Bug with built in XML Converter when detecting file changes

[Malrog]

Hi there,

Long time registered user of Compare It!, and I've stuck with it as it's always done everything I've ever needed, even when everyone around me at work has been switched compare software multiple times! So, first off I should really thank you for producing this wonderful software. Now to the bug that I have found...

I'm running Compare It! version 4.2.2221 on my Windows 7 box, and I have found that the automatic detection that a file has changed externally doesn't always work. To reproduce this, do the following:

1. Create two xml files, containing just two lines each:
   <xml>
   </xml>
2. Open up Compare It!, which should say the two files are the same (note also, that with the XML Converter on, it shows just <xml /> rather than two separate tags, as in the files).
3. In an external editor, delete the very first character (the <) of one of the xml files.
4. Regain focus in Compare It!, notice it doesn't display a dialog box, saying that something has changed.
5. Refresh Compare It! (F5) and this will update to show that the files are indeed different.
6. Return to your external editor, and put that deleted character back (the <).
7. Regain focus in Compare It!, and this time it does detect that the file has changed externally, and displays the dialog box as expected.

If you turn off the XML Converter, Compare It! detects the changes made in step 3 above.

It's not a deal breaker for me, as I'll most likely run with the converter off anyway, since I don't like that it doesn't show exactly what's in the files (see note on step 1 above). Whether that's another separate bug is unclear, I'm not sure what the purpose of the xml converter is, since all xml is plain text anyway... So yeah, it's not a deal breaker for me, but I thought it was worth flagging up, as no-one likes bugs in software

Keep up the good work
Malrog

[TonHu]

Apparently the XML Converter trips an exception when the file contains invalid XML, and stops the compare process there.

I'd re-test with changing the data in an xml tag, instead of valid/invalid xml content. It'll probably work as in your second test-case, where you 'repair' the xml structure.

[TonHu]

A solution could be that the XML Converter gets turned off if either of the files isn't valid xml, and do a re-compare as plain text.