Kaleidoscope: beautiful comparing files

I would like to close my eyes. This is normal. Color Kaleidoscope, sequins, sparkling star whirlwind - it is beautiful, but I know what is behind this beauty. Depth. It is called the "dip", but it seems to me that the word sounds right in Russian.
Sergey Lukyanenko, "Labyrinth of Reflections"

Kaleidoscope - all known from early childhood optical toy, made usually in the form of a tube. Looking into a kaleidoscope while turning it, you can watch the changing of the beautiful symmetrical patterns - or, more simply, - images. But toys have been abandoned as a child, and now adult developers of SOFA (known for its applications and Versions Checkout, who had taken awards Apple Design Award) wrote quite a serious product to compare all the files with the same name - Kaleidoscope.

Kaleidoscope - application for finding differences between two images or text documents. And unlike the other 17 (according to Wikipedia) application for comparing files that exist for Mac OS X, Kaleidoscope in a favorable direction differs incredibly attractive design, ease of use and enhanced functionality. Still, the comparison of the images is not among the standard features of other similar software.

I do not know about you, but I have very often are multiple revisions of the same file. This is a bunch of html-files, accumulated while experimenting in vorstke, then a number of "photoshop» * .psd-images from almost different layers. With such a strange hobby, as a web design and layout, this workflow in a mess of things, but with them we have to somehow get along. And then it helps Kaleidoscope - he knows how to find the differences in the many types of files, including graphics psd, jpg and png. What can you say about all there text txt, doc, php, rb and other files - they are also supported with a bang!

Okay, let's have run Kaleidoscope and see what he is like.

When you first start you will be prompted to install ksdiff - command-line utility to open the file for comparison Kaleidoscope from the command line - to the delight of the workers in the console programmers. In addition, you can immediately be integrated with Subversion-Kaleidoscope clients Versions and Cornerstone, and TextMate bundles. In addition Kaleidoscope can be integrated with Subversion, Mercurial, Bazaar and Git to use the command line instead of the standard utilities diff.

Comparison of text files

To compare two files to move them to the main Kaleidoscope window directly from the Finder, or type in the command line ksdiff put_k_faylu_1 put_k_faylu_2. After this simple operation, the main Kaleidoscope window displays two panels with the contents of files. Kaleidoscope parses files and highlights the different fragments. Insertions allocated green, red deleted, modified fragments are highlighted in purple, and the changes made within these sections - dark purple.

At the top of the window is the Kaleidoscope button, with which you can swap panel with text files, and shows the way to compare files. In the lower right corner of the window there are buttons to jump to the previous and subsequent dissimilar fragments, and in the left lower right corner - buttons to toggle between three different views: Blocks, Fluid and Unified (block, fluid and combined).

For more information about modes

mode Blocks
Blocks regime is trying to align the fragments of two text files, so that they were side by side. For this purpose the distance between the corrected text fragments by adding empty space if necessary. This mode allows a visual file compare, but sometimes considerably increases the height of the document.

Fluid regime
This mode leaves the file in its original form, visually noting the changed fragments of files - using colored lines. Fluid mode is more compact than Blocks mode, but it introduces some confusion and somewhat complicates the comparison of files.

Unified mode
Unified mode, it is not hard to understand from its name, connects the two text files in a single document. Identical fragments are combined and modified - are located one above the other, at the same time find out what belongs to the document fragment of what may be in the left column of the additional information.

Comparison of graphic files

Beginning exactly the same - drag two images in Kaleidoscope and embark on a comparison using the various playback modes. Is there a variety of facilities? Yes there is. For example, images can be zoomed and move, stretch up to the scale of 1: 1 or just the entire window.

mode selection

For comparison, image files, there are four modes: Two-Up, One-Up, Split and Difference. The first of these, Two-Up, simultaneously displays two images in two blocks - horizontal or vertical, as the user wants. The One-Up mode displays a single image, but you can quickly switch to another, or to arrange a slide show of these two images at preset intervals. Split Mode puts one image to another, the user can construct a straight line, which one image will be separated from each other - it looks like you can see in the screenshot below.

In the last Difference mode shows a single image, which marked different areas. In this mode, you can instantly switch between the two images and set the layer opacity with highlighted differing areas. The screenshot below will understand the nature of this regime.

About Kaleidoscope integration with various programs and various source control systems files I mentioned in passing - there is no big deal and the supernatural. This distinguishes the program from the rest of the class: no problems and excesses - a user-friendly interface and simple, clear initial setup.

Thanks to this simplicity and excellent design, Kaleidoscope is part of a series of programs that are available only on Mac OS X, and thanks to whom you want to work in Mac OS X. Not surprisingly, if you have time to remember that the development company for their SOFA Versions and Checkout program honored with awards Apple Design Award in 2009 and 2008.

On the other hand, if you, for example, does not need to compare the graphics files and especially do not care about the beauty of the application, it is easier and more logical to choose the same diff, diff3 or DiffMerge. They are free, but for the Kaleidoscope will have to pay 29 euros. Before give the money for the program, it can be free download and use it for a month.