Comparing Rule Versions
Comparing shows two versions of a rule side by side, with every difference marked. Use it to see exactly what a new version changes before you make it live, to find out what changed between the version that is live now and the one that was live last month, or to check what a colleague or an AI assistant changed in a draft's version.
You can compare any two versions of one rule, and any two versions written against the same source object, even when they belong to different rules.
The components it uses:
- Compare to...: a button in the Rule Version dialog that lists the rule's other versions.
- Compare Selected: a button over the Rule Versions grid that compares the two versions whose boxes you checked.
- The comparison: a larger view with the two versions side by side, each with a Rule Editor tab and a Rule XML tab.
Comparing a Version with Another Version of Its Rule
- Open the version's Rule Version dialog.
- Click Compare to.... A list of the rule's other versions opens; the live one is marked (Live).
- Select a version. The comparison opens. On the left is the version you started from, headed Current Version; on the right the one you selected.
Compare to... is off when the rule has no other version to compare with.
Comparing Two Versions from the Grid
- Click the Rule Versions tab.
- Check the boxes of the two versions. Once you check one box, the boxes of versions written against another source object turn off; hover over one to see which source object you can pick from.
- Click Compare Selected. It works when exactly two boxes are checked.
Reading the Comparison
- Amber marks something both versions have but that differs between them, such as another value or another operator. A stronger amber marks the exact part that changed.
- Red marks something only the left version has: it was removed.
- Green marks something only the right version has: it was added.
Both sides always show the same tab: pick Rule Editor or Rule XML on one side and the other side follows. When one side scrolls, the other follows, keeping matching parts level with each other. Layout, such as line breaks and indentation, never counts as a difference.
Rule Editor compares the rules as people read them. Rule XML compares their stored definitions in full, including details the editor does not show. The copy icon on each side still copies that version's definition exactly as stored.
Close the comparison with its X, or press Esc, to return to where you started.