Command Line Options
In addition to running DiffDog from the graphical user interface, you can also trigger comparisons from a command line window. The file or directory paths to be compared can be supplied to the DiffDog executable as arguments. Additional comparison options (further described below) can also be supplied. When the command is executed, DiffDog starts, opens the directories or files in the appropriate comparison window, carries out a comparison, and displays the results.
| Note: | Calling the DiffDog executable at the command line will open the DiffDog graphical user interface with the options you specified. It is not possible to display the comparison outcome in the command line window, or to export the comparison results from the command line. These capabilities are available in DiffDog Server (https://www.altova.com/diffdog-server). |
To run DiffDog from the command line interface:
1.Type cmd in the Windows search box, and press Enter to open a new command line window.
2.Change the current directory to the directory where DiffDog is installed, for example:
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Altova\DiffDog2025\ |
3.Call DiffDog.exe and supply the file or directory names to be compared as arguments, as well as any optional command line options. For example, in the command below, two text files are compared so the options /cF /mT are explicitly set:
DiffDog.exe /cF /mT file1.txt file2.txt |
For reference to all available options, see Command Line Syntax.
If DiffDog is already running when you start it from the command line, it will start as a new instance, provided that the option Allow Multiple Instances is enabled in the Tools | DiffDog Options | Application tab. If Allow Multiple Instances is disabled, then the new comparison is opened in a new comparison window of an already running DiffDog instance.