Compare code and configuration files
A text comparison is useful when reviewing a configuration change before deployment, checking a small script, or comparing output from two environments. DiffTidy compares the actual text; it does not execute code, parse programming-language syntax or determine whether the program is correct.
Start with exact differences
Open the before and after files and turn off Ignore spacing, Ignore case and Ignore line endings when exact fidelity matters. Use character highlighting to locate a changed digit, command option or hostname. Keep line wrapping on for review, then switch it off if you need to inspect indentation and column positions.
Do not hide meaningful whitespace
Indentation can change behavior in Python and YAML. Spaces may also be significant inside a quoted string, a regular expression or a shell argument. Ignore spacing is useful for reducing noise, but a clean-looking result under that option is not evidence of equivalent behavior. Compare once with ignore options off before accepting a change.
Review blocks in context
The change arrows move between contiguous groups of added and removed lines. Use the full view to read the surrounding configuration. Restore original acts on one block in the updated version, without applying a change to a remote file. The resulting text still needs normal syntax validation and testing in your development workflow.
Export and verify
A unified patch compares the raw input strings even if your screen ignores some differences. Patch headers use generic filenames, so rename or apply them to the intended files in your own tools. The HTML report records both versions as escaped text; pasted HTML and JavaScript are never executed in the report.