WinMatch Help Contents
 WinMatch™ Help Contents

Welcome to the Help system for WinMatch 1.0.  Select the topic you want help on:

Introduction

Legal Stuff

Toolbar

Menus

Shareware

Registration

Order Form

Upgrades


Introduction

WinMatch is a Windows 3.1 shareware program designed to compare documents line by line.  To compare two files, do the following steps:

Open a file to be used as the "Old" file, by clicking on the Open Old toolbar button  or using the Open Old command in the File menu.

Open a second file to be used as the "New" file, by clicking on the Open New toolbar button or using the Open New command in the File menu.

Compare the two files by clicking on the Match Files toolbar button  or using the Match Files command in the Action menu.

WinMatch will process each file and display the Old file with line numbers on the left side and the New file with corresponding line numbers on the right side.  If there is a mismatch, the incompatible lines will be displayed as a deletion from the old file and/or an addition to the new file.

To view the differences, you can either browse through the files using the scrollbar, or use the Next Difference and Previous Difference buttons or commands to jump to the next section of mismatching text.  Likewise, you can use the Next Match and Previous Match buttons or commands to skip over a difference and find a matching section of text again.


Legal Stuff

Copyright

WinMatch is Copyright © 1993 by SOFTWEST, San Jose CA.  All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer of Warranty

Users of WinMatch must accept this disclaimer of warranty:

"WinMatch 1.0 is supplied as is.  SOFTWEST disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties of merchantability or fitness for any purpose.

SOFTWEST does not assume any liability for the use of this software beyond the original purchase price of this software.

In no event will SOFTWEST be liable to you for any additional damages, including any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising from the use of, or inability to use, this software, even if SOFTWEST has been advised of the possibility of such damages."

ASP Ombudsman statement

This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you.  If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help.  The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products.  Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman, 70007,3536.

Trademarks

WinMatch and the WinMatch icon are trademarks of SOFTWEST.  ASP and the ASP logo are registered trademarks of the Association of Shareware Professionals.  Windows is a trademark of Microsoft.

BORTE.FON file distributed with permission of Borland International.


Toolbar

The toolbar is located just below the main menu.  It provides a quick way to open, close, and compare files, jump to the next or previous difference or match, and to rearrange the windows.

Click on one of the buttons below for more help:


Open Old...

The Open Old command in the File menu and the corresponding toolbar button selects the file to be used as the "old file" for comparison; i.e. the one which will show lines deleted from it using a red strikeout font.

After an Old file has been successfully opened, the Open Old button  will turn green (i.e., "lit"), and the Close Files button will be enabled.  If a New file has also been opened, the Match Files button will be enabled.  Click on it to begin match the two files.

If an Old file is already open, clicking on its Open button will initially show the open file's filename and directory.  You can select another file using the mouse or keyboard.


Open New...

The Open New command in the File menu and the corresponding toolbar button selects the file to be used as the "new file" for comparison; i.e. the one which will show lines added to it using a green (optionally bold) font.

If you want to compare a file against its "backup" created by some editors (same filename, but with an extension of .BAK), you can check the box "Use *.BAK for Old" and the backup file will be automatically opened as the Old file.

After a New file has been successfully opened, the Open New button  will turn green (i.e., "lit"), and the Close Files button will be enabled.  If an Old file has also been opened, the Match Files button will be enabled.  Click on it to begin match the two files.

If a New file is already open, clicking on its Open button will initially show the open file's filename and directory.  You can select another file using the mouse or keyboard.


Close Files

The Close Files command in the File menu and the corresponding toolbar button closes any open files, prior to opening up another pair to match.  The Close Files button will be disabled, and the Open Old and Open New buttons will no longer be "lit."


Match Files

The Match Files command in the action menu and the corresponding toolbar button starts matching the two open Old and New files.

Assuming the option to display both the Old and New files in the same window is not enabled (the default case), then two "child windows" will be opened up below the toolbar, one for the Old file and one for the New.  Matching lines will be lined up between the two files.  For every difference found, "deleted" lines will be struckout in red in the Old file, and "added" lines will be shown in green (optionally bold)  in the New file.

If there are more deleted lines than added lines, then there will be some blank space (without any line numbers) in the New file until the two files match up again.  Likewise, if there are more added lines than deleted ones, there will be some blank space (without any line numbers) in the Old file.

You can use either the mouse and scrollbars, or the Page Up/Down and cursor arrow keys to browse through the file.  Both windows always scroll synchronously, both vertically and horizontally.

If  the option to display both the Old and New files in the same window is enabled, then only one window will be used to display the Old and New files.  Matching lines are shown just once.  Differences are shown with the deleted lines shown first in red strikeout, followed by the added lines shown in (optionally bold) green.


Next Difference

The Next Difference command in the View menu and the corresponding toolbar button finds the next difference between the Old and New files.  If there are no more differences, it sticks where it is.

If a next difference is found, the first line of the difference will be located at the second line from the top of each of the two child windows.  This allows for one line of matching text to be displayed before the difference.

The accelerator key combination Ctrl+N can also be used to find the next difference.


Previous Difference
Prev Difference

The Prev Difference command in the View menu and the corresponding toolbar button finds the previous difference between the Old and New files.  If there are no previous differences, it sticks where it is.

If a previous difference is found, the first line of the difference will be located at the second line from the top of each of the two child windows.  This allows for one line of matching text to be displayed before the difference.

The accelerator key combination Ctrl+P can also be used to find the previous difference.


Next Match

The Next Match command in the View menu and the corresponding toolbar button finds the next match between the Old and New files.  there are no more matches, the sticks where it is.

If a next match is found, the first line of the match will be located at the top of each of the two child windows.


Previous Match
Prev Match

The Prev Match command in the View menu and the corresponding toolbar button finds the previous match between the Old and New files.  If there are no previous matches, it sticks where it is.

If a previous match is found, the first line of the match will be located at the top of each of the two child windows.


Tile Vertical

The Tile Vertical command in the Window menu and the corresponding toolbar button arranges the Old and New file windows side-by-side vertically, like the button icon.  You can change the widths of the windows by dragging on one of the side borders.


Tile Horizontal

The Tile Horizontal command in the Window menu and the corresponding toolbar button arranges the Old and New file windows side-by-side horizontally, like the button icon.  You can change the height of the windows by dragging on the top or bottom borders


Cascade

The Cascade command in the Window menu and the corresponding toolbar button arranges the Old and New file windows cascaded on top of each other, like the button icon.  You can change the sizes of the windows by dragging on the bottom right corner.


Close All

The Close All command in the Window menu closes all open child windows.  It does not close the files, however, as does the Close Files file menu command.


Menus

Click on one of the menu items below for more help:

File Menu

Open Old...

Open New...

Close Files

Action Menu

Match Files

View Menu

Next Difference

Prev Difference

Next Match

Prev Match

Options Menu

Configure...

Registration Menu

How to Register...

Print Order Form...

Enter Registration No...

Window Menu

Tile Vertical

Tile Horizontal

Cascade

Close All

Help Menu

Contents

About...


Configure...

The Configure command in the Options menu opens up a dialog box, to enable viewing or changing any of the WinMatch options.  If you click on the OK button, the current settings will be saved to a file called WINMAT.INI in the WinMatch directory.

Options:

Show Old/New in same window.  With the default setting of off, individual child window are used for both the OId and New files.  If this option is enabled, then both the Old and New files are merged together, and shown in the same window.

Full Listing.  Display all lines, not just those not found in the other file.  If this option is turned off, then only one line of matching text before each difference, and one line of matching text after each difference will be shown.  Default is on, show all lines.

Use bold font for Adds.  On some monochrome displays, such as those used on laptops, the standard green font used to show added lines looks too much like the normal black letters to be easily distinguishable.  Selecting this option uses a bold version of this font, which stands out more.  Default is off, use normal weight characters.

Ignore upper/lower case.  Ignores case during file comparison.  Default is off, do not ignore case.

Ignore spaces and tabs.  Ignore spaces and tabs when matching.  Default is off, do not ignore whitespace.

Tab size.  Change the tab size.  The default is 8 spaces per tab.  Use this option when the input files were created  in an environment having a different tab size.  This option affects only the display of the lines, not the comparison.

Consecutive lines which must be matched. This is the number of consecutive lines that must match or they will be rejected as an addition/deletion.  Used to avoid falsely matching up on common sequences of lines that might be found several times in the same document (such as blank lines) or language files (such as end of functions).  WinMatch defaults to 4 lines.

Max lines to compare before advancing.  Increase the comparison depth with this option.  WinMatch defaults to comparing 150 lines before assuming there is no match for the current line compared in the other file.  If your files have deleted or added text larger than 150 lines use this option.


Contents

The Contents command in the Help menu opens the Help file and displays the Contents page.  It is the same as pressing function key F1.


About...

The About command in the Help menu displays the current version number of WinMatch and a copyright message.  If the user has registered their copy, their name, company, and registration number are also shown.


Shareware
About Shareware

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it.  If you try a shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register.

Copyright laws apply to both shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below.  Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality.  (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution.  The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all or to a specific group.

Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software.  The shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.  And because the overhead is low, prices are low also.  Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.

WinMatch 1.0 is a shareware program written by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP), and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation.  Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered, or copy your configuration file (WINMAT.INI).


Registration

WinMatch is a shareware program.  If you find this program useful and that you are continuing to use WinMatch after a 30-day trial period, you must register it by sending a payment of $20.00 + $1.50 S&H to SOFTWEST.

To print out a registration form, jump to the Order Form topic, and select Print  Topic from the Help File menu.  (This is also on disk as the file ORDER.DOC).  You can also register on-line on CompuServe by typing GO SWREG.  The Registration ID for WinMatch is 1204.

After registering, you will receive a registration number.  Use the Enter Registration No. command under the Registration menu to enter your name, company (if applicable), and the registration number.  This will remove the Registration menu, the "unregistered" message, and other shareware registration reminders.

When you register, you will receive the latest version of WinMatch and be eligible for three months of technical support (either by telephone, limited to a total connect time of 30 minutes; or via FAX, CompuServe email, or regular mail).  You will also receive a printed manual with the on-line documentation, and a copy DOS Match Lite, which includes printing and wildcards on the command line.  (You can preview these latter two features by obtaining a shareware copy of DOS Match 2.0 from CompuServe, Genie, and many BBS's and shareware vendors.)

You will also receive when it is available, a free upgrade to WinMatch 2.0, which will feature matching of word processing files including Windows Write and MS Word for Windows.  I expected this to be available 4Q 1993.

You can order the complete source code for WinMatch for only $40.00.  It is set up to compile under both Borland C++/OWL Version 3.1 (source available now) and Microsoft Visual C++/MFC (source available Sept. 1993), and can be used to make custom versions of the program for your own use.

If you are already a registered user of DOS Match 2.0, you can enter your Match 2.0 serial number as a temporary registration number.  You can also upgrade to WinMatch for just $10.00.  Print out a copy of the order form file (ORDER.DOC).

The registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time.  You must treat this software just like a book.  An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another.

Corporate users of WinMatch must register and pay for their copies of WinMatch within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn.  Site licenses (ten or more copies at the same address) may be obtained by contacting SOFTWEST.

Anyone distributing WinMatch 1.0 for any kind of remuneration must first contact SOFTWEST.  This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering WinMatch 1.0 immediately.

You are encouraged to pass an unaltered copy of the shareware version of WinMatch 1.0 along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it.

By registering your copy of WinMatch 1.0, you will be encouraging future versions of the program.  I hope you enjoy using WinMatch, and let me know what you would like to see in the next version.

Tom Crosley

July, 1993


Order Form
Order Form (print out using File - Print Topic)

WinMatch Version 1.01c    Media:  5 1/4" (360K) or 3 1/2" (720K)

     Basic registration (includes latest version,

         printed manual, bonus program and 1 upgrade):  $20.00

     WinMatch source code (BC++/OWL & MSVC++/MFC), ADD:  40.00

                                          Sub-total:

     I got my copy                        CA sales tax

     of WinMatch from: ______________     S&H             1.50

     Enclosed is a check or money order for total of:   $

     Your Name:        _______________________________________

     Your Address:     _______________________________________

     City, State, ZIP: _______________________________________

 ---------------------- fold here first ----------------------

                                                               -------

                                                              | place |

                                                              | stamp |

                                                              | here  |

                                                               -------

                                SOFTWEST

                                5120 Campbell Ave.,  Suite #216

                                San Jose, CA  95130

 ---------------------- fold here last -----------------------


Enter Registration Number...

After registering, you will receive a registration number, printed on the disk label.  Use the Enter Registration No. command under the Registration menu to enter your name, company (if applicable), and the registration number.

If, after you have entered a valid registration number you move the program to another directory, you will need to enter the number again.  So it is a good idea to copy it down in the space provided in the manual.


Upgrading from DOS Match
Upgrading from DOS Match 2.0

As a benefit to owners of DOS Match 2.0, you can enter your Match 2.0 serial number as a temporary registration number for WinMatch,  using the Enter Registration No. command under the Registration menu.

You may also upgrade from DOS Match to WinMatch by sending a payment of $10 to SOFTWEST.  This will put you on the list for a free upgrade to Version 2.0 of WinMatch, and you will receive a printed manual too.  Print out the file ORDER.DOC, and enter your Match 2.0 serial number in the space provided.