[Same old question] Files are the Same, but Beyond Compare Says They are Different

[ctc5301]

Same old question:
Files are the Same, but Beyond Compare Says They are Different.
In my case, the differences are actually "binary same" reported by Hex Compare.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Aaron]

Hello,

The most likely scenario is that the size or timestamp is different, which is our default scan criteria. Are the timestamp or size reported as different in the Folder Compare? You can also perform a content scan (binary for bit by bit, crc, or rules-based to use our file viewer results): http://www.scootersoftware.com/suppo...ferentthensame

If that is not the case, we have another KB article with a few other common issues, here: http://www.scootersoftware.com/suppo...mebutdifferent

[ctc5301]

Thanks. It is timestamp problem.

[Aaron]

Good catch. And enabling a content scan (with Override enabled) should help determine file equality, populating the center column between files with the scan results. Let us know if you have any trouble setting this up.

[Caribou]

I'm frequently getting scan results where the files all show up as red (different) even if they are the same, as verified by opening the files and looking at Hex Compare... "Binary Same".

If I choose Actions > Compare Contents, I get NOT-EQUALS marks for most but not all files.

This is happening most often with local Windows files on the left, and Linux files accessed via SFTP on the right. Also frequently when both left/right are SFTP into a Linux host.

Example just now: Copied a Wordpress site over to my local C: disk (via Beyond Compare). Compared. Red. Actions>Compare Contents. All unequal. Double click one? Same. Close and choose another, then Quick Compare, Hex Compare? Binary Same. Modified timestamps (as shown in BC4) are the same down to the second.

Having to double-click every suspected difference to see it is actually "Same" limits the usefulness. Suggestions?

[Chris]

In the Folder Compare, click the Rules toolbar button. In the Comparison tab, check "Compare Contents", then select "Rules-based comparison".

The files might have line terminator differences when they're transferred between Windows and Linux, rules-based comparison should ignore those differences.