Most revision control tools come with a diff tool of some kind. And if you develop software and don’t use revision control or a diff tool of some kind, I have to say, “WTF?”
A diff tool will show you the difference between two files, usually by highlighting the text that is different. And if you are using a diff tool in conjunction with a revision control system, it will show you the changes to a file over time. This is handy for software developers, especially when you work with a team of developers. It really helps find and fix bugs quickly, especially when one of your fixes breaks the code.
We at Cal Lab Solutions use both GitHub and Source Gear Vault for revision control. GitHub is a cloud-based solution now owned by Microsoft. We use it for all of our open-source projects, mostly because it is free for use with open-source software projects. Plus, it is easy to add new developers and contributors to the projects.
But for Fluke MET/CAL® projects, we like to use Source Gear Vault. Unlike most revision control tools, Vault lets you share files between projects. This is handy for MET/CAL procedures because we often use the same files/sub-procedures in different projects. Vault allows us to share the exact same copy of a file in different folders.
In my article, “A Better Way to MET/CAL,” I talk about creating drivers for a specific standard and sharing it with several projects. Vault just makes it easy to streamline that process. That is why we use it over other revision control tools, especially for MET/CAL procedures.
And one of the things I like about Vault is the company will let you use its DiffMerge tool for free. This gives a developer the ability to see the difference between two files and even merge the changes into a file. For a free download, visit: https://sourcegear.com/diffmerge/downloads.html
In this example (Figure 1), you can see the changes required to convert a MET/CAL procedure to run with the Fluke 5522A vs. a Meatest 9010 using our development methodology. As you can see, the differences are highlighted in red, making the change–mostly likely a typo–easier to spot.
In MET/CAL, you will have to create two projects, one for each standard’s configuration. But again, you can use the DiffMerge tool to look at the differences between the two project and solution files.
So, if you are tired of going cross-eyed, looking at two files trying to track down the error or see the changes, download Source Gear’s DiffMerge tool.
