Perplexity and Burstiness: Comparing Files in Visual Studio 2019

Visual Studio 2019 is a wildly popular IDE for Windows developers, packed with a plethora of robust tools for creating, testing, and debugging your applications. One particularly useful feature for developers is the file comparison tool.

Step 1: Open Visual Studio 2019

The first step in file comparison is opening Visual Studio 2019 on your PC. You can do this by searching for “Visual Studio 2019” in the start menu or by clicking on the Visual Studio icon on your desktop.

Step 2: Open the File Comparison Tool

After opening Visual Studio 2019, access the file comparison tool. There are two ways to do this:

• Via the File menu: Click on the File menu, then select Open -> File Compare. This will launch the file comparison tool in a new window.
• Via the Solution Explorer: Locate the two files you want to compare in the Solution Explorer window. Right-click on the first file and select the Compare option. This will open the file comparison tool with the first file loaded. Then, drag and drop the second file onto the file comparison tool.

Step 3: Compare the Two Files

With both files loaded into the file comparison tool, you can now begin comparing them. The tool automatically highlights the differences between the two files, including code changes, added/deleted lines, and other modifications. You can navigate through the differences using the arrows on the navigation bar or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down arrow.

Step 4: Save the Compared File

If you want to save the compared file for future reference, click on the Save As button on the file comparison tool’s toolbar. This opens the Save As dialog box where you can select the location and file name for the compared file.

Step 5: Close the File Comparison Tool

After comparing and saving the files, you can exit the file comparison tool by either clicking the close button in the upper right corner of the window or selecting the Close option from the File menu.

Conclusion

Utilizing the file comparison tool in Visual Studio 2019 can be a lifesaver for developers who are working on projects with many files or multiple versions of a file. By comparing files, you can avoid coding errors and prevent missed changes by other members of your team. By following these five easy steps, you can efficiently compare files and efficiently identify any differences.