may not reflect an accurate comparison between custom transformer (or nested custom transformer) tabs. For more information, see Comparing Workspaces That Contain Custom Transformers.
• You can continue to edit and perform other functions in the Editable file. When you save any changes, or when Copying Differences to the Editable Version. (below), the Compare view adjusts accordingly. The file on the right side always remains read-only.
• You can swap the Editable and Read-Only versions to change which one becomes editable and which one becomes read-only. In the middle toolbar, click Swap.
  Warning  If there are unsaved changes in the Editable file, you are prompted to save them before swapping. If you choose not to save, the changes are lost, as the editable file moves to the read-only side.

Viewing Differences on the Canvas

The canvas view of the workspace or custom transformer shows differences only between components that FME Workbench displays on the canvas. It does not show differences between readers, writers, user parameters, FME Flow parameters, or workspace parameters.

Mouse-over to display screenshot:

You can use the following icons in the middle toolbar (between the two files) to change how you view the canvases:

• Nav: Toggles display of the workspace Navigators.
Note  Differences are not indicated in the Navigators.
• Sync: When enabled, navigational input in one canvas, such as scrolling or resizing, synchronizes with the other canvas.

Viewing Details

You can view the details of how components differ, including their attribute or parameter settings. To view difference details, double-click on the component. Alternatively, single-click its gear icon.

Viewing Differences in List Form

Differences between the Editable and Read-Only files are presented in list form beneath the canvas view. This list also includes elements that do not display on the canvas, such as readers, writers, user parameters, FME Flow parameters, and workspace parameters.

Mouse over to display screenshot:

Filtering Differences

You can filter this list to limit your view of differences. In the middle toolbar, click Filter:

• By Type of Component: Lists only differences that apply to selected components.
• By Component Name: Filter the list further by entering a character string, which acts on the name(s) of the affected components.

Viewing Details

To view a list item in more detail, double-click on it, or single-click on its corresponding descriptor at right. A left-right comparison window opens that shows the state of the component corresponding to the Editable and Read-Only files, respectively.

Copying Differences to the Editable Version.

You can choose which differences from the Read-Only file you want to incorporate into the Editable file.

From the canvas or list view, select a component and, from the middle toolbar, click Copy to Left. To select multiple components, use the keyboard shortcuts of your operating system (for example, Ctrl + select or Shift + select on Windows).

• If you select a component that exists only in the Read-Only file, it is added to the Editable file.
• If you select a component that exists in both the Read-Only and Editable files, the component from the Read-Only file replaces the one in the Editable file.
• If you select a component that exists only in the Editable file, it is removed.