Comparison Target In Word Document

Here is a step-by-step guide to explain the C# source code below, which uses the comparison target in word document functionality of Aspose.Words for .NET.

Step 1: Introduction

The compare target feature of Aspose.Words for .NET allows you to compare two documents and generate a new document containing the changes made to the target document. This can be useful for tracking changes made between different versions of a document.

Step 2: Setting up the environment

Before you start, you need to set up your development environment to work with Aspose.Words for .NET. Make sure you have the Aspose.Words library installed and have a suitable C# project to embed the code in.

Step 3: Add Required Assemblies

To use the comparison target feature of Aspose.Words for .NET, you must add the necessary assemblies to your project. Make sure you have the proper references to Aspose.Words in your project.

using Aspose.Words;

Step 4: Document Initialization

In this step, we will initialize two documents for comparison. You must specify the directory path where your documents are located, as well as the name of the source document.

// Path to the documents directory.
string dataDir = "YOUR DOCUMENTS DIRECTORY";

// Initialization of document A to compare.
Document docA = new Document(dataDir + "DocumentA.docx");

// Clone document A to create an identical copy of document B.
Document docB = docA.Clone();

Step 5: Configuring Compare Options

In this step, we will configure the comparison options to specify the behavior of the comparison. Options include the ability to ignore formatting, as well as the comparison target, which is the “Show changes in” option in Microsoft Word’s “Compare Documents” dialog box.

CompareOptions options = new CompareOptions { IgnoreFormatting = true, Target = ComparisonTargetType.New };

Step 6: Document Comparison

Now we will compare the documents and generate the result in a new document.

docA.Compare(docB, "user", DateTime.Now, options);

The Compare method compares document A with document B and saves the changes to document A. You can specify the user name and date of comparison for reference.

Sample source code for Comparison Target using Aspose.Words for .NET

            
Document docA = new Document(MyDir + "Document.docx");
Document docB = docA.Clone();

// Relates to Microsoft Word "Show changes in" option in "Compare Documents" dialog box.
CompareOptions options = new CompareOptions { IgnoreFormatting = true, Target = ComparisonTargetType.New };

docA.Compare(docB, "user", DateTime.Now, options);

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the diff target feature of Aspose.Words for .NET. This feature allows you to compare two documents and generate a new document containing the changes made. You can use this knowledge to track changes between different versions of your documents.

FAQ’s

Q: What is the purpose of using Comparison Target in Aspose.Words for .NET?

A: Comparison Target in Aspose.Words for .NET allows you to compare two documents and generate a new document containing the changes made to the target document. This feature is useful for tracking changes made between different versions of a document and visualizing the differences in a separate document.

Q: How do I use Comparison Target in Aspose.Words for .NET?

A: To use Comparison Target in Aspose.Words for .NET, follow these steps:

  1. Set up your development environment with the Aspose.Words library.
  2. Add the necessary assemblies to your project by referencing Aspose.Words.
  3. Initialize the documents that you want to compare using the Document class or the DocumentBuilder class.
  4. Configure the comparison options by creating a CompareOptions object and setting properties such as IgnoreFormatting and Target (e.g., ComparisonTargetType.New for comparison target).
  5. Use the Compare method on one document, passing the other document and the CompareOptions object as parameters. This method will compare the documents and save the changes in the first document.

Q: What is the purpose of the Target property in the CompareOptions class?

A: The Target property in the CompareOptions class allows you to specify the comparison target, which is similar to the “Show changes in” option in Microsoft Word’s “Compare Documents” dialog box. The target can be set to ComparisonTargetType.New to show changes in a new document, ComparisonTargetType.Current to show changes in the current document, or ComparisonTargetType.Formatting to show only formatting changes.