Return to Glenn's tools page

Introduction

MergeWin is a simple Windows program for interactively merging two files. The types of files currently supported are:

Please send comments on this program to Glenn Story: storyg@acm.org

Installing MergeWin

To install MergeWin, simply download mergewin.zip and unzip it.

Running MergeWin

Running MergeWin Interactively

MergeWin can be started from the command line by typing mergewin and pressing Return. It can also be run from the Windows Explorer by double-clicking on the application's icon. You will then be prompted to enter the names of the two files to be merged. There is also a check box that let's you specify if you want the merge result to replace the input file. If this box is not checked you must also specify an output file name.

Starting MergeWin from the command-line

You can specify the files to be merged from a command-line as follows:

mergewin [in-file1 [in-file2 [out-file | -r]]]

where in-file1 and in-file2 specify the two input files;
out-file specifies the name of the output file, and
-r specifies that the output file should replace the first input file.

Running MergeWin as an OLE Automation Server

MergeWin can be run as an Automation Server. See the file mergewin.tlb for details of the interface.

Controlling the Merge

The merge will begin by matching one line at a time between the input file and the output file. Lines will be automatically copied to the output file as long as the two files match. When the files mismatch on a given line, the program pauses waiting for instructions from the user. You can select one of the following options:

Select 1
Select one or more lines from the first input file to copy to the output.
Delete 1
Select one or more lines from the first file to be skipped.
Select 2
Select one or more lines from the second input file to copy to the output.
Delete 2
Select one or more lines from the second file to be skipped.
For each of the above choices, a dialog box appears letting you pick one of these choices for the set of lines to be selected or deleted: In addition to the above merge operations, you can manually edit lines in the output-file window.