Setting Standard/Key/Unimportant Columns via the Command Line

[barry.cochrane]

I've been trawling through the forums hoping to find a solution to what I imagine is a common requirement for running comparisons without the Beyond Compare (BC) GUI, i.e. using Command Line options.

There is a great need to have the ability to dynamically set the Standard/Key/Unimportant columns via the Command Line.

I've see similar questions posted for BC2 and BC3, so I'm hoping that the API has been or will be extended to implement these features?

[Aaron]

Thanks, and correct, we have had requests to further enhance this feature set. We don't have a method to define the column settings on the command line, but I'll add your notes to our wishlist on the subject. The workaround is to dynamically alter our BCSessions.xml (which can update the default Table Compare settings) before calling to BCompare.exe. Then, when called, Bcompare would use the new/updated default settings.

To see how BCSessions.xml shift, I recommend saving off a current copy. Then, launch the graphical interface and update default values (Home screen, in the saved Sessions list, expand New and edit defaults of the Table Compare). Save/Close BC4, and then compare the old BCSessions.xml with how your updates applied to the new BCSessions.xml.