Comparing Source Versions
When a source object gets a new version, you will want to know what changed: which fields were added, which were removed, and which settings are different. The comparison puts two versions of the same source object side by side and marks every difference in colour, so you can decide whether your rules still fit the new definition and whether the new version is ready to go live.
The comparison uses these parts:
- Compare to..., at the bottom of the Source Version dialog, and Compare Selected, above the Source Versions grid: the two ways to open it.
- The comparison dialog: the two versions side by side, each with a Source Fields and a Source XML tab.
Only two versions of the same source object can be compared.
Compare from a version's dialog
- Open the Source Version dialog of one of the versions, such as the live one.
- Click Compare to... at the bottom. It lists the source object's other versions, the live one marked (Live).
- Select a version. The comparison opens, with the version whose dialog you opened on the left.
When the source object has only one version, Compare to... is turned off, and its tooltip says that there are no other versions to compare this one to.
Compare from the grid
- Click the Source Versions tab. Filter by the source object if it helps.
- Check the boxes of two versions. Once you check one, the boxes of other source objects' versions are turned off.
- Click Compare Selected.
Read the comparison
One version is on the left, labelled Current Version, and the other on the right, labelled Version. Each side has a Source Fields and a Source XML tab; selecting a tab on one side selects it on the other too.
The colours:
- Amber on both sides: something both versions have that differs. The exact part that differs, such as a name or a setting, is a stronger amber.
- Red: something only the left version has.
- Green: something only the right version has.
Members are matched by what they are, not by the names people see, so a field whose display name changed shows as one field marked amber. A closed group that holds a difference shows an amber dot, so you can open it to find the change.
When you scroll one side, the other follows, keeping each member level with its counterpart.
The Source XML tab compares the two definitions in the same colours. Line breaks and indentation never count as differences.
Close the comparison with its X.
Other places that compare
When your application adds a source version, its entry in User Activity compares it with the version before; see User Activity. Rule versions are compared the same way; see Comparing Rule Versions.
On a smaller screen
Compare to... and the grid's check boxes are hidden when the window is narrower than 1100 pixels, and on a phone.