Comparing the Structure of Objects

You can view the differences in the structures of two objects of the same type.

You can compare an object with another one, one of its revisions or duplicates, or one of the filters created on the same object. You can also compare two filtered structures.

In Compare, filters are considered as the object the filter is created on, with the filter applied. Each structure is expanded based on the rules defined in its filter. Filtered structures are identified with the mask. For more information, see Advanced Filtering.

Before you begin:

To compare filtered structures, or an object with a filtered structure, select the Use Index option in Compare preferences. For more information, see Choosing Preferences.

See Also
Comparing the Properties of Objects
Comparing the Geometry of Objects
  1. Load two objects in Compare. For more information, see Loading Objects in Compare.

    Tip: If a comparison is already started in Compare, you can drag another object into the structure comparison to replace one of the compared objects, and restart the comparison.
    A color code is assigned to the two structures:
    • for the left structure.
    • for the right structure.

    The differences are displayed on each object of the structure with a color code for the compare status:

    Color Code Status Description


    		Right-only

    No matching object has been found in the first structure.



    		Left-only

    No matching object has been found in the second structure.



    		Moved

    Both objects are identical but the positioning is different.

    Note: This status only applies to structural comparisons.



    		Revisioned

    The object has been replaced by another revision.



    		Similar

    The object has been duplicated and shares a derived link with the reference structure.



    		Identical The contents are identical. All positions and references are the same.
    Replaced The object has been replaced with an unrelated object that is not a revision, or a duplicate.

    Notes:
    • This status is only available if the parent objects are revisions or branches of each other. If they are duplicates or unrelated, the left-only and right-only statuses apply.
    • When a parent object is a revision of the other parent created with the New Revision From command, if you replace a child object with an unrelated one:
      • If you used a revision or a branch to create the revision, the compare status of the child object is Replaced.
      • If you used a duplicate to create the revision, the compare status of the child object is Right-only.
      For more information, see Merging Branches with New Revision From
    • If the parent objects are revisions or branches, but one of them has been removed and then added back, the left-only and right-only statuses apply.


    		Different

    The two objects are unrelated but share common children (identical, revised, or similar).



    		Quantity

    The quantity of instances of an object is different between the two structures.

    Note: This status only applies to list comparisons.

    Note: If you selected the Show attached documents and Show other available relations in Compare preferences, the corresponding relations are displayed in separate sections, that you can expand or collapse. For more information, see Choosing Preferences.

    Tip: To switch the columns that the objects are currently assigned, from the Compare section of the action bar, click Swap . The Compare status is recomputed, and the Properties panel and the 3D Viewer are also updated. If you hid compare statuses from the structure comparison, they are displayed again. This switch is not persistent after refreshing the widget.

  2. To display a list-based comparison between the objects, from the Compare section of the action bar, click Display as Tree View or List View .
    Each structure is represented as a list of elements, independently from their position in the structure. The list displays a count for each element of the structure to identify the differences of content.
    Note: Click the command again to go back to the tree view.
  3. To filter the child objects displayed in the structure according to their compare status:
    1. From the Compare section of the action bar, click Toggle Legend .
    2. In the compare status legend, clear the compare statuses you want to hide from the structure.
    Any child object with one of these compare statuses is hidden from the structure comparison. All children of these objects are also hidden from the structure comparison, independently from their own compare status.
    Notes:
    • These changes apply to the tree view and the list view. The 3D viewer is also updated accordingly.
    • Click Refresh to display all the compare statuses again.
    • If an object has several compare statuses assigned (for example, Similar and Moved), it is hidden from the structure comparison only if all its compare statuses are cleared in the compare status legend.
    • The roots of the two compared objects are always displayed, even if you hide their assigned compare status.
  4. To export the result of the structure and properties comparison into a .csv file, from the Compare section of the action bar, click Export .
    The .csv file is saved into the browser's default download folder, and contains the following information:
    • Reference ID: The title and revision ID of the node from the structure on the left.
    • Compared ID: The title and the revision ID of the node from the structure on the right.
    • Depth: Depth of the object within the structure. This information is only available when exporting from the structural view.
    • Reference Quantity and Compared Quantity: The quantity of instances of the object in the left and right structures. This information is only available when exporting from the list view.
    • Type: The type of the object.
    • Comparison Status: The comparison status between the two objects.
    • Comparison Information: The properties that are different between the two objects.