
FCV.com = File Compare Visual, syntax uses the same input as MS FC.EXE

FCV File1.ext File2.ext

So just remove the V for a MS FC.EXE compare.
                                   
To give it a try, load a text.asm you are working on, & it's recient backup.
Push the SpaceBAR and FCV swaps screen pages showing, to show File2.
The file name being showed is RED in the infoBAR at the bottom of the screen.
Arrow keys adjust the two files to alignment, & F1=HELP will get you that info.
Once Swaps appear identical, press the DELETE key to search for the next
difference DOWN. INSERT searches UP. The DIFFerences appear on the top Line &
are shown on the infoBAR 2 characters,values, & their address's.
Another DELETE press does nothing because FCV is finding the same DIFF again.
So use the ARROW RIGHT key to move both files UP past any DIFFs &
DELETE search DOWN again.
Keep pressing the SpaceBAR as you go to see the DIFFs.
Now that you have FCV's main usefullness working, you can learn the other
functions as you go. F1=HELP & ESC=exit program.

The infoBAR is packed with numbers & the info about them is at the bottom
of the F1=HELP page.

The F7 search function, blanks the infoBAR to recieve the string you type in.
If you can't type in lower case letters, your search will be case INsensitive.
While typeing the search string, you can press F7 again to toggle sensitivity.
Backspace away characters, what you see is what you get when you press ENTER.
Except, the case, is what you last set it as, & stays that way until the next
F7 search.  Which starts with your last search string and the invisable cursor
is at the end so you can just press ENTER again and search for the same string
from the beginning of the current file in RED.
Or backspace to a blank BAR and enter a new string.
Shift+F7 searches again for the same string, from the current location in
either file.

I wrote this for me, so I could pick up were I left off writing an.asm
addition, since I keep numbered extension backups alot, like	FCV.a62
So I didn't want complicated commercial whistles & bells.
Keep It Simple Stupid, KISS was the goal. Then to give it away,
I had to clean it up, add search F7, add adr push/pop F6, bug fix,
& now it's kinda a NOT fully tested code. This Version 1.02 has the character,
the value & the address of DELETE key =Find Forward, INSERT =Find Backwards.
And all the bugs are free.

FCV works on machine code compairs also.
FCV new.COM old.COM
Will show how deep the differences are and you can use that to help find the
code difference in the source code. Or how many differences, etc.
Machine code can have lines 2000 bytes long since LF=10 is the EOL character.
In order to show Long Lines in FCV, the Long Lines WRAP to the next line.
So one Line can be 3 pages long, & moving down one Line skips viewing a lot
of data. But FCV was not made for machine code compares.
HEX DUMP both.com files and FCV will compare the DUMPs.
I made a disassembler & I FCV the output files to find the differences.
Then scrap paper holds the line numbers I need to edit.
I alter FCV.COM byte 41 =z= [BITs] Bit6 to 0=CLS_screen=off so
FCV leaves the data I wanted to look over on the screen, at EXIT.

Over size inFiles are trunciated, to fit the MAX buffer size available.
FCV.COM byte 39, [BITs] bit5 turns TRUNCIATE on/off
if off, FCV will exit with an error message when inFile size is exceeded.
if on,  FCV maximum inFile1 size was = 62,534 & inFile2 = 65,534 bytes,
but you won't get advised of the Trunciation.

.......extra info below......

it's free ware,
 but keep a History of your changes & keep my History intact, please.
This should be ported to what ever Operateing System you program for,
so others can use it also.
The FASM 1.51 DOS USE16 source code is in the FCV.zip

If an .asm has sat for months & I'm not familuar with it, FCV.com helps.
The F3 color mode highlights the CODE & numbers= red, then dulls the comments.
So it is a quick referance refresh that reduces mental clutter.

While programming an.asm , if my code fails,
I can check it against my LAST SUCESSFUL backup to find the OOPs.
 Which is going to be the last alterations I made.

I hope this helps some one, some how, some where.
Sincerely Bitdog

PS, there are a lot of cool crap to add to FCV.com,
but it's best kept simple.
The IDEA of FCV could be included in your TEXT EDITOR,
if it's set up to load 2 files, &
my code can give you an IDEA of how it's done,
then you can improve it from there,
or just copy/paste cuz it's FREE WARE dude.
I would like my credit passed on, but it's not neccessary,
& I don't want to over burden anyone, or get mad at them for being human.

