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Navigating Changes

Jumping Between Changes

Press F7 to jump to the next changed region from the current scroll position. The panels scroll both sides together so the changed block is centred in view.

Press Shift+F7 to jump to the previous changed region.

Tip

Press F7 repeatedly to cycle through all changes from top to bottom. When you reach the last change, the next press wraps back to the first. Use this to walk through every difference end-to-end without using the mouse.

Searching Within a Comparison

Press Ctrl+F to open the search bar above the comparison panels. Type to search across both sides simultaneously.

  • The number of matches and the current position are shown as N of M next to the search field.
  • Press Enter or the ▼ button to move to the next match. Press Shift+Enter or the ▲ button to move to the previous match.
  • Active matches are highlighted in a brighter colour; other matches are dimmed.
  • Press Esc or click × to close the search bar.

See Search for full details.

Using the Stats Bar

The stats bar above the panels shows:

~N changed  ·  N unchanged  ·  N total  ·  ⇕N moved

The ~N changed count gives you a quick read on how many changed regions exist before you start navigating. A large count suggests a heavily modified file; a small count means the files are nearly identical. The ⇕N moved chip appears only when moved blocks are detected.

Collapsing Unchanged Sections

When a comparison has long runs of identical lines, Diffract automatically collapses them to a single bar labelled ··· N lines unchanged ···. This keeps the view focused on the differences.

  • Click any collapse bar to expand that section and see the hidden lines.
  • Use the Expand all / Collapse all button in the stats bar to toggle all sections at once.

Moved Blocks

When Diffract detects that a block of lines was moved from one location to another rather than deleted and re-added, it marks those lines with a ⇕ indicator in the gutter and a distinct background colour. The stats bar shows a ⇕N moved chip.

Moved blocks are detected automatically. To disable the detection for a specific comparison, use the Moves button in the comparison options bar.

Scroll Synchronisation

Both panels always scroll together. Dragging either panel's scrollbar moves both sides simultaneously, so the left and right content stays aligned at all times.