# CVS: Diff Viewer

The IDE's graphical Diff Viewer enables you to compare revisions of a file side by side using color coding to emphasize the differences between the files being compared.

The icons in the Diff Viewer toolbar enable you to perform the following functions:

Element | Description
--- | ---
Change viewing criteria | You can choose whether to view files containing changes from the local working copy, the repository, as well as both simultaneously.
Local | Displays locally modified files only.
Remote | Displays remotely modified files only.
Local and Remote | Local and Remote Displays both locally and remotely modified files.
Navigate among differences found in the compared files | You can view differences as they appear from top to bottom.
Previous | Goes to previous difference displayed in the diff.
Next | Goes to next difference displayed in the diff.
Perform refresh/update on the diff | You can refresh the status of the diff in the event that changes to your local working directory have been made externally. You can also update the status of repository versions of files shown in the diff.
Refresh | Refreshes the diff in the event that you have made changes to your local working directory externally.
Update | Updates the repository version of the file displayed in the diff.
Commit changes | You can commit changes in your local version to the repository.
Commit | Commits any changes you have made in the local version to the repository.

When you choose to open the Diff Viewer on a selected item, all files contained in the item display in the table located above the graphical viewer (In the event that you select a single file, only that file is displayed). The table lists all modified files and organizes information based on the following column headings:

Element | Description
--- | ---
File | The name of the file.
Status | The status of the file (i.e. modified locally or remotely).
Location | The relative path of the file found in the repository.

Upon selecting a file from the table, the Diff Viewer displays differences between two versions of a file, select the table row corresponding to the desired file.

The Diff Viewer highlights changes in the files using the following color encoding.

Element | Description
--- | ---
Blue | Indicates lines that have been changed since the earlier revision
Green | Indicates lines that have been added since the earlier revision
Red | Indicates lines that have been removed since the earlier revision

The following icons enable you to make changes directly within the Diff Viewer:

Element | Description
--- | ---
Replace | Inserts the highlighted text from the previous revision into the current revision
Move All | Reverts the file's current version to the state of the selected previous version.
Remove | Removes the highlighted text from the current version so that it mirrors the previous version.

Related Topics

Developing Applications with NetBeans IDE,

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