Comparing Documents

When the setup for Advanced Document Compare feature is completed (refer to Setting Up M-Files Advanced Document Compare), you can use the classic M-Files Desktop to compare the content of two documents or two versions of a document. This section gives examples on how you can use the feature.
Note: The file extension of the compared documents must be DOC, DOCX, PDF, or RTF, and their total file size must be less than 16 MB.

Using the Listing Area to Compare Document Content

To compare the content of the latest version of a document with a different version or document, do the steps in this section. To compare two previous versions of a document with each other, see Comparing Document Content with the History Dialog.

  1. Log in to a vault.
  2. Use a search or a view to find the document that you want to compare.
  3. Right-click the document on the listing area, and select one of these options:
    • Click Compare > Compare with Previous Version to compare the current document version with the previous version.
      or
    • Click Compare > Compare with Another Version to compare the current document version with a previous version. This command opens the History dialog where you can select a document version with which to compare the content.
      or
    • Click Compare > Compare with Another Document to compare the current document version with a different document. This command opens the Windows Open dialog where you can select a document with which to compare the content.
    Result:The Document Compare window is opened.
  4. To examine the changes, use the Previous Change and Next Change buttons, the navigation links in the Change Summary list, or simply scroll through the document.
  5. Optional: To save a copy of the comparison in PDF or DOCX format, use the commands Save as PDF, Save as DOCX, or Track Changes.
    Save as DOCX creates a simple Microsoft Word rendition of the comparison that you see in the Document Compare dialog, but Track Changes creates a document that lets you control the tracked changes from the Review tab in Microsoft Word.

Comparing Document Content with the History Dialog

When you start to compare content in the listing area, you can compare the latest version of the selected document with a different version or document. To compare two previous versions of a document, start the comparison in the History dialog.

To compare the document content of two previous document versions:

  1. Log in to a vault.
  2. Use a search or a view to find the document that you want to compare.
  3. Right-click the document and select History.
    Result:The History dialog is opened.
  4. Press and hold down the Ctrl key and select the two versions that you want to compare.
  5. Right-click a selected version and click Compare Selected Documents.
    Result:The Document Compare window is opened.
  6. To examine the changes, use the Previous Change and Next Change buttons, the navigation links in the Change Summary list, or simply scroll through the document.
  7. Optional: To save a copy of the comparison in PDF or DOCX format, use the commands Save as PDF, Save as DOCX, or Track Changes.
    Save as DOCX creates a simple Microsoft Word rendition of the comparison that you see in the Document Compare dialog, but Track Changes creates a document that lets you control the tracked changes from the Review tab in Microsoft Word.

Comparing Document Content with the Microsoft Word Ribbon

The Compare functionality is only available for documents that are stored in M-Files.

To compare the content of the document opened in Microsoft Word with that of a different document or document version:

  1. In the Microsoft Word menu ribbon, open the M-Files tab.
  2. Click Compare.
  3. Select one of these options:
    • Click Compare > Compare with Previous Version to compare the current document version with the previous version.
      or
    • Click Compare > Compare with Another Version to compare the current document version with a previous version. This command opens the History dialog where you can select a document version with which to compare the content.
      or
    • Click Compare > Compare with Another Document to compare the current document version with a different document. This command opens the Windows Open dialog where you can select a document with which to compare the content.
    Result:The Document Compare window is opened.
  4. To examine the changes, use the Previous Change and Next Change buttons, the navigation links in the Change Summary list, or simply scroll through the document.
  5. Optional: To save a copy of the comparison in PDF or DOCX format, use the commands Save as PDF, Save as DOCX, or Track Changes.
    Save as DOCX creates a simple Microsoft Word rendition of the comparison that you see in the Document Compare dialog, but Track Changes creates a document that lets you control the tracked changes from the Review tab in Microsoft Word.