Installation

The package is available at nuget.org and it can be installed via package manager console by executing following command:

PM> NuGet\Install-Package GroupDocs.Comparison-Cloud

Document Comparison & Revision .NET SDK

GroupDocs.Comparison for .NET is a powerful cloud REST API designed for developers to enhance document comparison functionality in C#, ASP.NET, and other .NET cloud-based applications. Supporting over 90 file formats, this API allows you to compare entire folders, accept or reject document revisions, and visualize changes with page previews. With features like granular change control, style customization, and multi-document support, developers can efficiently automate bulk file comparisons. Additional features include password-protected document comparison, source code file merging, and extraction of detailed change coordinates. This tool is ideal for collaborative environments, legal document review, and version control systems, offering developers comprehensive comparison capabilities with flexibility and ease of integration.

Folder and Document Comparison Features

Compare Entire Folders: Easily compare the contents of entire directories or folders.

GroupDocs.Comparison for .NET enables developers to compare folder contents with support for automatic detection of differences across documents in those folders. Options include saving results in TXT or HTML formats, and filtering to display only changed items. This feature is ideal for developers looking to automate bulk file comparisons efficiently within their .NET applications.

Document Revision Control

Accept or Reject Revisions in DOCX Documents: Efficiently manage document revisions programmatically in DOCX files.

The .NET API empowers developers to programmatically accept or reject revisions in Word DOCX files. Developers can extract a list of all revisions, apply desired changes, and reject others, enabling complete control over document editing and version management through an easy-to-integrate solution.

Document Page Preview Generation

Generate Document Pages Preview: Preview document pages before saving final comparison results.

GroupDocs.Comparison for .NET supports generating high-quality preview images for document pages, allowing developers to visualize and verify changes before finalizing the output. Developers can specify formats (PNG, JPG, BMP) and select custom dimensions, enabling seamless integration of document previews into applications requiring visual content management or review processes.

Change Management and Review

Accept or Reject Detected Changes: Control document changes with granular precision.

Developers can choose to accept or reject individual changes detected between source and target documents, allowing for customizable review workflows. This feature is perfect for applications requiring document collaboration, where fine control over document edits is essential.

Show Revisions and Track Changes: Display changes like Microsoft Word Track Changes.

This feature highlights detected differences between documents using Word-style track changes, making it easier for users to understand insertions, deletions, and formatting changes. This function is particularly useful for legal, financial, and academic applications that rely on detailed document revisions.

Set Author of Changes: Assign authorship to document changes for enhanced accountability.

By setting an author to the detected changes, developers can ensure that changes made by different collaborators are correctly attributed, improving clarity and tracking for multi-user document editing.

Customization and Flexibility

Customize Changes Styles: Personalize the appearance of detected changes.

GroupDocs.Comparison provides robust options for developers to customize how changes appear in comparison results. With control over fonts, colors, and text styles (e.g., bold, italic, strikethrough), developers can match comparison outputs to their application’s specific branding or UI requirements.

Adjusting Comparison Sensitivity: Balance speed and accuracy in document comparisons.

The sensitivity of document comparisons can be adjusted to find the optimal trade-off between comparison speed and accuracy. Sensitivity settings range from 0 to 100, enabling developers to tailor the API’s performance based on their application’s needs, whether prioritizing speed for large comparisons or accuracy for precise document analysis.

Multi-Document Support

Compare Multiple Documents: Compare multiple documents simultaneously.

GroupDocs.Comparison for .NET allows developers to compare more than two documents at once, including support for password-protected documents. This feature is invaluable for enterprise applications that handle large volumes of document comparisons or perform batch document processing.

Merge Source Code Files: Efficiently compare and merge source code files.

The API supports comparing and merging multiple versions of source code files. Developers can control which changes are accepted or rejected, making it an essential tool for version control systems or applications that handle collaborative source code editing.

Detailed Change Analysis

Get Changes Coordinates: Pinpoint the exact location of changes within documents.

This feature helps developers retrieve the coordinates of detected changes, allowing them to highlight differences directly on document previews or for use in automated review processes. Perfect for applications that involve legal document comparisons or quality assurance reviews.

Get List of Changes: Receive a detailed list of all detected changes.

The API provides a comprehensive list of all changes found between documents, including the change type, page number, and affected text. This detailed insight is useful for applications needing precise change tracking, such as contract management systems or automated auditing tools.

Get Source and Target Text from Files: Extract and analyze changed text for deeper insights.

GroupDocs.Comparison allows developers to extract both the original and modified text for each detected change, enabling them to perform detailed analysis or audits of document edits.

Saving and Metadata Control

Set Document Metadata on Save: Control document metadata when saving comparison results.

Developers can set or modify metadata on output documents, such as the author, title, or organization, allowing for proper classification and compliance with document management protocols.

Set Password for Output Document: Secure output documents with password protection.

GroupDocs.Comparison for .NET offers an easy way to apply password protection to the resulting documents, ensuring that sensitive content remains secure. This is especially useful for applications handling confidential or legal documents.

Supported Document Formats

System Requirements

Installation of GroupDocs.Comparison for .NET

You can easily install the GroupDocs.Comparison library for .NET in two ways:

Via NuGet Packages

• NuGet Package Manager: Open Visual Studio, right-click your project, and select Manage NuGet Packages. Search for “GroupDocs.Comparison” and install the latest version.

• Package Manager Console: Open the console in Visual Studio and run:

  PM> Install-Package GroupDocs.Comparison
  

• .NET CLI: In your terminal, navigate to your project folder and run:

  dotnet add package GroupDocs.Comparison
  

Manual Download

• Download the GroupDocs.Comparison package from the official website.
• Extract the downloaded ZIP file or run the MSI installer, then add references to the GroupDocs.Comparison.dll in your project.

Merge Source Code Files with Change Control

This code allows developers to compare two versions of source code files, control the acceptance or rejection of detected changes, and merge them into a single result file. This feature is critical for collaborative development environments, especially when working with version control systems.

// Instantiate the Comparer object and load the source file
using (Comparer comparer = new Comparer(sourcePath))
{
    // Add the target file for comparison
    comparer.Add(targetPath);

    // Perform the comparison and store the result
    comparer.Compare(resultPath);

    // Get the list of detected changes
    ChangeInfo[] changes = comparer.GetChanges();

    // Accept the first 10 changes
    for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
    {
        changes[i].ComparisonAction = ComparisonAction.Accept;
    }

    // Reject the remaining changes
    for (int i = 10; i < changes.Length; i++)
    {
        changes[i].ComparisonAction = ComparisonAction.Reject;
    }

    // Apply the accepted and rejected changes to the result file
    comparer.ApplyChanges(File.Create(resultPath), new ApplyChangeOptions { Changes = changes });
}

Compare Password-Protected Documents

This example demonstrates how to compare two password-protected documents. It shows how to securely manage documents that require password protection, allowing developers to handle sensitive files in a secure .NET environment.

// Define the load options with the password for the source document
LoadOptions sourceLoadOptions = new LoadOptions(){ Password = "1234" };

// Create the Comparer object for the source document
using (Comparer comparer = new Comparer("source.docx", sourceLoadOptions))
{
    // Define load options with the password for the target document
    LoadOptions targetLoadOptions = new LoadOptions() { Password = "5678" };

    // Add the target document with the specified load options
    comparer.Add("target.docx", targetLoadOptions);

    // Perform the comparison and save the result
    comparer.Compare("result.docx");
}

Tags

Document Comparison API | .NET Cloud API | GroupDocs.Comparison Cloud | REST API | Document Comparison | Folder Comparison | Revision Control | Track Changes | Preview Generation | Multi-format Support | Password Protected Documents | Source Code Comparison | Change Tracking | Customization | Document Merging | Change Coordinates | Metadata Extraction | Document Security | File Formats | Document Review | Multi-language Support | Fast Processing | Secure API Access | Data Encryption | Cloud Storage Integration | GitHub Repository