How to specify "column range" info for different types of files?

rj_6 · Aug 07, 2014#12014-08-07T15:50+00:00

I am a new user to UltraCompare/UltraEdit. I work primarily with z/OS assembler source that was originally developed using z/OS ISPF, and downloaded recently for maintenance using Git+SourceTree for VCS and now UltraEdit for text editor. This resulted in source code stored in Git in fixed 80-byte records containing source code "sequence numbers" in columns 73-80 (from the originating z/OS system). These sequence numbers serve no purpose anymore, but still exist in the bulk of the source code involved, and now, for my comparison purposes, columns 73-80 need to be completely ignored for these types of files - all the time.

I have configured my SourceTree to use UltraCompare for its "external Diff" tool for comparing different versions of source members, but I have found no way to have UltraCompare use my desired "Compare Column Ranges..." of 1-72 for these files without having to manually specify this information - each and every time UltraCompare is invoked.

Is there any way to configure UltraCompare to default to "Compare Column Ranges..." of 1-72 for my use? It would be best if this configuration info could be uniquely limited to only ".asm" files, but my need for this range specification is so extensive that even a global default change to this range info would be a vast improvement over having to manually enter this info each time UltraCompare is invoked.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/info that is provided.

fgeurts · Aug 07, 2014#22014-08-07T22:00+00:00

I work with mainly z/OS assembler as well, and I've previously asked support if it would be possible to have the column range selection made persistent, like the ignore white spaces, line terminators etc options, and they've agreed that it would be a useful enhancement, but so far it hasn't happened. If you click on the email us directly link at the top of this page and also send a request in, it would help, as the more requests they receive, the higher the priority the item gets.

Cheers...

Frank

Mofi · Aug 08, 2014#32014-08-08T06:04+00:00

I would suggest to send a feature request email to IDM support with something like below which I have done already.

It is possible to save a text compare session with various properties configured for a special text compare like comparing only columns 1 to 72 without specifying the names of the files to compare.

On starting UC Professional the parameter -prf "Session Name" can be used to run a UC text compare with the properties of the session.

Unfortunately it is currently not possible to add on command line additionally the names of the 2 files to compare using the properties of the session specified not containing any file name.

It would be good if UC Prof. would allow us to run a text comparison from command line using the properties as saved into a session with overloading the file names as specified on command line.

Examples:

uc.exe -prf "ASM Compare"

This command line runs a comparison using the session properties as stored in session with name ASM Compare and also the files as stored in the session if the file names are specified at all in session.

uc.exe -prf "ASM Compare" "Path to\file1.asm"

This command line runs a comparison using the session properties as stored in session with name ASM Compare whereby the first file is "Path to\file1.asm" independent on what is saved in the session. The second file name is loaded from session.

uc.exe -prf "ASM Compare" "Path to\file1.asm" "Path to\file2.asm"

This command line runs a comparison using the session properties as stored in session with name ASM Compare whereby the first file is "Path to\file1.asm" and the second file is "Path to\file2.asm" independent on what is saved in the session.

Of course overloading file/folder names on command line for a comparison using a saved session should be possible also for 3-way text compares and 2/3 way folder compares/synchronizations.

rj_6 · Aug 08, 2014#42014-08-08T17:07+00:00

Mofi -

Thank you very much for the info provided.

May I ask further what magical value you specified in the sessions property's "File 1" and "File 2" fields to enable use of that session profile on the command line to *always* accept the File 1 and File 2 values specified on the command line?

If I leave those fields blank in the "ASM Compare" session property, I find that running it from the command line the first time opens an ASM Compare session that shows both left and right panes empty, but pointing to the corresponding paths associated with my "file1" and "file2" values supplied on the command line. If I then manually open my first file in pane1 and my second file in pane2 , I find that this also changes the session property's file 1 and file 2 fields with these files - and thereafter, any attempt to open any other files using the command line with that -prf profile ignores the files specified on the command line and uses the files filled in when I manually opened the files from the first iteration.

Mofi · Aug 08, 2014#52014-08-08T17:58+00:00

rj_6 wrote:May I ask further what magical value you specified in the sessions property's "File 1" and "File 2" fields to enable use of that session profile on the command line to *always* accept the File 1 and File 2 values specified on the command line?

This is my idea for a future enhancement, but is not working at the moment in UC v14.00.0.1003. That is the reason why I wrote this as suggestion for a feature request.

It would be really useful for tasks like this one to have a "template" session which just contains the compare options to use, but not which files to compare respectively overload the saved file names by the file names specified on command line additionally to the session profile.

I have sent a feature request email to IDM support with exactly the text posted above. Here is the reply from Ben from IDM support:

Ben wrote:Thank you for your message. I agree completely with your feature request and will log this for our developers' further consideration. Thank you for your thorough explanation on why this is useful and how it should work, as always.

It is currently not possible what I suggested. But such an enhancement on existing session management could be seen perhaps already in next minor update of UC Professional if many users request that enhancement, too. The more user request a feature, the higher becomes the priority for IDM management and next the developers of IDM to implement the enhancement. So please use my text and send also a feature request email to IDM support. I'm quite sure that Frank will do that also and hopefully some more users reading this topic.

One more idea for a workaround:

Instead of starting uc.exe directly for comparing two assembler files, it would be possible to start a batch file and passing the 2 or 3 file names with complete path to the batch file.

The batch file modifies now %APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraCompare\UCSessions.dat which is a UTF-16 encoded text file with UNIX line terminators (just line-feed) containing all saved session. All lines up to the line with SessionName = ASM Compare are of no interest. The lines below starting with Path1 =, Path2 = and Path3 = need to be modified by replacing the exiting file names for first, second and third file by the file names passed to the batch file. (The empty lines between are important for some unknown reason.) The replacement of the file names could be done with a new instance of UltraEdit executed minimized with a macro or script specified to make the replacement on UCSessions.dat (easy to code for me). It is perhaps even possible to do this replacement directly with internal commands of Windows if we can find a solution to update the file with Unicode encoding and Unix newlines (more difficult to code, but would be an interesting task for me).

Last the batch file starts uc.exe with parameter -prf "ASM Compare" which loads the session in just before modified UCSessions.dat containing now the updated names of the files to compare.

Should I try to code such a batch file? Or has anybody else already an idea on how to do this with using only internal commands of Windows?