Comparing Excel Files

[dnoyeb]

1. When comparing excel files, it appears that BC first saves the file. Maybe into a new format. The files I have increment a version number when they are saved. This causes a dialog box to appear and ask if the version number should be incremented. This pauses the comparison.

Is there any way to stop the version increment? or somehow save in a format that won't invoke the versioning? I havent been able to figure out how the versioning is implemented.

2. When comparing folders with excel files in them, if the comparison pauses on a file, the whole compare stops until that file is completed. Is it possible to compare files in parallel so that 1 pause does not stop the whole sequence?

[Aaron]

Hello,

1. BC does not save the Excel file. It uses Excel to perform a conversion and Save As text for comparison. Opening Excel files with Excel can update the Last Modified timestamp without actually modifying the file.
Are you opening these Excel files with the BC3 Data Compare? Or some other method?

2. You can run a rules-based compare from the Folder Compare by changing the Session Settings: Comparison tab, or selecting your files and running a right-click: Compare Contents command: Rules-based. Or are you opening multiple tabs with multiple files?

[dnoyeb]

I am running a rules based folder comparison. It does whatever BC does for xls files.

The xls file contains some VB that runs on save;

Private Sub Workbook_BeforeSave(ByVal SaveAsUI As Boolean, Cancel As Boolean)
    With Worksheets("Config").Cells(3, 2)
        If MsgBox("Increment the content version to:" & Str(.Value + 1), vbYesNo, "Content Version") = vbYes Then
            .Value = .Value + 1
        End If
    End With
End Sub

This is what is opening the dialog. I am trying to get BC to do a save without invoking the macro.

[Aaron]

Hello,

Beyond Compare's Rule-based comparison will run the the first File Format associated with *.xls. This, by default, will run a .vbs script we have to convert XLS to Text, which involves calling Excel and telling it to save it as a text file. If this is triggering your macro, you would need to disable your macro, modify it to not be called in that case, or use one of the other comparison criterias. You could try to see if a Binary content comparison or Timestamp/Size comparison would meet your needs by changing your Session Settings.

You can also take a look at our conversion by going to the File Formats dialog, picking your Excel rule, and looking in the Conversion tab of the specific Excel rule you are using. This will point to the .vbs file that rule is using.