Release Notes & System Requirements (macOS)

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2024 releases

Merge 2024.6001 for macOS 17 September 2024

This release adds support for macOS 15 Sequoia and features several other improvements. Please read the release notes below for a complete list of changes.

This is the current production-quality release that Araxis recommends for all users.

This release is free of charge for all customers with upgrade/support entitlement covering the build date indicated in the download box below, including everyone who purchased Merge within the year prior to that date.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms (Intel and Apple silicon):

macOS 15.0 Sequoia
macOS 14.7 Sonoma
macOS 13.7 Ventura

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Sequoia. Support for macOS Sequoia replaces that for macOS Monterey. #6960
The setup disk image is now compressed with a more efficient algorithm, reducing its size by about 13 MB. The filesystem used by the disk image has also changed from HFS+ to the more modern APFS. #6907
The building of Merge is now entirely automated as part of a new continuous integration strategy implemented during this release cycle. Although this has taken a significant effort, customer-visible changes should be minimal. One exception is that the About window now shows a hash code indicating the precise commit in the Merge source code repository from which the build was created. #6974
Scrollbar thumbs are now rendered with slightly greater contrast, in the same colours and in the same way as Merge for Windows. #6952
The OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment subset bundled with Merge has been upgraded to Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK 21.0.4+7. #6969

Changes

As of macOS Sequoia, Apple has removed the ability to enable and disable the Merge extension for Finder using macOS System Settings. The Finder extension is deprecated for this and other reasons, as documented by the Integrating with Finder topic. Araxis recommends using the Merge services for macOS to integrate with Finder instead. #6960

Defects fixed

The Finder extension Compare with Queue Using Araxis Merge command now opens the items in the comparison in the order that they were queued, from left (first queued item) to right (last queued item). #5817
Following an extensive review of the Merge source code, various minor, non-customer-visible infelicities have been addressed. #6858#6861

Download

Version	Build date
2024.6001	10 September 2024

Merge 2024.6000 for macOS 13 May 2024

This major release adds the ability to step backwards and forwards fluidly through all the changes within all the files of a folder comparison, supports binary comparison of very large files, and improves handling of Word and Excel documents. It also features important fixes and a variety of other enhancements.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms (Intel and Apple silicon):

macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma
macOS 13.6.6 Ventura
macOS 12.7.4 Monterey

Enhancements

It is now possible to step backwards and forwards fluidly through all the changes within all files of a Three-Way with File Comparison or Two-Way with File Comparison split-view folder comparison. For general documentation, please see the Navigation sections of the revised Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text), Three-Way File Comparisons, and Comparing Folders topics. #6827

This feature is a much more complete and refined implementation of the basic functionality provided in Merge for Windows via its Ctrl+Page Up and Ctrl+Page Down file comparison keyboard shortcuts.

The implementation of this feature involved many coordinated changes:
- For all comparison types, the toolbar Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons have been renamed from Previous Change and Next Change. They (and their equivalent keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl+Option+↑ and Ctrl+Option+↓) now always operate on the entire comparison. Previously, they operated on the current pane of a comparison.
- For three-way folder, text, and binary comparisons, this means that these toolbar buttons reliably step through every change in the comparison, regardless of which comparison panel has focus when the buttons are pressed.
  
  In earlier versions of Merge for macOS, if, for example, one had the left file of a three-way text comparison selected, using these toolbar buttons would step through the changes between that focused file and the middle file; changes between the middle file and the right file would potentially have been skipped. In a three-way comparison, the new behaviour sets the focus to the middle pane and steps through every change in it, thus ensuring that every change between both the left/middle and middle/right files is encountered.
- For split-view folder comparisons (where a file comparison for the current folder comparison row is displayed in the lower portion of the display), the Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons now operate in a unified way on the combined folder/file comparison.
- Consequently, in a split-view folder comparison, repeatedly clicking the Previous Change in Comparison or Next Change in Comparison buttons – regardless of whether the upper folder comparison or lower file comparison has focus – steps through every individual change in every file of the folder comparison.
  
  When stepping forwards with the Next Change in Comparison toolbar button, stepping past the last change in the lower file comparison moves to the first change in the files of the next changed row of the folder comparison. When stepping backwards with Previous Change in Comparison , stepping past the first change in the lower file comparison moves to the last change in the files of the previous changed row of the folder comparison.
- The Previous change in pane and Next change in pane scrollbar buttons have been renamed for clarity; they continue to operate on the specific pane to which they belong.
Assorted other changes improve the overall experience:
- In the default toolbar layouts, the Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons have been relocated to immediately after the Start or Recompare and Stop buttons. This means that they remain in the same physical screen location as one steps between comparisons of different types and the toolbar updates to match the current comparison type.
- Whenever possible, the selected row of a folder comparison is kept vertically centred in the folder comparison display.
- In a split-view folder comparison, when the file comparison has focus, the selected row in the folder comparison is now coloured more prominently than before.
- The aforementioned two changes combine to give a clear context in the folder comparison for the currently displayed file comparison, even when the file comparison has focus. This context is especially helpful when stepping past the beginning or end of the file with the toolbar Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons.
- For text and binary comparisons, the Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons scroll the files to show the appropriate change and move the cursor position to it.
- The tooltips of the Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons have been updated to Previous Change in Comparison (⌃⌥↑) and Next Change in Comparison (⌃⌥↓), respectively, indicating their new behaviour and showing the associated keyboard shortcuts.
- The Previous change in pane and Next change in pane scrollbar buttons have new tooltips, Previous Change in This Pane (F7 or ⌃⇧↑) and Next Change in This Pane (F8 or ⌃⇧↓).
- Clicking the Previous change in pane or Next change in pane button scrolls to the top of the previous/next change, but does not move the cursor position. The associated keyboard shortcuts both scroll to the change and move the cursor to it.
- The Edit menu items corresponding to the toolbar Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison buttons have been renamed from Previous Change and Next Change to Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison, respectively. The corresponding keyboard shortcuts are unchanged: Ctrl+Option+↑ and Ctrl+Option+↓.
- New Edit menu items corresponding to the scrollbar Previous change in pane and Next change in pane buttons have been added: Previous Change in Active Pane and Next Change in Active Pane. The new, equivalent keyboard shortcuts are Ctrl+Shift+↑ and Ctrl+Shift+↓.
- New Edit menu items, Previous Change in Folder Comparison and Next Change in Folder Comparison have been added, together with keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Option+Shift+↑ and Ctrl+Option+Shift+↓. These commands unambiguously jump between changed rows in the folder comparison, even when the lower file comparison has focus in a split-view folder comparison.
On systems with sufficient memory, binary comparisons now support files larger than 2–4 GB. #6837
The Display settings page has a new Automatically show the first change when reloading files option. When unchecked, Merge endeavours to preserve the current scroll position when reloading files. #6736
When jumping to a next/previous change of a text or binary comparison, the comparison is now scrolled to the start of an inserted or deleted block rather than to its end. #6883
The error message shown when opening a password-protected Office Open XML document (.docx, .dotx, .xlsx, or .xltx) file is now more informative. #6831
Text comparisons are now able to open large Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and Microsoft Word documents without producing an exception. #6909
The state of the image comparison Show unchanged, Show changed, and Highlight changed checkboxes is now remembered between different comparisons. #6833
The Add Synchronization Link Here context menu command now adds the synchronization link between the files at the top of the lines located where the context menu was opened. #6877
The Add Synchronization Link dialog now adds a synchronization link above the specified line numbers rather than below. This improves internal consistency in the placement of new synchronization links and also aligns the behaviour with Merge for Windows. #6926
The folder comparison progress window shown when copying items now automatically scrolls to show new messages as they are added. #6771
The File▸Save▸Save All menu item is now disabled if the Save All command would cause a file to be overwritten more than once. This happens if, for example, a filename for saving the result of a merge has been specified on the command line. In that situation, saving any one of the files would write to the specified output file. #6759
Whitespace is now stripped from the beginning of paths entered into a file comparison’s filename entry field. This is intended to improve the experience when copying and pasting paths from elsewhere. #6812
The type of comparison opened for symbolic links is now determined using the filenames of the link targets. #6752
A number of translations in the Japanese localization have been updated. #6824
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to the Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK 21.0.2+13. #6831
The Merge major version number has been updated to 2024 to reflect the year of release. Copyright notices have been updated accordingly. #6839

Defects fixed

Text comparison panes no longer jump or scroll inappropriately in certain circumstances when clicking on them or typing within them. #6878#6885#6918
A brief hiccup that could sometimes occur in the vertical scroll synchronization between file panels has been fixed. #6922
In text comparisons, the Previous change in pane and Next change in pane scrollbar buttons now always correctly enable or disable following a jump to the previous or next change. #6865
In binary comparisons, the Previous change in pane and Next change in pane scrollbar buttons now always enable or disable appropriately when a file is automatically scrolled to maintain alignment with another file in the comparison that is being scrolled by the user. #6865#6927
When first opening a comparison that has a changed block of text right at the top of the compared files, text and binary comparisons now show the top of the changed block of text in all comparison panes even when the size of the change is significantly different in each pane. #6941
Adding a synchronization link to a binary comparison in very specific circumstances no longer results in screen corruption and a subsequent crash. #6942
Adding a bookmark to a binary comparison no longer sometimes causes the comparison panes to jump. #6934
Vertical alignment of files in a comparison is now maintained precisely around the Central line marker , rather than just below it. #6883
Inappropriate ZIP bomb warnings no longer occur when opening certain Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xlst) files. #6831
The text preview for very large fonts is now drawn appropriately on the Fonts/Colours settings pages. #6899
In HTML folder comparison reports, the Japanese localization of the non-text file annotation no longer wraps inappropriately. #6762
Deleting all the text from the Araxis Merge Registration window Serial number field no longer results in a crash. #6825
The alignment of the text within the various +, -, ↑, and ↓ buttons in the settings window has been improved. #6664

Notices

The Perforce file-system plugin (but not general integration with Perforce unrelated to the file-system plugin) is deprecated and may be removed in a future release. #6779

Download

Version	Build date
2024.6000	10 May 2024

2023 releases

Merge 2023.5976 for macOS 1 November 2023

This release addresses a naming inconsistency and updates the Japanese localization of the user interface.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Warning Araxis is considering the removal in a future release of Merge of the Perforce file-system plugin (but not general integration with Perforce unrelated to the file-system plugin, which will be retained). Please contact Araxis if the removal of this feature would inconvenience you.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms (Intel and Apple silicon):

macOS 14.1 Sonoma
macOS 13.6.1 Ventura
macOS 12.7.1 Monterey

Defects fixed

The renaming of Preferences to Settings undertaken in the previous release has been localized into Japanese. #6706
The file comparison report dialog has been updated to reference the Settings window rather than Preferences window. #6822

Download

Version	Build date
2023.5976	1 November 2023

Merge 2023.5973 for macOS 27 October 2023

This release fixes a rendering problem on macOS Sonoma. It also includes several other fixes and enhancements. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms (Intel and Apple silicon):

macOS 14.1 Sonoma
macOS 13.6.1 Ventura
macOS 12.7.1 Monterey

Enhancements

A new Click within scroll bars to set position checkbox has been added to the General settings page. #6679
It is now possible to remove selected rows from comparison history lists. #6421
Preferences have been renamed to Settings following the change in naming convention introduced by macOS Ventura. #6706

Defects fixed

Text comparisons no longer sometimes fail to render properly during scrolling on macOS Sonoma when line wrapping is disabled. #6806
The first change is now always shown when first opening a text comparison, even when word wrapping is enabled and there is a single insertion at the end of a file. #6801
Changes to print header and footer settings are now always properly stored. #6595
The print header and footer entry fields in the Settings window now scroll vertically. #6782
The tab icons in the Settings window now have appropriate vertical padding on macOS Ventura and newer. #6766
The file and folder comparison Fonts/Colours pages in the Settings window no longer appear slightly inset on macOS Sonoma. #6819
Tooltips are no longer shown for empty rows in the Changes column of folder comparisons. #6709
Line endings have been corrected in the Japanese-language example text files supplied with Merge. #6808

Download

Version	Build date
2023.5973	27 October 2023

Merge 2023.5953 for macOS 21 September 2023

This release adds full support for macOS 14 Sonoma. It also includes other improvements. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms (Intel and Apple silicon):

macOS 14 Sonoma
macOS 13.5.2 Ventura
macOS 12.6.9 Monterey

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Sonoma. Support for macOS Sonoma replaces that for macOS Big Sur. #6764#6792
Content on the Notifications preference page is now better centred horizontally. #6788
The chequerboard background of image comparison panes now extends across the entire pane. This resolves an inconsistency introduced by the macOS Sonoma SDK, and also reflects the behaviour of Merge for Windows. #6796

Defects fixed

Switching Merge to use the new macOS Sonoma SDK caused several new bugs, all of which have been fixed for this release. (None of these is present in the previous release of Merge, which was built with the macOS Ventura SDK). #6764#6792#6796
- Various rendering problems with the rulers and linking lines have been rectified; these were caused by NSView no longer clipping to bounds by default.
- Folder comparison borders were not being drawn.
- Folder comparison column headers are now one logical pixel taller than before, as macOS Sonoma appears to wish to size them larger than previous versions of macOS.
- The top and right borders were missing from the statistics sheet on macOS Sonoma.
- The chequerboard background of image comparison panes was rendered inconsistently compared to other supported versions of macOS.
MacOS Sonoma appears not to be able to render gradient backgrounds when printing an NSView, producing a solid black background instead. This affected three-way folder comparisons in printouts and in PDFs saved from the print window. To work around this problem, Merge now uses solid rather than gradient backgrounds when printing folder comparisons on macOS Sonoma. #6764
Linking lines, and text when line-wrapping is off, once again extend across the background of the vertical scroll bar in the middle pane of three-way binary comparisons. #6790
It is no longer possible to sort the contents of the Generic Syntax Highlighting dialog. Such sorting is not useful, and in any case did not work for the second column. #6783
Line-detail panel content no longer slightly overlaps the top and bottom borders of the panel. #6794

Download

Version	Build date
2023.5953	20 September 2023

Merge 2023.5915 for macOS 12 June 2023

This release includes preliminary support for macOS 14 Sonoma Developer Beta 1, together with a variety of enhancements and several fixes. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms (Intel and Apple silicon):

macOS 14 Sonoma Developer Beta 1†
macOS 13.4 Ventura
macOS 12.6.6 Monterey
macOS 11.7.7 Big Sur

† This release has undergone preliminary testing on macOS 14 Sonoma Developer Beta 1 and appears to be fully operational, notwithstanding a visual glitch with comparison tab icons having the incorrect background colour. However, Araxis provides no assurances with respect to Merge on macOS 14 Sonoma until Araxis has been able to test the production-quality public release of that operating system.

Enhancements

Preliminary support for macOS 14 Sonoma Developer Beta 1 has been added. #6763
Merge is now able to extract text from a wider range of PDF files. #6720
Various text-extraction filters have been enhanced to produce improved results. #6720#6728
When extracting text from HTML files, character encoding is now detected if declared via meta elements. #6720
The command-line compare utility no longer runs comparisons on the main Merge thread. This means that multiple comparisons launched simultaneously from the command-line are now performed concurrently rather than sequentially. #6735
Image comparisons now support the saving of files. Even though images cannot be edited within Merge, the ability to save is useful to support merging operations when launched from, for example, git mergetool. #6756
As a result of previous change, the pre-existing keyboard shortcuts for saving files in the first, second, and third panes of a text comparison have changed to Option+Cmd+1, Option+Cmd+2, and Option+Cmd+3, respectively. #6756
New image comparisons now open showing the top-left of the image, not its centre. #6690
Scroll synchronization between panes in image comparisons has been improved for situations where one pane is empty. #6551#6747
Text comparison read-only indicators (and the presence of merging buttons) are now determined by whether the user can write to a file rather than by a file’s write attribute. #6718
Overview strip strips no longer show when an entire file is visible in a text or binary comparison pane. #6726
In folder comparison reports when performing byte-by-byte comparisons (for text files that exceed the byte-by-byte size comparison threshold, and for images and binary files), the Changes column now indicates ≥1 rather than 2 when there are changes. #6710
The performance of certain text comparison Find operations has been improved. #6743
The visual appearance of information messages within comparison panes has been improved. #6363
The obsolete araxisgitdiff and araxisgitmerge utilities have been removed. These have not been required for integrating with Git for a very long time. #6737
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to the Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK Temurin-17.0.7+7. #6749

Defects fixed

Tabs in the preferences window are now visible in macOS 14 Sonoma developer beta 1. #6763
Merge no longer attempts to use text extraction filters for image or binary comparisons. #4392
In folder comparison reports when timestamps and/or file sizes differ and the Settings ▸Check File Timestamps and Sizes preference is set, the Changes column between the files will contain ≥1 rather than be empty. #6711
Obsolete and non-functional code attempting to populate the Versions button drop-down with file revisions from Time Machine has been removed. #5943

Download

Version	Build date
2023.5915	8 June 2023

Merge 2023.5849 for macOS 6 February 2023

This release includes many enhancements and fixes. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 13.2 Ventura (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 12.6.3 Monterey (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 11.7.3 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)

Enhancements

In the central pane of file comparisons, inserted blocks now use the foreground and background colours for inserted text rather than potentially blended colours as before; likewise, removed blocks always use the removed text colours. This change improves clarity and reduces visual clutter. #6616
A optional confirmation dialog can now be shown before files are deleted from a folder comparison. #6671
The keyboard shortcut for the folder comparison Delete Selected command has been changed from Delete to Cmd+⌫. This change makes it less easy to invoke the command accidentally; it also better aligns Merge with macOS Finder. #6671
File and folder path entry fields without focus now elide a portion of long paths. #4818
File and folder path entry fields now dim (to indicate that they cannot be edited) when they display a title rather than a filename. #6619
Folder comparison columns can now be sized to their content by double-clicking a column divider in the header of the results list. #3857
Text comparison merging buttons are no longer shown for merging into a read-only file. #6675
SVG files now open as text, rather than as images that cannot be rendered by macOS. #6663
Instructions for integrating Merge with Android Studio and various JetBrains IDEs have been added. The existing instructions for integrating with JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA and PhpStorm have also been updated. #6617#6620#6654
The Command-Line Reference has been completely reworked. #6658#6656
When invoked with the -h option, the command-line compare utility now opens the Command-Line Reference in a web browser. #6670
New -readonlyN and -readonly options have been added to command-line compare utility to force some or all panes in a comparison to be read-only. #6652#6655
The toolbar icons in the documentation have been updated. #6662
Various dialogs have been updated to use base localization; this simplifies localization going forward. Minor differences in the layout of these windows are expected, but otherwise there should be no user-visible effect. #6606#6609#6610#6611#6612#6613#6614#6615
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to the Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK Temurin-17.0.5+8. #6627
The Merge major version number has been updated to 2023 to reflect the year of release. Copyright notices have been updated accordingly. #6660

Defects fixed

Comparison history lists now always open with the top row visible. #6642
In the central pane of file comparisons, inserted and removed blocks of text (and their line numbers) now use the appropriate font styles. #6496
An AppleScript error no longer occurs when a double quotation mark occurs within a single-quoted title argument to the command-line compare utility. #6672
The read-only indicator for a comparison panel is now shown when that panel has been set as read-only via the AppleScript API. #6673
The Standard Edition of Merge now correctly displays only two comparison panes when launched from the command-line with more than two folders specified. #6444
It is no longer possible to reorder columns in preference tables. #6589
The decimal point character (.) is now used as the separator character for numeric comparison input fields in the preferences, regardless of locale. #6548

Download

Version	Build date
2023.5849	19 January 2023

2022 releases

Merge 2022.5809 for macOS 24 October 2022

This release adds support for macOS 13 Ventura. It also includes other enhancements and fixes. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 13 Ventura (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 12.6 Monterey (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 11.7 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Ventura. Support for macOS Ventura replaces that for macOS Catalina. #6542#6579#6597#6599#6600#6601
Toolbars now display larger icons when their text labels are turned off. #6211
The active filter for folder comparisons can now be set programmatically via the AppleScript API. A new sample script, 23 Set FolderComparisonActiveFilter preference.scpt, is provided in the Sample Scripts folder within the Merge installation disk image (.dmg) file. #6544

Defects fixed

The alignment of colour wells in the Merge preferences has been corrected to take account of the revised visual appearance of these controls in macOS Ventura. #6581
Character encodings are no longer shown for non-text comparison history lists. #6608
It is no longer possible to scroll preference tables slightly using horizontal touchpad two-finger dragging. #6588
The Reset button in the Japanese localization of the Printing preference pages is now localized. #6592
The Japanese translation of the Whitespace in reformatted XML/XHTML files checkbox label on the Notifications preference page has been updated to match that of Merge for Windows. #6596
The Japanese localization of the Play a sound for merge actions checkbox label on the Notifications preference page is no longer slightly clipped. #6591

Download

Version	Build date
2022.5809	20 October 2022

Merge 2022.5786 for macOS 15 September 2022

This release provides a number of visual and usability enhancements; it also fixes various problems. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 13 Ventura Beta 7† (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 12.6 Monterey (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 11.7 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 10.15.7 Catalina

† This release has been tested on macOS 13 Ventura Beta 7 and appears to be fully operational. However, Araxis provides no assurances with respect to Merge on macOS 13 Ventura until Araxis has been able to test the production-quality public release of that operating system.

Enhancements

For long documents, the scroll bar thumb now has a dark inner component that indicates the portion of the document that is currently visible. The positioning of this inner thumb relative to the overview strips is particularly useful for seeing which changes are presently visible. #4617
Previous change in pane and Next change in pane buttons have been added to folder comparison scroll bars. #6437
A new Use ‘Unchanged’ font for all text checkbox on the Fonts/Colours preference page makes it easy to change the font used for all comparison text in one go, rather than having to change the Unchanged, Inserted, Removed, and Changed fonts separately. #6458
Reset buttons have been added to the header and footer fields on the file comparison printing and folder comparison printing preference pages. These buttons restore the header and footers to their defaults. #6269
New tokens are available on the file comparison printing and folder comparison printing preference pages. These insert the unqualified names of the files/folders in the headers and footers of printed comparisons. #6269
A new Open new tabs on the right (rather than left) setting to configure the position of new comparisons in the tab strip has been added to the General preference page. #6530
The layout and appearance of various confirmation dialogs has been improved. #6456
By default on fresh installations of Merge (and after preferences have been reset), PDFs are now compared using text comparisons rather than image comparisons as before. To change this behaviour, see the relevant frequently asked question. #6457
The message that appears when copying over a currently open file in a split-view folder comparison has been improved. #6481
The order of items on the Method preference page now matches that of Merge for Windows. #6526
Status bar text now uses the System font rather than the Menu font. #6452
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to the Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK Temurin-17.0.4+8. #6434#6575

Defects fixed

Clicking on a vertical scroll bar now navigates accurately to the correct portion of the comparison. #6584
Clicking on the vertical scroll bar of a folder comparison no longer replaces the current selection with the destination row. #6586
Folder comparisons no longer unnecessarily lose their selections when preferences are changed. #6583
On macOS Ventura, clicking on the message text in various confirmation dialogs no longer results in the text repositioning itself. #6550
Merge no longer crashes when stepping quickly through a folder comparison. #6577
It is no longer possible to position the text cursor over a merging button. #6504
The scroll position no longer unexpectedly jumps when two-finger scrolling a text comparison pane that has long, wrapped lines. #6502
The horizontal scroll position of differently sized panes in an image comparison is now properly synchronized when horizontally scrolling. #6318
In folder comparisons, clicking the Select Rows button no longer expands all the items in the comparison. #6519
The state of the Settings ▸Show Line-Detail Panel menu item is now properly updated when switching between comparisons. #6554
The registration dialog now strictly enforces the number and position of colon characters in serial numbers. #6407

Download

Version	Build date
2022.5786	13 September 2022

Merge 2022.5706 for macOS 19 April 2022

This major release adds block expressions, comparison of corresponding numeric values in text files, and syntax highlighting for Markdown files. It also includes numerous other enhancements and important fixes. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 12.3.1 Monterey (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 11.6.5 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 10.15.7 Catalina

Enhancements

Syntax highlighting is now supported for Markdown files. #6419#6466
Merge for macOS is now able to compare corresponding numeric values within text files and, if desired, treat them as identical if they are within a certain tolerance (absolute and/or ratio) of one another. (This feature was previously only available in Merge for Windows.) One potential use for this is when comparing the output of numerical control (NC) code files from CNC machine tools. #6414
Merge for macOS now supports block expressions (previously only available in Merge for Windows) to define blocks of lines that you wish Merge to ignore. These blocks are bounded by lines matching a starting and ending regular expression. Lines excluded by block expressions are indicated by cross-hatching in the left margin. This capability can be useful for filtering out unimportant changes or blocks of auto-generated content. For more information, please see Blocks. #6068#6445#6067
As a result of the introduction of block expressions: #6042
- The previously existing expressions have been renamed to line expressions. For more information, please see Lines.
- The Text Comparisons▸Lines preference tab has been renamed to General.
- The Text Comparisons▸Expressions preference tab has been renamed to Lines.
Change highlighting in three-way text comparisons is now entirely relative to the common ancestor. This presentation is easier to understand, and matches that of Merge for Windows. #6472
It is now possible to configure Merge to open new comparison tabs to the right of the existing tabs, rather than to their left. For more information, please see the relevant frequently asked question. #4573
Folder comparisons no longer add a red adornment when the files in a row have timestamps that differ less than the Treat timestamps as identical if they differ by less than # ms setting on the Method preference page. #5066
The folder comparison Changes column has been enhanced to reduce clutter, make it easier to understand, and to improve consistency with Merge for Windows. #5110
- The column now shows 0 when there are no changes, rather than Unchanged as before.
- When performing byte-by-byte comparisons (for text files that exceed the byte-by-byte size comparison threshold, and for images and binary files) with the Settings ▸Always Check File Content preference set, the Changes column now indicates ≥1 rather than 2 when there are changes.
- When timestamps and/or file sizes differ when the Settings ▸Check File Timestamps and Sizes preference is set, the Changes column between the files will contain ≥1 rather than be empty.
- The Changes column remains empty for inserted and removed files.
- The default width of the Changes column has been adjusted appropriately. #6470
Clicking an overview strip with no keyboard modifiers now moves directly to the relevant change, matching the behaviour of Merge for Windows. Shift-clicking above or below the scroll bar thumb will scroll up or down a page. For more information, see the Navigation section of the updated Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) topic. #6489#6488
The horizontal scroll bar is now hidden in binary comparisons when it is not needed. #6360
Image comparison rulers are no longer shown for files containing single images. This saves space and reduces clutter. #6455
Image comparison scroll bars are no longer shown when not needed. #6453
The alignment of image comparison controls has been improved. #6449
The positioning and contrast of the ruler marks in image comparisons has been improved. #6448
The Show only # lines of context around changes setting on the Display preference page has been renamed to Show context around changes of only # lines to match Merge for Windows. #6416
The Japanese localization of the Support expiry setting on the Notifications preference page has been updated to match Merge for Windows. #6512
The circular Recompare files using the new options button present in the binary comparison control strip has been renamed to Apply. #6308
The capitalization of the Common ancestor file and Common ancestor folder panel labels has been improved. #6474
The padding to the left and right of file comparison scroll bars has been improved and is now consistent. #6475
Various controls and labels in the Settings window have been realigned. #6415#6503
The frequently asked question about whether new serial numbers will work with old versions of Merge has been updated. #6509
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to the Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK 17.0.2+8. #6417#6505
The Merge major version has been updated to 2022. Copyright dates have been extended accordingly. #6422

Defects fixed

The text-extraction filter used by Merge previously included – but did not use – code from the Log4j library v. 1.2.14. Although this version of Log4j is unaffected by widely publicized security flaws that are present in some later versions of Log4j, and although this code was not in any case used by Merge, Log4j has now been removed entirely from Merge. #6428
Scroll bar thumbs are no longer overly dark on macOS Monterey. #6463
Image comparison rulers no longer waste space when the display of line numbers is enabled for text comparisons. #6447
In three-way image comparisons, it is now possible to scroll large images in the centre pane using the horizontal scroll bar such that the right-hand edge of the image becomes visible. #6468
When dragging images in an image comparison using a mouse or touchpad, the movement of the image now consistently tracks the mouse/touchpad movements. #6471
In folder comparisons, the Changes column now properly indicates changes for file-timestamps-and-sizes-only comparisons. #6464
The header of the leftmost (marker) column in folder comparisons no longer contains an ugly black square (caused by a change in macOS) and no longer changes sort order when clicked. The width of the column has also been reduced. #6454
Overview strips now always show when switching between tabbed comparisons. #6522
Moving the cursor using the keyboard in a text comparison with long, wrapped lines now works consistently. #6459
The cursor now always remains visible when moving between unwrapped lines in a text comparison. #6487
The synchronisation of panels in a text comparison when scrolling now works consistently. (The introduction by macOS of interpolated scrolling was previously causing problems in some circumstances.) #6478
Status bar text is now cleared when a text or binary comparison is started or recompared. Previously, the status text from the previous comparison could sometimes be displayed during a long-running comparison. This could potentially lead to confusion. #6426
In a split-view folder comparison with a binary comparison, the Apply button in the binary comparison control strip now properly re-compares the files with the updated binary comparison settings. Previously, it would erroneously re-compare the folder comparison. #6308
Window zooming via Option-clicking the round, green button in the toolbar now works consistently on macOS Big Sur. #6361
Merging buttons are no longer inappropriately clipped when over-scrolling text comparisons. #5283
An extended linking line present at the top of a file is now drawn when over-scrolling at the top of file. #6411
The setting to disable text anti-aliasing has been re-enabled. #6306

Download

Version	Build date
2022.5706	30 March 2022

2021 releases

Merge 2021.5644 for macOS 19 October 2021

This release adds support for macOS 12 Monterey. It also includes other enhancements and fixes. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 12.0.1 Monterey (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 11.6 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 10.15.7 Catalina

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Monterey. Support for macOS Monterey replaces that for macOS Mojave. #6319
Merge is now built using the macOS Monterey SDK and Xcode 13.1. #6368
The linking lines connecting related portions of compared files are now curved to improve their visual appearance. #4233
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to the Adoptium Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK 17. #6270
Both Apple silicon and Intel versions of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment subset are now bundled, removing the dependency of certain text-extraction filters upon Rosetta 2. Merge is therefore now fully functional on Apple silicon machines without Rosetta 2. (This change has unavoidably increased the download size of the Merge installation disk image.) #6270
A new Application▸General▸Reset Preferences button has been added to the preferences window. This resets the Merge preferences to their default values. #5760
In folder comparisons, the Delete key has been added as a shortcut for the Actions▸Delete Selected Rows menu item. #4101
In folder comparisons, Option+W and Option+Q have been added as keyboard shortcuts for the Copy Selected Items▸From First to Second Folder… and Copy Selected Items▸From Second to First Folder… menu items respectively. #6295
The Comparing Folders topic has been improved. #6409

Defects fixed

Scroll bars now render correctly on macOS Monterey. #6395
Text may now be extracted from .xlsx spreadsheets containing a great many more rows than before without running out of heap space. #6384
The opening text in the Japanese localization of the registration dialog is no longer clipped on Big Sur and has been made bold. #6380
Several other instances of clipped text in the Japanese localization of the user interface have been fixed. #6380#6410
The potential for a crash when exiting Merge in certain rare circumstances has been eliminated. #6387
The Clear All Markers toolbar button now works even when the toolbar is in text-only mode. #6369

Download

Version	Build date
2021.5644	19 October 2021

Merge 2021.5602 for macOS 11 August 2021

This release improves the user interface and makes more screen space available for comparison content. It also includes numerous other enhancements and fixes. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 12 Monterey Beta 4† (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 11.5.1 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 10.15.7 Catalina
macOS 10.14.6 Mojave

† This release has been tested on macOS 12 Monterey Beta 4 and appears to be fully operational. However, Araxis provides no assurances with respect to Merge on macOS 12 Monterey until Araxis has been able to test the production-quality public release of that operating system.

Enhancements

The user interface has been improved and makes more screen space available for comparison content:
- File and folder-comparison overview strips are now integrated into the relevant vertical scroll bars. #6315#6358#6359
- Scroll bar backgrounds are drawn with the comparison background colour. This makes scroll bars less intrusive and reduces visual clutter. #6217
- Linking lines, and text when line-wrapping is off, now extend across the background of the vertical scroll bar in the middle pane of a three-way text comparison. This greatly reduces the visual disruption caused by the middle-pane scroll bar and also increases the amount of text visible when line-wrapping is off. #6217
- The borders around the edges of comparisons have been narrowed. #5892
- Horizontal scroll bars are now hidden in text comparisons when line-wrapping is on. #3978
- Overview-strip marks in three-way folder comparisons are now always a solid colour and are no longer sometimes drawn with a horizontal colour gradient. This makes them easier to see and matches the style used by Merge for Windows. #6348
- Overview strips no longer have tooltips. #6350
As a result of the reduced border width in comparisons, the text-comparison line-detail panel is now shown or hidden using the toolbar Settings ▸Show Line-Detail Panel menu item or the Shift+Cmd+L keyboard shortcut. This change also improves consistency with Merge for Windows. #5892
The little-used two and three-way horizontal comparison layouts have been removed. Much of the potential utility of the horizontal layouts is provided in a better form by the text comparison line-detail panel. #6362
The extraction of text from OpenOffice ODF and Microsoft OOXML documents is improved. In particular, word-processing documents containing tables are no longer erroneously processed as spreadsheets and the handling of footnotes is enhanced. #6283#6343
When enabled, a new Application▸Notifications▸Play a sound for merge actions preference causes a sound to be played when files are copied, deleted, or merged in folder comparisons and when various merging operations are performed in text comparisons. #6250
The timestamp in HTML reports is now shown in the local timezone, not UTC. #5613
Text fields in the Find dialog now automatically select their existing text when they receive input focus. This makes it more convenient to replace the existing text with something else when performing a new search. #6180
Icons are no longer displayed for actions that will be skipped in the folder comparison Merge to Common Ancestor preview dialog. This reduces visual clutter and better draws attention to the actions that will be performed. #6297
Following an automatic merge via the Merge to Common Ancestor toolbar command or -merge option to the compare.exe command-line utility, Merge previously navigated to the first merge conflict if one existed, or otherwise to the start of file. Now, if there is no merge conflict, it will navigate to the first change if one exists. If no change and no conflict is present, then Merge will navigate to the start of the file as before. #6304
The documentation for the use of the git-mergetool command has been improved. #6301
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to version 16.0.1. #6270
Functionality relating to the long-retired Araxis Ketura application has been removed. #6204

Defects fixed

File modification timestamps are now preserved when copying files from one SMB share to another. #6287
Deleting hidden items from a folder comparison now removes those items from the comparison results. #6309
Entry fields in the Registration dialog now only accept the first line of text when pasting from the clipboard. #6252
A block of blank lines that is ignored by a text comparison due to the default Blank lines line expression is no longer treated as a separate unchanged text block for the purpose of comparison statistics when there are adjacent non-blank unchanged lines. #6171
The top and bottom edges of overview strip marks are no longer blurry on macOS Big Sur. #6323
The background colour of rows in folder comparisons now always extends fully to the right edge of the comparison. #6349
The potential for a crash to occur in exceedingly rare circumstances when exiting Merge has been eliminated. #6355

Download

Version	Build date
2021.5602	11 August 2021

Merge 2021.5533 for macOS 1 February 2021

This release adds support for Apple silicon and further refines operation on macOS Big Sur. It also includes several other fixes and enhancements. Please read the release notes for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 11.2 Big Sur (Intel and Apple silicon)
macOS 10.15.7 Catalina
macOS 10.14.6 Mojave

Enhancements

Merge is now a Universal binary with support for both Intel and Apple silicon processors. (Note that certain text filters still rely upon an Intel-code subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment, as a production-ready Apple silicon JDK is not yet available. These filters are however fully tested and supported on macOS Big Sur running on Apple silicon processors.) #6071#6073
The otool text filter (used to compare executable binaries with a text comparison) now supports Universal binaries. A disassembly is provided for all CPU architectures (including Apple silicon) for which code is present. #6230
The Merge application icon has been refreshed to make its corners more rounded, better fitting the Big Sur icon style. #6188
The preferences window toolbar icons have been redrawn in a Big Sur style. #6195
The file comparison Read-only and Modified indicators have been revised. #6202
The Merge toolbar icons have been reworked to better fit the Big Sur style. #6196
Toolbar icons are now the correct shade of grey on Big Sur. (Big Sur colours the toolbar icons itself, but is not consistent in how it does this. The toolbar and window styles have therefore been adjusted to leave the toolbar icons the same colour as those of other Big Sur applications.) #6198
The 3d-inset of the transparency grid colour control on the Display preference page has been removed to better fit the Big Sur interface style. #6184
The tab border colour now has slightly less contrast in light mode, improving the overall application appearance. #6187
Labels of inactive tabs are now dimmed in Dark Mode. #6189
The PDFs used for various Merge images no longer embed a colour profile. This should slightly reduce the storage space occupied by the Merge application. #6203
Now that Apple’s versioning policy for macOS Big Sur is clear, the About Araxis Merge window now has been adjusted to show the newest supported macOS version as 11 rather than 11.0. #6239
The major version number has been updated to 2021, reflecting the year of release. #6213

Defects fixed

In text comparisons, the place where text has been removed from the end of a lines is once again properly indicated. #6238
Merging buttons and extended linking lines are now always drawn when certain line expressions are enabled. #6053
There will no longer ever be a gap between last tab shown in the tab strip and the comparison-list drop-down button. #6165
The Register Araxis Merge window now consistently shows invalid and valid evaluation serial numbers in red or green as appropriate. Previously, there were some edge cases where serial numbers were shown in black. #6232
Clicking on a tab and unintentionally slightly moving the mouse is now much less likely to initiate a tab-rearrangement drag operation. #6186
The checkbox in the Update available notification message is now aligned properly. #6192
The optional full-width line-detail view in text comparisons now has the correct border colour. #6194
Folder comparisons no longer crash in certain rare scenarios. #6200
The position of controls within file comparison filename fields has been made consistent. #6205
The separator between the two-way and three-way layout items in the Japanese localization of the Windows menu has been reinstated. #6216
Split-view folder comparisons (showing a file comparison underneath the folder comparison) now display correctly when switching from full-screen mode or rapidly resizing the application window. #6220
Tick icons have been reinstated for valid paths on the SCM preference page. #6226
The top border of folder comparison results pane is no longer excessively thick in the Japanese localization. #6229

Download

Version	Build date
2021.5533	28 January 2021

2020 releases

Merge 2020.5479 for macOS 16 November 2020

This major release features extensive work to support macOS Big Sur. It also includes several other fixes and enhancements. Please read the release notes carefully for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 11.0.1 Big Sur (Intel)
macOS 10.15.7 Catalina
macOS 10.14.6 Mojave

Information This release does not include a Universal Binary, though preliminary testing indicates it works well on Mac computers with Apple silicon.

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Big Sur running on Intel processors. #6069#6102
- Merge now uses the new combined toolbar and window caption style on Big Sur. As a result, and to provide the maximum amount of space for toolbar buttons, the Merge application window on Big Sur no longer has its own title. #6070
- The rendering of the tab strip has been reworked to avoid various visual problems introduced by Big Sur. #6072#6110#6104
- Big Sur extends the window-tinting feature (introduced by macOS Mojave for Dark mode) to Light mode. This feature adjusts both the hue and lightness of the default background colour for a window based upon the colours found in the portion of the desktop background over which the window lies. As macOS opts applications into window tinting by default, previous versions of Merge in Light mode on Big Sur adopt a tinted hue for the portions of the window that are painted with the default window background colour, but not for regions of the window painted with other colours. The resulting clash between the tinted and untinted portions of the application is infelicitous. Unfortunately, Big Sur provides no mechanism for obtaining different shades of the window tint colour, so it is impossible for applications to obtain a sanctioned set of colours to use for non-background window elements. As a workaround, Merge therefore now implements tinting for various window components (inactive tabs, borders, etc.) by alpha-blending various shades of grey on top of the default window background colour. Note that the window tinting feature can be turned off on a system-wide basis in the macOS System Preferences. #6133#6128
- The width of toolbar buttons has been increased as Big Sur was clipping some of the button icons. This regrettably makes the toolbar buttons slightly wider than they need to be on Catalina and Mojave. #6070
- Merge uses segmented controls to group closely related toolbar buttons. Unfortunately, Big Sur eliminates the clear visual grouping of buttons in a segmented control that existed in previous versions of macOS. This removes the visual differentiation between groups of toolbar buttons that was crucial to being able to locate specific buttons quickly. To mitigate this problem, the Merge toolbar buttons have been arranged into a small number of distinct groups separated by significant amounts of whitespace. As a result of this, and to better fit with the new Big Sur convention, toolbar items now span the full available width of the toolbar rather than aligning to its centre. #6109#6112
- Big Sur removes the bezels around toolbar buttons grouped in a segmented control. However, by default it retains vertical dividing lines between the buttons in a segmented control. This makes such buttons seem less visually related to one another than to adjacent, entirely unrelated buttons. On Big Sur, Merge now therefore adjusts the visual style of segmented toolbar controls to remove the vertical separator lines. #6114
- The single Layout pop-up button on the toolbar has been replaced with separate buttons for the most commonly used comparison arrangements. This change was necessary to avoid a visual inconsistency in the toolbar buttons because, although Big Sur removes the bezel from all other types of toolbar button, it retains the bezel around pop-up buttons. To conserve space on the file comparison toolbar, please note that the Two-Way Horizontal and Three-Way Horizontal layouts are now only available from the main application Window menu, or by using the appropriate keyboard shortcuts. #6103
- The borders of file and folder path entry fields are now drawn by Merge in a style consistent with those of file and folder panes. Previously, these borders were drawn by macOS in its default style. This change was necessitated by a backwards-incompatible alteration in the Big Sur implementation of entry fields that resulted in visual glitches and problems with the entry-field buttons overwriting the text when the window was resized. (The latter issue was specifically caused by Big Sur no longer sending a selectWithFrame message to entry fields following a resize.) #6072#6106#6124
- The changes to the drawing of entry field and file panel borders have made it possible for Merge on macOS to indicate the focused field or pane using a different border colour. In this respect, Merge for macOS now therefore more closely resembles the visual appearance of Merge for Windows. #6072
- The horizontal scroll bar in file comparison panes has been extended to the full width of the pane. This avoids a visual problem caused by a change in the way Big Sur draws scroll bars. #6072
- The colour of file pane borders has been darkened to avoid a visual clash with the internal left edge of vertical scroll bars, which are darker in Light mode on Big Sur than on earlier versions of macOS. #6072
- Big Sur broke the layout of the folder comparison results pane by introducing additional width to row content. Merge now has a workaround to avoid the unnecessary horizontal scrolling that resulted. #6105
- Big Sur does not update the visual style of square buttons to match the rest of its user interface. As a consequence, the square +, -, ↑, and ↓ buttons used on various preference pages appeared incongruous. They have therefore been replaced by buttons in the default macOS style. #6113
- In the sheet that appears when closing a comparison that has unsaved changes, the colour of the text in the selected row has been adjusted to make it readable on Big Sur. The spacing of the text in the small buttons has also been improved slightly. #6115#6172
- Big Sur radically changes the size and shape of warning dialogs shown by the system NSAlert API. This results in overly narrow warning dialogs that have little room for message text, making it hard to read messages of any significant length and complexity. For alert windows having more than two or three buttons, the vertical space available for the message text is reduced even further due to vertical button stacking, requiring the user to scroll vertically to view even fairly short warning messages. To avoid all of these problems, Merge now uses its own alert-dialog implementation in preference to NSAlert. One regrettable side-effect of this change is that the few messages that were previously attached to a particular application window are no longer bound to their windows. #6116#6168#6169#6162
- As of Big Sur 11.0.1 RC1, macOS started adding a trailing colon to file paths for files opened using the Finder Services▸Compare Using Araxis Merge menu item when those files reside on storage partitions (other than the Big Sur system partition) created by macOS Catalina. To work around this problem, Merge now strips trailing colons from the paths of files opened in this way. #6164
- The Araxis Merge Registration window has been changed to highlight valid or invalid serial numbers using green or red text. Previously, the background colour of the serial number field indicated validity, but Big Sur broke the ability to use a custom background colour in an entry field. #6072#6119
- Merge is now built using the macOS Big Sur SDK and Xcode 12.2. #6070#5518#6101
- The mechanism used to attach the end-user licence agreement to the Merge setup disk image (.dmg) file has been has been adjusted, as the previously used method was dropped by the Big Sur SDK. #6100
The instructions for integrating Merge with IntelliJ IDEA have been updated to take into account a change in the way IntelliJ IDEA works. #6118
The instructions in the How to Install topic for installing the Merge command-line utilities have been improved to suggest the use of the which -a compare command to locate any pre-existing compare commands on the path. #6094
The spacing of icons and text within tabs has been adjusted to improve the overall visual appearance. #6122
The Statistics window has been updated to use the WKWebView control in place of the deprecated WebView control. The primary user-visible change is that the Save As… button now saves the statistics to an .html file rather than to a .webarchive. #6155
The Statistics window now uses white as the background. #6156
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 14.0.2. #6093

Defects fixed

Merge no longer crashes occasionally when switching very rapidly between the folder and file portions of a split-view folder comparison. #6120
Merge for macOS no longer crashes when loading options saved from Merge for Windows. #6089
The document icons shown in tabs are now perfectly crisp. #6130
Merge for macOS now ignores the User interface theme setting when loading options saved from Merge for Windows. #6090
The tab key now steps through controls in a folder comparison in the correct order. #6117
The icon for the panel resize-thumb is now always as crisp as it can be on non-Retina displays. #6136
In horizontal-layout file comparisons, the space above and below the panel resize-thumb(s) has been increased and thumbs are properly vertically centred within the surrounding space. #6149

Download

Version	Build date
2020.5479	16 November 2020

Merge 2020.5400 for macOS 19 June 2020

This release features several fixes and minor enhancements. Note also that macOS 10.13 High Sierra is no longer supported. Please read the release notes carefully for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.15.5 Catalina
macOS 10.14.6 Mojave

Information Merge is no longer supported on macOS 10.13 High Sierra. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2020.5350 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

Numbers with exponents prefixed by a plus sign (e.g. 1e+1) are now supported in comparisons with numeric data. #6031
Lines matching an expression having the Force entire line unchanged if any part matches the expression setting selected are now truly treated as unchanged for comparison purposes. Change blocks and linking lines are therefore no longer generated for such lines, and those lines can cause what would otherwise be a single change block to be split into two. #6032
When comparing text files, the aforementioned change can sometimes result in an insertion or removal block that is adjacent to a change block. Such adjacent blocks are combined into a single change block, except when Intelligently split blocks of changed text based on matched line pairs is enabled. This helps to minimize visual clutter. #6047
Various performance optimizations have reduced the time needed to render linking lines and merging buttons in certain text comparisons that have many changes between a pair of files. #6048#6054#6056#6058
The Japanese localization of Merge for macOS has been aligned with that of Merge for Windows. Customers using Merge in Japanese on both platforms should therefore have a slightly more consistent experience. #6018
The documentation now more clearly explains the difference between build dates and release dates. #6029
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 14.0.1. #5990

Changes

Support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra has been removed slightly ahead of the planned schedule. This was necessary for technical reasons, as High Sierra does not support some of the features upon which Merge now depends. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Customers using macOS High Sierra may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2020.5350 or earlier) that works with that platform. #6007

Defects fixed

Syntax highlighting of files containing Cyrillic characters now works reliably. #6030
Changing visibility filters to hide rows in a folder comparison can no longer cause Merge to hang. #6011
On non-Retina displays, perfectly horizontal linking lines in text comparisons using certain font sizes no longer appear appear blurry. #6063

Download

Version	Build date
2020.5400	19 June 2020

Merge 2020.5350 for macOS 7 April 2020

This major release adds split-view folder comparison layouts that show a file comparison beneath the folder comparison. These layouts offer a very convenient mechanism for reviewing (and potentially merging) many files in a folder comparison. This release also features a number of other enhancements and fixes. Please read the release notes carefully for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.15.4 Catalina
macOS 10.14.6 Mojave
macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra

Enhancements

New folder comparison Two-Way with File Comparison and Three-Way with File Comparison layout options have been added. These split the display horizontally, with a file comparison shown beneath the folder comparison. Click on a row in the folder comparison to compare that row’s files in the file comparison below. For more information, see Comparing Folders. #5471#5939#5963
Tab labels are more concise when adjacent panes of a file comparison show files of the same name. For example, a tab label of File.scala, File.scala, OtherFile.scala in a previous version of Merge would now be shown as File.scala × 2, OtherFile.scala. #5847
Tab labels for saved comparisons that have been loaded now show only the filename of the saved comparison without the extension. #5847
Various theme colours have been adjusted. In particular, it is now easier to distinguish the active tab when in Dark Mode, and dimmed text in folder comparisons is easier to read. #5846#5869#5878#5945
The application and document icons have been modernized with a fresh yet familiar appearance. #5872
The Git integration instructions have been updated with helpful aliases and usage examples. Please review the revised documentation carefully if you use Git with Merge. #5880
The middle dot character is now used consistently as a separator within status-line text. #5787
The subset of the OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 13.0.2. #5827
The major version number has been updated to 2020, reflecting the year of release. #5875
Merge is now built with Xcode 11 and the Catalina SDK. #5805

Defects fixed

XML CDATA blocks are now syntax-highlighted with an appropriate colour. #5901
Saving a comparison after resetting preferences with defaults delete com.araxis.merge no longer stores incorrect syntax-highlighting colours in the saved comparison. #5976
Line-pairing rules are once again listed in the toolbar Settings ▸Line-pairing Rules sub-menu. #5886
Dimmed text in folder comparisons is now shown in the correct colour following a change from Dark to Light mode while Merge is running. #5869
Inserted and removed blocks in reformatted XML text now show indentation using the appropriate background colour, matching the behaviour of Merge for Windows. #5882
Notification message headings have been adjusted to use sentence capitalization consistently. #5947
Resources are no longer leaked when opening new folder comparisons. #5895
The toolbar now works properly when in text-only mode (i.e. when not showing icons). #5789#5914
The generation of HTML/XML reports no longer calls macOS user-interface APIs from a background thread. #5636
The spurious (and non-functioning) Format▸Text▸Reformat XML/XHTML menu item has been removed. #5820
The non-functional line-endings field on the sheet that saves an HTML report has been removed. #5829

Download

Version	Build date
2020.5350	7 April 2020

2019 releases

Merge 2019.5249 for macOS 1 October 2019

This major release introduces support for macOS 10.15 Catalina and Dark Mode. It also features numerous other enhancements and fixes. Please read the release notes carefully for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.15 Catalina (tested on Developer Beta 9)
macOS 10.14.6 Mojave
macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra

Information Merge is no longer supported on macOS 10.12 Sierra. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2019.5137 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Catalina. Support for Catalina replaces that for Sierra. #5717#5806
Dark Mode is supported on macOS Mojave, Catalina, and later. Note that some Light Mode icons, bitmaps, and other user-interface features have minor visual changes as a result of this work. #5129#5721#5658#5710#5722#5724#5736#5745#5746#5761#5765#5766#5819#5772#5773#5782#5793#5796#5818
This and future Merge for macOS releases are notarized by Apple. #5500
The storage of Merge preferences has been completely overhauled: #5512#5713#5718
- Merge preferences are now saved by default as a JSON file. (The previous format continues to be supported for interoperability with earlier versions of Merge.)
- Separate colour and font preferences are stored for Light and Dark modes.
The file and folder comparison Fonts/Colours preference tabs have been reworked to match Merge for Windows. This provides the new Dark-Mode-related ability to configure overview-strip colours. #5711
The width of the ruler in text comparisons now adjusts to fit the line numbers and markers displayed within the ruler. #5642#5762
Merge for macOS now uses the same tab icons as Merge for Windows. #5780
The vertical positioning of bookmarks and other markers has been adjusted to match Merge for Windows. #5695#5720#5783
Integration instructions are now provided for TortoiseHg on macOS. #5709
The documentation for the otoolFilter file-type filter has been updated to note that the macOS command-line developer tools are required to use this filter. #5740
The rulers of non-focused comparison panes are now drawn with the panel background colour. This helps reduce visual clutter. #5774
Empty rows in a folder comparison use the background colour for unchanged rows. #5763
Small triangles are no longer drawn in the ruler to indicate omitted-lines in text and binary comparisons. This reduces visual clutter and brings Merge for macOS into line with Merge for Windows. #5800
The text comparison status line uses a middle dot to separate the line and column numbers rather than a comma. #5769
The folder comparison status line uses a middle dot as a separator rather than a comma. #5779
The middle dot is used as a separator in Japanese status-line text rather than a hyphen. #5785
The instructions for disabling text antialiasing have changed for this release. #5808
The Oracle OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 12.0.2. #5644#5707

Defects fixed

Binary comparisons now scroll to the first change when opened. #3749
The first change of all three panes in a three-way text comparison is shown when opened. #5461
When using a text-only toolbar, clicking the Merging button group now correctly opens the appropriate drop-down menu. #5747
Double-clicking a next/previous change button with the little-used full-width line-preview panel open no longer inappropriately resizes that panel to use half of the available vertical space. #5807
The Preferences button in the binary comparison toolbar now works when using the Japanese-language user interface. #5815
Text in the right-hand entry field of a folder comparison is no longer drawn over that field’s buttons following certain window resizing operations. #5625
The Advanced Line-Pairing Preferences sliders now behave correctly, even after applying preferences from a comparison saved by an earlier version of Merge. #5646
The default comments for bookmarks and the annotations for other markers now match those of Merge for Windows. #5729
Using a keyboard shortcut to open a comparison while a sheet is displayed no longer results in a state where all the toolbar buttons are disabled. #5732
The appropriate currently configured text colour is now pre-populated in the Fonts window when a file or folder comparison preference Fonts… button is clicked. #5733
The file type names on the File Types preference page have been given consistent wording and capitalization. #5424
Text in the selected row in the Preferences…▸Text Comparisons▸Highlighting table is now easier to read. #5559
The alignment of controls on the Japanese version of the Preferences…▸Text Comparisons▸Editing page has been adjusted. #5624
The vertical alignment of the status-bar text has been adjusted. #5768
All annotation text on the various preference pages now uses a small font and is left-aligned. #5777#5778
The spacing and alignment of various controls throughout the preferences window have been reviewed and adjusted. #5776#5794#5795
The Merge user interface now consistently uses colours in the sRGB colour space. #5799

Download

Version	Build date
2019.5249	30 September 2019

Merge 2019.5137 for macOS 4 February 2019

This major release introduces support for macOS 10.14 Mojave. It features significant enhancements, such as optional word-based comparison and highlighting, greatly improved line-pairing within blocks of changed text, and support for line-pairing rules. This release also improves comparison performance, fixes several defects, and provides various other enhancements. Please read the release notes carefully for a complete list of changes.

Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.14.3 Mojave
macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra
macOS 10.12.6 Sierra

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2018.5008 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Mojave. #5419#5422#5631#5542#5541#5505#5506#5569#5526#5539#5545
There is a new FAQ item with instructions for resolving a ‘Not authorized to send Apple events to Araxis Merge’ error when running the command-line utilities on Mojave. #5539
When trying to access protected areas of the file system on macOS Mojave, Merge now prompts the user if required with instructions for granting Full Disk Access permission. #5545
Lines can now optionally be compared and highlighted based on words, rather than characters. #4545
The pairing of lines within blocks of changed text is now both configurable and much more intelligent. This improves the highlighting of comparison results within blocks of changed text in a wide range of scenarios. For full details, please read the Pairing topic. #3772#5402
Support for line-pairing rules has been added. Line-pairing rules enable Merge to pair corresponding lines in a block of changed text based on particular portions of a line matched by a given regular expression. Judicious use of line-pairing rules can provide excellent results for certain comparisons (e.g. those of localization files in different languages) that previously provided unhelpful results. For further information, see the Pairing and Edit Line-Pairing Rule topics. #3772#5402
Line-pairing within change-blocks is tuneable, both for performance and for choosing a balance between highlighting a pair of lines as a change rather than as a removal and an insertion. For more information, please see Advanced Line-Pairing Settings. #3772#5402
A new Intelligently split blocks of changed text based on matched line pairs setting has been added. When checked, Merge will endeavour to split multiline blocks of changed text into smaller blocks of inserted, removed, and changed text. This splitting is performed intelligently, based on any corresponding pairs of lines that Merge is able to match within the original block of changed text. This setting can be very useful in understanding precisely how the compared files are related, and it can also make it easier to propagate individual changes from one file to another. For more information, please see Pairing. #3772#5402#5531
A new checkbox, Show detailed (rather than simple) inline changes within paired lines, is present on the Pairing preferences page. This replaces the Show simplified inline changes and Show detailed inline changes radio buttons on the Display preferences page in earlier versions of Merge. #3772#5402
File and folder comparison performance has been substantially improved. #5550#5537
The frame rate when scrolling text comparisons has been substantially improved. #5555
The registration dialog has been reviewed for GDPR-compliance and updated. Personal information is no longer required to activate Merge on a computer. The registration dialog itself explains how any personal data that is provided will be used. Finally, the dialog no longer has a checkbox to give Araxis permission to email users about product updates, since the built-in update-notification mechanism obviates the need to send update emails. #5427#5430#5567
Merge no longer sends to Araxis information about locale, operating system version, and screen size. #5427
Merge no longer sends redundant placeholder registration information to Araxis. #5433
To avoid complicating GDPR compliance, Merge no longer gathers crash reports. Neither does Merge therefore offer to send crash reports to Araxis. #5429
Syntax highlighting support for Scala (.scala) files has been added. #4791#5604
There are new text comparison keyboard shortcuts to pull a corresponding change from the left (Shift+Option+Cmd+→) and right (Shift+Option+Cmd+←) to replace the current change and then to move to next change. #4643
Folder comparisons are now able to pair files with canonically equivalent Unicode filenames that happen to differ in their stored Unicode representation. #5609
The Keyboard Shortcuts topic has been updated to describe how to create custom keyboard shortcuts. #5388
The folder comparisons results pane now indicates its focus with a standard focus ring. #5551
The Lines preference page has been improved. #5562
In a three-way text comparison, the middle (not left) file is now given input focus by default. #4037
Merge for macOS is now able to open certain supported .cmp7 files created by a forthcoming version of Merge for Windows. #5594
HTML, XML, and UNIX diff comparison reports are now always encoded using UTF-8 (without a byte-order mark). #5626
The Oracle OpenJDK Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 11.0.2. #5514
The major version number has been updated to 2019, reflecting the year of release. #5582
The range of macOS versions supported by Merge is now shown in the About Araxis Merge window. #4869
Various copyright notices have been updated. #5516
It is no longer possible to manipulate text comparison expressions via AppleScript. #5509

Defects fixed

Folder comparisons no longer crash when encountering folder names that include combining Unicode Emoji characters. #5608
Folder comparisons no longer crash when encountering certain HTML files that incorrectly declare their own character encoding. #5436
It is no longer possible for linking lines to become misaligned in certain circumstances. #5510
On macOS Mojave, the Merge items in system Services menus no longer appear in Japanese when macOS is configured to prefer English. #5506
On macOS Mojave, drop-down lists in table cells are no longer inappropriately displayed in grey text. #5569
The UNIX-diff report Lines of context text field is always visible on macOS Mojave. #5526
Registration information transmitted securely to Araxis is now properly URL-encoded. #5435
In the About Araxis Merge window, the dash in the copyright notice has been changed from a hyphen to an en-dash. #4054
Folder names are shown correctly in the folder column of HTML folder comparison reports. #5627
Document titles and folder names for Subversion and Perforce URLs ending with a / character are now displayed correctly in HTML reports. #5628
Minor memory leaks relating to the toolbar Find menu items have been fixed. #5584
Opening a new binary comparison no longer leaks memory. #5520
Memory is no longer leaked when rearranging tabs. #55115519
Resources related to the support of Intel Hex files have been localized. #4898
Unused graphical resources have been removed. #5611
The ↑ and ↓ buttons on the Filters page are no longer enabled when no row is selected. #5583
The contents of the Display preference page have been moved to improve visual centering. #5568
The Description column label on the Lines preference page is no longer clipped by default. #5560
NSCell-based tables have been replaced with NSView-based ones in the Merge preferences. This eliminates certain problems that were due to bugs in the macOS NSCell implementation. #5549
The version of the AXFinderSync bundle is set appropriately. #5521

Download

Version	Build date
2019.5137	1 February 2019

2018 releases

Merge 2018.5008 for macOS 31 May 2018

This release adds support for Intel Hex files and addresses several other issues. Please read the release notes carefully for a complete list of changes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.13.4 High Sierra
macOS 10.12.6 Sierra
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan

Enhancements

Optional special handling for Intel Hex files has been added. #4283
The Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 10.0.1. #5377
Java Runtime Environment files not required by Merge are no longer bundled. This significantly reduces the size of the Merge setup disk image (.dmg) file. #4610
Image comparisons are now performed in the sRGB colour space. Images not in the sRGB colour space will be converted to sRGB before being compared. (Previously, images were compared using a legacy, generic colour space.) #5378

Defects fixed

Identical images no longer compare as different on Macs with certain graphics hardware. #4012
The various command-line utilities (e.g. araxishgmerge) no longer consume significant amounts of CPU time when waiting for the Merge user interface to complete. #5099

Download

Version	Build date
2018.5008	24 May 2018

Merge 2018.4971 for macOS 13 February 2018

This release addresses several defects and features a number of enhancements, including support for numeric tolerance in text comparisons. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.13.3 High Sierra
macOS 10.12.6 Sierra
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan

Enhancements

A single installation disk-image download covers all supported versions of macOS and OS X. Previously, each version of the operating system required its own separate Merge download. I15074
Merge is now able to compare corresponding numeric values within text files and, if desired, treat them as identical if they are within a certain tolerance of one another. One potential use for this is when comparing the output of numerical control (NC) code files from CNC machine tools. I15031
It is once again possible to create, edit, and delete text comparison Lines via AppleScript. (This capability was temporarily removed following the enhancement to allow an unlimited number of expressions to be defined.) A sample script, Sample Scripts/17 Set up a regular expression preference.scpt, is provided in the Merge installation disk-image. I14932
The SCM-tool paths on the SCM preferences page have been given sensible default values. I15167I15168
A count of unchanged files has been added to the status bar of folder comparisons. I14941
In folder comparisons, the Previous Conflict and Next Conflict toolbar buttons and equivalent menu items are now disabled or enabled as appropriate. I14970
Support for three additional UTF-32 character encodings has been added (UTF-32 little endian with a byte-order mark, and UTF-32 big endian with and without a byte-order mark). This in addition to the existing support for UTF-32 little endian without a byte-order mark. I15163
Scroll positions are now preserved when swapping panes in a text comparison. I14998
The Merge major version has been updated to 2018, to reflect the year of release. I15131

Defects fixed

Image comparisons no longer fail to show images when multiple image comparisons are launched from a folder comparison, or after the transparency-grid colours have been changed. I15143
Following a Reformat XML/XHTML or Unformat XML/XHTML action, the cursor and scroll positions are moved to the top of the text panels. I14997
The text cursor is now positioned sensibly in an open text comparison pane following a change in the state of the toobar Settings ▸Show Unchanged Lines Only For Context menu item, or of the equivalent Show only # lines of context around changes item on the Display preference page. I14999I15155
When the Use filter programs for files in folder comparisons setting on the Scan preference page is checked, files of the XML/XHTML type will no longer incorrectly have XML reformatting applied to them prior to comparison in a folder comparison. This change matches the behaviour of Merge for Windows. I14991
In binary comparisons, the value of the Search size field now persists. I14848
The How to Uninstall documentation has been corrected and updated for current versions of Merge and macOS. I15072
The red-dot newer-file adornment is no longer shown for folders in folder comparisons. This change matches Merge for Windows, and avoids potential confusion as to whether the adornment indicates a timestamp difference between the folders themselves, or a change in their contents. I15100
The transparency-grid colour of open image comparisons is no longer incorrectly affected in certain circumstances by a change to the colour of a syntax-highlighting element. I15142
Merge once again offers to send diagnostic crash reports to Araxis. I15153
The date in the copyright notice in the footer of Japanese HTML reports has been updated. The hyphen in the copyright date range has also been replaced with an en-dash. I15071

Download

Version	Build date
2018.4971	9 February 2018

2017 releases

Merge 2017.4937 for macOS 2 October 2017

This release features support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra, major improvements to image comparisons, and several other enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.13 High Sierra
macOS 10.12.6 Sierra
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2017.4884 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS High Sierra. I15000I15080I15084
Image zooming has been completely reworked: I14896I15038I15021I15022I15023
- The old zoom slider has been removed. It was unwieldy and did not lend itself well to achieving particular zoom factors.
- New - and + buttons zoom the images out and in, respectively. Corresponding Cmd+- and Cmd++ keyboard shortcuts have also been added.
- Zooming further out from 100% steps through the following zoom-factor series, zooming-out until the image occupies 1 pixel on the screen: 66.67%, 50.00%, 33.33%, 25.00%, 16.67%, 12.50%, 8.33%, 6.25%, 4.17%, 3.12%, 2.08%, 1.56% …
- Zooming in from 100% will step through the following zoom-factor series, up to a maximum zoom of 3200%: 200%, 300%, 400%, 500%, 600%, 700%, 800%, 1200%, 1600%, 3200%.
- A new 100% button (and Cmd+1 keyboard shortcut) zooms the images such that each image pixel occupies exactly one device pixel on the display.
- A new Fit button (and Cmd+0 keyboard shortcut) zooms the images such that they fit within their respective panels.
- The current zoom percentage is shown in the window caption (if only a single comparison is open within the window), or the comparison tab (if multiple tabs are open).
- One image pixel is always represented by one device pixel at 100% zoom, regardless of whether or not a Retina display is used.
- Pixel interpolation is used at zoom factors of less than 100% to give a smoother image display. (Pixel interpolation is not used when the zoom scale is 100% or greater, thus showing each image pixel crisply and precisely.) I15042
The swap slider on image comparisons is only enabled if there are at least two files that will swap. I15003
Vertical ruler markings (which separate images in multi-image files) are no longer shown in an image comparison panel when the image file contains only a single image. I15026
File and folder history lists are no longer stored in saved Merge preference files or saved comparisons. I14897
The preference to turn-off font smoothing for text in text comparisons has been documented. I14840

Defects fixed

Merge no longer crashes in certain circumstances when using auto-complete in the file/folder pathname entry fields. I15079
Text and binary comparisons have been fixed to draw correctly on macOS High Sierra if the Merge application window is resized when an information message is displayed within a file panel and line-wrapping is enabled. I15080
When Merge is running on macOS High Sierra, and no Merge windows are open, clicking the Merge dock icon opens a new default comparison. I15084
The colour of the text label for the Automatically reload externally modified files preference item has been changed to match other item labels. I15082
Image comparisons now ignore embedded DPI metadata when sizing and displaying images. Previously, embedded metadata could lead to images being drawn at an inappropriate size. I15043
The background checkerboard for image comparisons no longer extends beyond the image at certain zoom factors. I15024
Dragging and dropping an image on to the whitespace surrounding an image in an image comparison loads that image. I15020
Clicking on the whitespace surrounding an image in an image comparison gives focus to that image’s panel. I15025
It is possible to tab through the controls in the control bar at the bottom of an image comparison when the system is configured for full keyboard access. I15027
Merge will no longer relaunch in certain circumstances after a user has completed a Git conflict resolution and exited Merge. I15007
Minor defects in the Japanese localization have been corrected. I15041

Download

Version	Build date
2017.4937	29 September 2017

Merge 2017.4884 for macOS 3 July 2017

This release includes a number of enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.12.5 Sierra
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite

Information This is the last release with support for OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

Enhancements

When the appropriate preference is enabled, line endings are indicated with CR and LF characters, rather than with arrows. This change makes the type of line endings obvious, and also makes Merge for macOS more consistent with Merge for Windows. I14802
When preferences are changed, Merge endeavours to maintain the following for each open comparison: the cursor positions within each panel, the current scroll position, and the focused panel. I14988
The various command-line utilities give a much more helpful error message when an evaluation serial number has expired. I9388
Merge supports the macOS Automator Text Service. I14863
The Merge services for macOS are installed (or, if necessary, updated) automatically by Merge, eliminating a tedious manual installation step. I14762
The instructions for integrating with Mercurial have been improved. If you use Mercurial, please review your configuration for an improved experience. I14978
All file comparisons show No file is loaded within this panel in a file panel whenever appropriate. I14773
Expressions that do not have descriptions appear in the toolbar Expressions menu, with the regular expression as the item label. Previously, the menu item was blank. I14917
When acting on a single file, the Services▸Compare using Araxis Merge menu item opens the file in both panels of a comparison, in the same way as the equivalent Finder-extension menu item. If other versions of the file are available, this makes it easy to compare the file against another version of itself using the Versions button. I14772

Defects fixed

Various minor memory leaks have been addressed. I14915
The compare utility -max option works. I14971
Cycling the focus between comparison controls using Tab and Shift+Tab works correctly. I14972
Tab tooltips work on OS X El Capitan. I14931
After a merge-to-common-ancestor operation, the Next Change and Previous Change buttons are appropriately enabled or disabled. I14961
After performing an automatic merge with conflicts, the first conflict is shown. I14064
A minor glitch in drawing the tab bar has been fixed. I14879
The Insert Token drop-down controls on the Preferences▸File/Folder Comparisons▸Printing preference pages will only insert tokens into their accompanying text entry fields. I14774
When no rows are selected in a folder comparison, clicking Next Change selects the first changed folder or file. Before, only a first changed file would be selected. I14776
On the Standard Edition of Merge, history lists no longer inappropriately show a third column. I14778
Hidden items in folder comparisons are always drawn dimmed when hidden items are made visible. I14744
It is no longer theoretically possible for comparison panel messages to become misaligned. I14949
Folder comparison reports no longer inappropriately create file comparison reports for binary and image files. I14985
The non-functional AppleScript sample 17, Set up a regular expression preference, has been removed. I14987
No warnings appear in the system console when running Merge on macOS Sierra. I14742

Download

Version	Build date
2017.4884	30 June 2017

Merge 2017.4855 for macOS 7 March 2017

This release includes a number of enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.12.3 Sierra
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite

Enhancements

An effectively unlimited number of regular expressions may now be specified for text comparisons, removing the previous limit of 10. I14854
Comparison tabs can be reordered by dragging and dropping. I14486
The Merge text editor supports the additional standard macOS keyboard shortcuts listed below. I11027
- Option+Delete: delete the word to the left of the insertion point.
- Ctrl+K: delete the text between the insertion point and the end of the line or paragraph.
- Ctrl+O: insert a new line after the insertion point (without moving the insertion point).
- Ctrl+T: swap the character behind the insertion point with the character in front of the insertion point.
The performance of jumping to the next/previous change in a folder comparison containing a very large number of unchanged files has been drastically improved. Likewise, the enabling and disabling of the Next/Previous Change toolbar buttons is now much more efficient. I14888
The Java Runtime Environment bundled with Merge has been upgraded to 1.8.0_121-b13. I14278
The layout of the items on the Preferences▸Text Comparisons▸Editing page has been adjusted to reflect that of Merge for Windows. I14812
The note on the Preferences▸Text Comparisons▸Expressions page has been reworded to match that of Merge for Windows. I14813
The Show line numbers preference has been renamed to Show line numbers and byte offsets, to better reflect its purpose and to match Merge for Windows. I14814
The note on the File Types preference page has been adjusted for clarity. I14815
A redundant hyphen has been removed from the label of the Automatically reload externally modified files preference. I14816
Unnecessary labels on the file and folder comparison Fonts/Colours preference pages have been removed. I14817
Controls on the file comparison Fonts/Colours preference page have been repositioned. I14818
Items on the Preferences▸Folder Comparisons▸Scan preference page have been reworded and repositioned. I14819
The note on the Preferences▸Application▸Credentials page has been reworded for clarity, and to better match Merge for Windows. I14820
The label for the Ignore differences in line-ending characters (CR and LF) preference now includes a hyphen. I14821
Binary and text comparisons use a significantly re-architected comparison engine. This should have no user-visible effects, but eases the way for future maintenance and enhancement. I14859
The Merge major version has been updated to 2017, to reflect the year of release. I14868

Defects fixed

Line ending characters are preserved when merging buttons are used to copy content from one text comparison pane into an empty pane, and also when items on the ribbon Replace content menu are used to copy content into an empty pane. I14751
The Tab key types a single tab character when the Tab key inserts a tab character instead of cycling focus preference is set. I14919
It is no longer possible to zoom-out an image to a uselessly small size. I14777
In an image comparison on macOS Sierra, moving the Swap slider control all the way to the right while Highlight Changed is checked no longer undoes the swap. I14770
Several minor memory leaks have been rectified. I14906
The File▸Open▸Open Saved Preferences… menu item is now always enabled. I14743
The built-in macOS Sierra support for tabbed windows is now correctly disabled when running the Yosemite or El Capitan variants of Araxis Merge on Sierra. Note that, as always, it is nevertheless strongly recommended that the correct variant of Merge be used for each version of macOS. I14787
References to OS X have been changed to macOS in the line-endings drop-down menus on various save dialogs. I14782
The Zoom label in the Japanese localization of image comparisons is no longer cropped. I14827
The vertical alignment of the circular help buttons throughout Merge has been made consistent. I14775
An obsolete reference to OS X Mavericks has been removed from the Preferences▸Application▸Versions page. I14804

Download

Version	Build date
2017.4855	3 March 2017

2016 releases

Merge 2016.4812 for macOS 26 September 2016

This release fixes a rendering problem on macOS 10.12 Sierra, and also addresses a few other minor issues. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.12 Sierra
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2016.4774 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

The About window indicates the operating system version (macOS Sierra, OS X El Capitan, etc.) for which the running version of Merge has been built. (Please note that it is important to install the correct variant of Merge for your operating system, as described in How to Install.) I14786
Dropping an image on to a text comparison will open it in a new image comparison. I14713
The default font for text comparisons has been changed from Courier New to Menlo. I14771

Defects fixed

Line numbers (in text and binary comparisons) and the scale (in image comparisons) no longer become corrupted on macOS Sierra when scrolling comparisons upwards. I14789
Generated HTML file comparison reports show whitespace comparison preferences correctly for all combinations of whitespace settings. Note that the descriptions of some preferences have not yet been fully localized into Japanese. I14653

Download

Version	Build date
2016.4812	26 September 2016

Merge 2016.4807 for macOS 20 September 2016

This release features support for macOS 10.12 Sierra, along with several other enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

macOS 10.12 Sierra (tested with Sierra GM build 16A323)
OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2016.4774 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported, optimized, and tested on macOS Sierra. I14703I14728I14765I14729
Since Merge already has built-in support for tabs, the window tabs that macOS Sierra automatically adds to multi-window applications have been turned off. This preserves the capability to have multiple, top-level Merge windows, and avoids duplicate tab strips. I14716
The Merge documentation has been updated in accord with Apple’s renaming of ‘OS X’ to ‘macOS’. (Even though OS X Yosemite and OS X El Capitan are still supported, the documentation generally refers exclusively to ‘macOS’, rather than the clumsier ‘macOS and OS X’.) I14704
All URLs in Merge that reference the Araxis website have been updated to use HTTPS, rather than HTTP. This improves security and avoids unnecessary redirects. I14758
Merge services for macOS have been re-introduced as an optionally installable feature. These services add commands to the Services submenu of the Finder context menus that appear when you right-click (or Ctrl-click) selected files or folders. Keyboard shortcuts may be configured for the Merge services via macOS System Preferences (System Preferences▸Keyboard▸Shortcuts▸Services▸Files and Folders). For more information, see Integrating with Finder. I14700
The image comparison Scale control has been renamed to Zoom, since the latter terminology is generally more widespread in other applications. I14722
The number of markers on the image comparison Zoom slider has been reduced, to make it easier to see the centre, 100% setting. I14722
A 100% zoom button has been added to image comparisons. This provides a quick way to reset the zoom, displaying the images at their actual size. I14722
Images in image comparisons may now be magnified by up to 1600%, making it much easier to see pixel-level detail. I14726
The state of the folder comparison Hide Empty Folders, Hide Unchanged Rows, Visibility Filters…, and Show Hidden Items settings are now preserved between invocations of Merge. (When multiple folder comparisons are open simultaneously with different settings, the settings of the last folder comparison that is closed will be preserved.) I14413
Folder comparisons have a new command Actions▸Select Rows▸Select Unchanged, also available from the toolbar via Select Rows▸Select Unchanged. I14637
In a text comparison, using the up/down arrow keys to move the cursor one line past the top or bottom of the currently displayed text now results in one line of text being scrolled into view, rather than half a screen. I14678
The file and folder comparison report examples in the documentation have been updated, and also localized into Japanese. I14538

Defects fixed

The Merge extension for Finder (see Integrating with Finder) has been corrected to work with items on all mounted disk volumes, rather than just those on the root volume. I14699
The tooltips for the Edited and Read-only indicators in text comparisons have been corrected. I14706
Folder comparison HTML reports now leave the changes column blank for added/removed items, rather than showing >0. This is to match the folder comparison display within Merge itself. I14695
Merge no longer becomes unresponsive when attempting to hide only the last row of a folder comparison. I14736
In an image comparison under El Capitan, moving the Swap slider to the far right while Highlight Changed is checked no longer undoes the swap. I14709
Tooltips shown for paths in text comparison history lists no longer end with (null). I14702
The capitalization of the checkbox control labels on image and binary comparisons has been corrected. I14712

Download

Version	Build date
2016.4807	9 September 2016

Merge 2016.4774 for OS X 20 June 2016

This release includes numerous enhancements and defect fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

OS X 10.11.5 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite
OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks

Information This is the last release supporting OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

Enhancements

Merge no longer interpolates pixels when zooming-in on images in an image comparison. This makes it possible to see precise, individual pixel changes when zoomed-in. I12112
It is possible to zoom-out of images in an image comparison, as well as zoom-in. I14314
Folder, text, and binary comparison Previous Change in Comparison and Next Change in Comparison toolbar buttons are enabled and disabled as appropriate, depending on whether there are next or previous changes. I14631I14632I14650
Text comparisons display line-wrapping indicators at the end of wrapped lines. I14544
A Show whitespace characters item has been added to the Settings toolbar menu. I14545
A new File▸Save▸Save All menu item has been added. I14390
In text comparisons, the Cmd+S keyboard shortcut works to save a file even when the file path entry-field has input focus. I14291
The effect of the binary comparison Search size field has been scaled by a factor of 100 – a value of 500 now is equivalent to a value of 5 in the previous release. This means that binary comparisons complete faster by default, at the expense of result quality. The search size value may be increased to restore the previous, default accuracy. I14646
Merge now opens a folder comparison when a folder path is entered into the path field of a text, image or binary comparison. I14401
For three-way text comparisons, the Add Synchronization Link… sheet has a setting to choose the pair of files to which the link is added. (The most convenient way of adding a synchronization link is still to right-click a linking-lines panel and choose Add Synchronization Link Here.) I14534
The Remove All Synchronization Links commands in the text comparison context menu, toolbar item menu, and application menu now work in the same way as they do in Merge for Windows. In particular, when this command is invoked for a three-way comparison from a linking-lines panel context menu, only the links between the two linked panels will be removed. Choosing Remove All Synchronization Links from the Synchronization Links toolbar menu, or from the application menu, will remove all syncronization links between any of the three comparison panes. I14535
The message that appears when an invalid value is entered into the binary comparison Search size field has been updated to include the permitted range. I14447
The presentation of the This file has been modified outside of Merge by another application. message has been modernized. I14492
The Understanding automatic merge results documentation has been re-written for both file and folder comparisons. I14495
Indenting with the Tab key (when enabled) now works in the same way as in Merge for Windows. I14518
Instructions for integrating Merge with Path Finder 7 have been added. I14316
The File▸Open▸Open Saved Options… and File▸Save As▸Save Options As… menu items have been renamed to Open Saved Preferences… and Save Preferences As…, respectively. I14500

Defects fixed

In text comparisons, the positions of synchronization links are appropriately adjusted when lines are inserted/removed. I14651
The instructions have been reworded and corrected on the warning sheet that appears when conflicts are detected in an automatic merge of a three-way file comparison. I14623
The mouse pointer always displays as an arrow when hovering over merging buttons. Previously, it could show as a caret in certain circumstances. I14554
Re-comparisons triggered by a preference change (e.g. in whitespace handling) or panel-swapping now correctly update change-block highlighting when the Don’t show changes within lines setting is enabled. I14543
In-panel informational messages no longer flicker when comparison highlighting is refreshed. I14399
Users are no longer inappropriately prompted to save binary comparisons in certain situations where the comparison would be closed or reloaded. I14524
The Cmd+S keyboard shortcut has been disabled for empty image and binary comparisons. I14686
When the display of timestamps is turned on for a folder comparison, the rightmost column of the comparison no longer has an unnecessary vertical divider. I14639
It is no longer possible for text to be inserted at a different location from the cursor when whitespace is visible and line-wrapping is configured to break lines at word boundaries. I14659
For binary comparisons, commands to mark lines as resolved have been removed. I14503
Selecting items in the Settings ▸Whitespace toolbar menu appropriately update the related items in the Preferences dialog, and vice versa. I14627
Icons in the folder comparison copy-progress sheet are vertically aligned correctly. I14638
Icons in the folder comparison proposed actions sheet (shown when performing an automatic merge) are vertically aligned correctly. I14664
Merge no longer crashes in certain circumstances when performing a binary comparison. I14640
For text and folder comparisons, the Previous Edit and Next Edit toolbar buttons (and related menu items) are disabled when there are no edits. I14665
The main application window no longer moves after opening a saved comparison. I14668
When opening a saved comparison, the dialog asking whether saved preference should be applied has been given a sensible caption. I14669

Download

Version	Build date
2016.4774	17 June 2016

Merge 2016.4750 for OS X 23 March 2016

This release addresses a number of defects, improves performance, and also includes some minor enhancements. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite
OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks

Enhancements

The previous release of Merge removed what we thought were redundant application menu items corresponding to the (still retained) keyboard shortcuts for replacing, prepending, appending and deleting changes in a text comparison. (Merging buttons may also be used to perform these actions.) However, several customers correctly observed that removing these menu items made it impossible to use OS X System Preferences to redefine the keyboard shortcuts for those commands.

Rather than simply reinstate the old menu items, we took the opportunity to reconsider the actions that users may wish to perform using the keyboard, and also to adjust the terminology we use to describe those actions.

This release therefore adds a new menu (Merging▸Current Change), and new commands with keyboard shortcuts. As a result, you can now efficiently perform a complete three-way merge into the common ancestor file using only the keyboard, all the while keeping the cursor in the middle pane. You no longer need to jump between the left and right panes, or resort to using the mouse and merging buttons. I14552I14560I14584

The new menu contains the following actions:

Pull from Left and Replace ⌥⌘→
Pull from Right and Replace ⌥⌘←
Push to Left and Replace ^⇧←
Push to Right and Replace ^⇧→
—
Pull from Left and Prepend
Pull from Right and Prepend
Push to Left and Prepend ^⌥←
Push to Right and Prepend ^⌥→
—
Pull from Left and Append
Pull from Right and Append
Push to Left and Append ^⌘←
Push to Right and Append ^⌘→
—
Delete ⌘⌫ (and also ^⌥⌘↓)

Notes:
1. Completely new Pull from … actions have been added. These make it possible to use keyboard shortcuts to pull changes into the common ancestor (middle) file, rather than to have to push them from the left and right files into the common ancestor.
2. The pull and push terminology describes the direction of travel of the change, relative to the file pane currently containing the cursor. You pull into the current panel, or push out from it. We believe this will be easier to understand than the old ‘Replace Change Leftwards’-type language used previously, which would have become even more confusing given the addition of the new pull actions.
3. So as not to frustrate or inconvenience existing users, the Push to … menu items and keyboard shortcuts behave exactly as the corresponding Replace Change … items did in Merge 2014.4581 for OS X. This is the case even when the corresponding action is better described as a pull than a push, and a corresponding Pull from … menu item exists. Thus, if you have learnt the pre-defined keyboard shortcuts for these actions in earlier versions of Merge, you can continue to use them in exactly the same way as before. Likewise, if you had defined your own keyboard shortcuts for the old Replace Change … actions, you may wish to map them on to the corresponding, new Push to … menu items.
4. For the predefined keyboard shortcuts of the pull and push actions, the arrow indicates the direction of movement of the relevant change.
Overview-strip marks are now drawn with more intense colours, making them easier to see. I14573
Merging button tooltips have been reformatted to make them easier to comprehend at a glance. I14559
XML/XHTML reformatting has been enhanced to work with files containing unquoted attributes, even though these are not strictly valid XML. The Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) topic has also been updated to make it clear that the XML/XHTML reformatting commands are intended only for use on true XML/XHTML files. I14571
Items in the folder comparison Merging▸Copy Selected Items application menu have been regrouped to match the Copy Selected toolbar menu. I14562
When loading a saved text comparison, Merge will inform you if the original files on disk have been modified since the comparison was saved. This restores the behaviour of Merge 2014.4581. I14551

Defects fixed

Folder comparison performance has been drastically improved (up to 10×) relative to Merge 2016.4702. Performance had unacceptably deteriorated in that release, due to the switch from using the Boost regular expression library to the Clang C++ Standard Library. The Boost library has been reinstated, and upgraded to version 1.60.0. I14575I14609
Marks are reliably shown in the overview strip for every change in a folder comparison, even for very large comparisons. I14566
Marks have been added to the folder comparison overview strip to indicate the position of collapsed folders containing changed, inserted or removed items. Previously, no marks were shown for collapsed folders. I14568
Folder comparison Next/Previous Change toolbar buttons and menu commands now work properly when folder comparison filters are in effect and/or there are hidden items. I14565
The folder comparison Next/Previous Change toolbar buttons and menu commands jump to changed folders, as well as files. This brings the behaviour into line with Merge for Windows. I14594
The action of the folder comparison Preferences▸Recurse into Sub-Folders toolbar-button drop-down menu item is no longer reversed. I14613
The folder comparison Select Rows▸Select Inserted/Removed commands select inserted and removed folders, as well as files. This brings the behaviour into line with Merge for Windows. I14619
The folder comparison context menu item for copying selected items has been renamed to Copy Selected Items…, and the sub-menu items adjusted accordingly. I14603
In a three-way folder comparison, the Select Rows▸Select Removed command will only select rows where the file/folder is removed in both the left and right panes. I14620
The vertical alignment of text in some tables of the preferences window has been corrected. I14539
The full vertical space available for the overview strip is now used. I14598
Folders containing changes are automatically expanded when a saved folder comparison is opened. I14567
Double-clicking on a row in a folder comparison launches a file comparison only for that single row, even if multiple previous rows were previously selected. This brings the behaviour into line with Merge for Windows. (Comparisons may still be launched for multiple rows using the context menu, or with the Launch Comparisons toolbar button.) I14564
Folder comparison HTML reports may now be created, even when folder or file names contain characters (e.g. LF) that would be illegal in XML attributes. I14626

Download

Version	Build date
2016.4750	22 March 2016

Merge 2016.4702 for OS X 12 January 2016

This release is a major upgrade to Merge for OS X, possibly the most significant update since the initial production-quality release in 2008. It features a substantial user interface overhaul, full support for OS X 10.11 El Capitan, and several other enhancements. It also corrects a number of defects. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Information Important: We apologize for the length of time between the previous release and this one. If you are a Merge for OS X customer and your upgrade/support entitlement expired between 31 October 2015 and 12 January 2016 inclusive, please contact Araxis with your serial number to request a free upgrade/support extension that will entitle you to use this release. (If you can’t wait for a response to try this release, you may wish to consider using an evaluation serial number in the interim.)

In addition to the aforementioned customers with support expiring shortly before this release was made, this release is free of charge to all customers with upgrade/support entitlement covering the build date indicated in the download box below, including everyone who purchased Merge within the year prior to that date.

System requirements

This release is tested and supported on the following platforms:

OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan
OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite
OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported and tested on OS X El Capitan. I14527
Many new toolbar buttons have been added, providing quick access to numerous features. The toolbar now has most of the items from the Merge for Windows ribbon, grouped in a similar, logical way. In addition, the toolbar icons are based on those used in Merge for Windows, but drawn to conform to the native OS X style. These changes make it much more comfortable to switch between Merge on the two platforms. (Any unwanted toolbar items can be hidden by customizing the toolbar.) I14086I14464I14471I14487I14494
The main application menu bar and its submenus have been completely re-worked to conform broadly to the logical layout of the Merge for Windows ribbon/menu, while still adhering to native OS X conventions. As well as making Merge easier to use for new users, this should also improve efficiency for those using Merge across platforms. I14344I14529
Merge now uses the native OS X style for toolbar buttons. I14085
Within comparisons, Merge for OS X now uses exactly the same modern-style, high-resolution artwork for bookmarks, indicators, merging and other buttons, etc. as Merge for Windows. I14307I14532
Informational and warning messages within comparison panes are drawn in a clean, modern style. I14307
The tab strip has been completely redesigned, both to improve its utility, and to be appropriate for a modern OS X application. I14307I14463
By default, the toolbar shows text labels. I14358
The Save Modified Files sheet has been revised to show only modified files. In addition, when modified files are saved, they are removed from the list. I14450
A new Actions▸Select Rows▸Invert Selection menu command (and corresponding toolbar item) has been added. I14345
Various quick-access menu items have been added to the Settings toolbar button to enable certain preferences to be quickly changed. For example, line-ending visibility may be quickly toggled. I14281
The layout, content and behaviour of the Find dialog has been improved. I14409
A Recompare As toolbar button has been added for image comparisons. I14424
Folder comparisons no longer show Changed in the Changes column for removed/inserted files. This brings Merge for OS X into line with its Windows counterpart, and avoids the potential for confusion over the operation of the Actions▸Select Rows▸Select Changed command. I14273
In a folder comparison, the Launch Comparisons toolbar button and Actions▸Launch Comparisons for Selected Rows menu item are only enabled when comparable items are selected. I14272
The Select Changed, Select Inserted, and Select Removed items on the Select Rows toolbar button menu, and corresponding items on the Actions▸Select Rows menu, only enable if corresponding items exist in the folder comparison. I14274
The appearance of the file comparison omitted-lines indicator has been improved. I14482
The default window width when Merge first starts has been increased to accommodate the additional toolbar buttons. I14451
A note on the Application▸Versions preference tab has been reworded to indicate that it only applies to OS X Mavericks. I14501
Minor layout improvements have been made to various preference pages. I14514
Several items on the Application▸General preference pane have been reworded for clarity. I14481
The documentation has been extensively revised to reflect the new menu layout, toolbar items, and other user interface changes. I14427
The instant overview screenshots (both file and folder comparison) in the documentation have been upgraded to the new, interactive style. I14546
All the screenshots in the English and Japanese documentation have been retaken to show the revised user interface. I14496
The integration instructions for IntelliJ IDEA have been updated. I14389
The documentation for the Cmd+Shift+? keyboard shortcut has been improved. I14510
Merge has been upgraded to use the Java Runtime Environment version 8, instead of version 7. I14278
Merge now uses the regular expression support provided by standard C++ libraries. The dependency on the Boost library has therefore been removed. I14370
The Merge major version has been updated to 2016, to reflect the year of release. I13944

Defects fixed

Leaving the Search size field empty in a binary comparison no longer causes an error. I14259
The pointer becomes an arrow when hovering over an inline merging button and no longer flickers. I14331
It is now possible to replace found text with an empty string. Previously, this only worked erratically. I14404
The Break lines at word boundaries preference works when Show whitespace characters is enabled. I14405
The font and background colours of file comparisons may now be changed in the Japanese localization of Merge. I14473
Pressing Option+Tab while editing a pane of a text comparison will always now insert a literal tab character. I14509
The File▸Save As▸Save Comparison As… menu command works correctly when the Finder preference Show all filename extensions is unchecked. I14408
The keyboard shortcut for the File▸Set Character Encoding menu command is now shown. I14504
Merge no longer uses the Apple-reserved keyboard shortcut Shift+Cmd+3. I14505
The documented Option+Cmd+W keyboard shortcut (to close all open windows) now works. I14506
The system-version-specific keyboard shortcut Option▸Cmd▸T has been removed from the documentation. I14508
Binary comparisons no longer display with excessive spacing for certain combinations of formats and display settings. I14542
Items on binary and image comparison control strips are sized and positioned consistently. I13613
Control positioning on text and folder comparisons is now the same for the Japanese localization as it is for the English. I13777
In a folder comparison, the file path text field width adjusts appropriately when changing the visibility state of the Changes column. I14449
Items on the Edit▸Find menu are no longer inappropriately enabled for binary and image comparisons. I14457
The user interface has been update to use the word ‘Recompare’ consistently, rather than a mixture of ‘Re-compare’ and ‘Recompare’. I14455
The Edit▸Find▸Go to Line… menu item has been disabled for folder comparisons. I14461
The Preferences▸Text Comparisons▸Editing▸Tab key indents/un-indents instead of cycling input focus preference has been renamed to Tab key inserts tab character instead of cycling focus. This better indicates its behaviour, and is more consistent with the corresponding option in Merge for Windows. I14516
Various instances of the (non-dictionary) word ‘unindent’ in the user interface and documentation have been changed to ‘un-indent’. I14497
The folder comparison context menu Re-Test Selected Rows item has been renamed to Retest Selected Rows for consistency with the rest of the user interface. I14523
The UNIX diff Context Report Example documentation has been corrected. I14531
Registration information is now sent securely and directly to Araxis, instead of first redirecting via an HTTP URL. I14357I14439

Download

Version	Build date
2016.4702	12 January 2016

2014 releases

Merge 2014.4581 for OS X 17 December 2014

This release features support for OS X 10.10 Yosemite and several other enhancements. It also corrects a number of defects. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.10.1 Yosemite
OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and 10.7 Lion. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2014.4459 or earlier) that works with those platforms.

Enhancements

Merge is fully supported and tested on OS X Yosemite. I14218I14271
The Apache Tika library used by Merge to extract text from various types of files has been updated to the latest version. This should improve the ability of Merge to extract text from previously problematic files. I14098I14099
Merge no longer requires a system Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to be installed for certain text extraction filters to work. (As a consequence, Merge .dmg download sizes have increased.) I14232
An Apply to All checkbox has been added to the dialog that appears when deleting items in a folder comparison that cannot be moved to the Trash. I12816
Unsaved file and folder comparisons no longer include Untitled in their tab labels. I13698
The operation of the Display tabs using n spaces preference has been changed so that tabs are displayed with a right arrow in place of the first space character. This helps distinguish the presence of a tab character from an equivalent sequence of spaces. I14000
The git-difftool option --dir-diff is documented in the instructions for integrating Merge with Git. This option opens a folder comparison showing all the changed files. I14035
The link to the git-mergetool documentation has been updated in the instructions for integrating Merge with Git. I14169
Instructions have been provided for integrating with SourceGear Veracity. I14165
The message that indicates that no file has been loaded in a file comparison panel is more concise. I14015
Folder comparison change counts match those given by Merge for Windows. I12562
Minor improvements have been made to the documentation. I14262I14263

Defects fixed

The command-line (AppleScript-based) utilities provided with Merge work reliably on OS X Yosemite when Merge is not already running. I14227
On OS X Yosemite, hidden and resolved rows in a folder comparison are dimmed appropriately. I14264
The top entry in comparison history sheets is no longer obscured by the column headers on OS X Yosemite. I14266
A crash no longer occurs on OS X Yosemite when closing the Version sheet on a folder comparison that is currently comparing a Subversion repository using the svn:// protocol. I14268
In folder comparisons on OS X Yosemite, the controls on the confirmation sheet that appears when copying files from one folder hierarchy to another are no longer positioned incorrectly. I14276
In a folder comparison, conflict markers no longer disappear after an automatic merge to common ancestor if the whole comparison had previously been selected using Cmd+A. I12996
After having opened the Registration dialog from the About window, the About window remains above the main application window when the Registration dialog is closed. I13426
Toolbar buttons with drop-down menus are drawn with same shading as other toolbar buttons when the main application window does not have focus. I13656I14257

Download

Version	Build date
2014.4581	17 December 2014

Merge 2014.4459 for OS X 2 April 2014

This release features several enhancements and addresses a number of important defects. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

This release is free of charge to all customers who purchased Merge within the last year, and also to any others covered by suitable support and upgrade entitlement.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.9 Mavericks
OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion
OS X 10.7.5 Lion

Information This is the last release supporting OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and 10.7 Lion.

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2013.4415 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

The Merge major version has been updated to 2014 to reflect the year of release. I13944
Dropping two or three folders on to a text comparison now opens a new folder comparison, rather than giving an error. I13697
Dropping one or more files on to a folder comparison results in an appropriate file comparison being opened, rather than giving an error. I13932
The user is expressly alerted if conflicts are detected in a three-way automatic file merge. I13947
The Open new comparisons in a tabbed window setting on the General preference page has been renamed to Open new comparisons in a tab to more clearly reflect its purpose. I13948
HTML comparison reports now merely mention that a modern, standards-compliant browser is required to view them. Previously, specific browsers were named. I13882
On the Syntax preference page, the syntactic elements for each language family are now sorted alphabetically. I13953
The Upgrading Merge or Installing Newer Builds topic has been updated. I13888
The URL for the Generic Syntax Highlighting topic has been updated for consistency with the Merge for Windows documentation. I13887
The registration window is now centred by default. I13986
References to the AraxisMergeCMP.plugin plugin specific to OS X 10.6 have been removed from the documentation. I13988

Defects fixed

Working copies are again editable when files are opened from Subversion using the araxissvndiff utility. I13957
The left and right arrow keys no longer exhibit undersired behaviour in certain circumstances when the text cursor is positioned directly at the end of a line in a text comparison. I13928
The time taken to select rows of a specific type (e.g. changed, inserted, removed) in large folder comparisons has been significantly reduced under OS X 10.9. I13942
The Previous Change button no longer fails to function in binary file comparisons under certain circumstances. I13993
In the Japanese localization of Merge user interface, the colour buttons on the Fonts/Colours folder comparison preference page now work. I13994
Opening a saved comparison for a second time after previously opening and then refreshing it no longer gives an error. I13931
The duplicate Use filter programs in folder comparisons setting has been removed from the File Types preference page. This setting now appears on the Scan preference page. I13845
On the Display preference page, the Break changes into individual lines setting is now disabled when the mutually exclusive Don’t show changes within lines setting is checked. I13846
The positioning of the Use filter programs in folder comparisons setting on the Scan preference page has been adjusted. I13963
The Click here to renew support/updates notification message link has been fixed. I13965

Download

Version	Build date
2014.4459	31 March 2014

2013 releases

Merge 2013.4415 for OS X 21 October 2013

This release fixes a problem with scrolling using a wheeled mouse and corrects two minor Japanese localization issues. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.9 Mavericks
OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion
OS X 10.7.5 Lion
OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard (32-bit and 64-bit)

Information This is the last release supporting OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.

Enhancements

The documentation for the Credentials preference page has been clarified. I13878

Defects fixed

File comparison linking lines no longer become unaligned when scrolling panes using a wheeled mouse. I13877
The Japanese localization of the copyright message in the About Araxis Merge window has been corrected, as has that for the File▸Open Recent Saved Comparison menu item. I13880

Download

Version	Build date
2013.4415	18 October 2013

Merge 2013.4407 for OS X 15 October 2013

This release brings full support for OS X 10.9 Mavericks, significant user interface improvements, performance increases, and numerous other enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.9 Mavericks
OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion
OS X 10.7.5 Lion
OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard (32-bit and 64-bit)

Enhancements

Merge is now fully supported, optimized and tested on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. I13865I13869I13868I13834I13817I13797I13814I13803I13796I13795
On OS X Lion and later, the next/previous change and merging buttons are now in a simpler, clearer visual style more in harmony with the host operating system and modern UI design. I13818I13842
The Browse, History List and Versions buttons have been moved inside their associated file/folder input fields, giving a less cluttered overall appearance. I13833
The Merge documentation has been completely overhauled to make it easier to read and navigate. It now resides primarily on the Araxis website, resulting in smaller download sizes and reduced disk space requirements, as well as facilitating enhanced searching and updates in-between product releases. I13802
The automatic detection of character encoding in UTF-8 files without a byte-order mark has has been improved. I13683
Instructions for integrating Merge with SmartGit/Hg and IntelliJ IDEA are now provided. I13688I13663
When performing a text comparison, Merge now concurrently loads and begins processing the two or three files being compared. This improves comparison performance on multiprocessor machines. I13840
Merge no longer uses keyboard shortcuts reserved by Apple for OS X’s own use. For the current list of keyboard shortcuts, please see Keyboard Shortcuts. I13847
Rendering performance for files containing unusually long text lines (e.g. 10,000 characters and up) has been significantly improved. I13835
Text rendering performance has been improved for very long lines containing a significant amount of syntax highlighting detail. I13602
Some file attributes (e.g. read-only) are unreliable for files located on non-local file systems (e.g. FTP and network shares, etc.). The check for whether or not a file system is local is very time consuming and is thus now performed only once per volume to improve folder comparison performance. I13837
The performance of certain operations (copy selected paths, revealing/opening selected files in Finder, deleting selected files) upon very large folder comparisons has been significantly improved. I13806
XML reformatting performance has been significantly improved for certain large XML files (the test case was comparing files of 280,000 lines). I13807I13587
The comparison engine has been updated to use a more efficient mechanism to guard critical sections of code. I13825
Merge now treats Unicode character U+3000 (IDEOGRAPHIC SPACE) as whitespace for the purposes of ignoring or consolidating whitespace. I13645
The amount of memory that can be used by the file comparison filters for Microsoft Office documents has been increased from 256 MB to 512 MB. This allows larger Microsoft Office documents to be compared without receiving out of memory errors. Please contact Araxis support for assistance if you still encounter out of memory errors when comparing large Microsoft Office documents. I13553
The File▸Open Recent Comparison menu item has been renamed to File▸Open Recent Saved Comparison to reduce the potential for confusion. I13799
The frequently asked question, Does Merge for Mac OS X have an FTP plugin so that I can perform comparisons involving content on an FTP server?, has been updated. I13740
The folder comparison filter examples have been updated. I12357
Various other minor improvements have been made to the documentation. I13870I13850I13650I13680
The Boost library used by Merge has been upgraded to v1.54.0. I13805

Defects fixed

Folder comparisons are no longer slower than expected when many files have been excluded by folder comparison filters. I13669
Toolbar customization is now persistent between sessions. I13096
The status line is now shown for all text comparisons launched in one go from a folder comparison, not just the first. I13552
It is now possible to use the Versions button to see revisions of a file in a descendent folder of a Git repository. I13632
The Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic has been updated with correct location of Merge command-line utilities. I13641
Merge now shows (via the Versions button) earlier revisions of Subversion files, even if they are from other branches. This is at the expense of showing previous revisions of deleted files. I13627
The Versions button is now enabled and works correctly for files and folders that are local working copies of Subversion repository files/folders when checked out using either the file://, http:// or https:// protocols. I13654
Horizontal scrolling no longer exhibits artefacts (including thin vertical lines trailing from the merging buttons on a Retina display) when line wrapping is disabled. I13692
The mouse pointer reliably changes to a hand whenever it is over a panel sizing knob. I13838
Text comparison merging buttons no longer appear slightly blurred on a Retina display in certain circumstances. I13839I13789
Thin horizontal white lines in the background colour of change blocks no longer appear on a Retina display in certain circumstances. I13731
The About window Araxis Merge icon is now the correct size when using the Japanese UI on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. I13849
The comparison history sheet now has a minimum size, to prevent buttons overlapping. I13815
In folder comparisons, the right-hand folder entry-field’s right-hand edge has been pixel-aligned with the right-hand edge of the associated folder pane. I13856
The keyboard shortcuts shown in menus are now correct in the Japanese version of the user interface. I13772
The entry fields and their labels on the Application▸SCM preferences page have been pixel-aligned. I13848I13581
The documentation has been updated to reflect the fact that the Versions button does not work with networked Time Machine backups. Local Time Machine volumes continue to be supported. I13585
The instructions for adding the Merge command-line utilities to the shell’s PATH have been corrected. I13640
Merge no longer crashes when a folder comparison encounters a filename containing UTF-16 surrogate pairs. I13809
Font kerning has been disabled when rendering text lines. I13836
The year field in the About window is now derived automatically from the build date, not hard-coded to a particular year. I13832
The unused Include contents of resource forks preference has been removed. I10804

Download

Version	Build date
2013.4407	11 October 2013

Merge 2013.4283 for OS X 14 January 2013

This release features a number of minor enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.8.2 Mountain Lion
OS X 10.7.5 Lion
OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard (32-bit and 64-bit)

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.5 Leopard. Customers may continue to use an older version of Merge (2012.4246 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

The various Merge command-line utilities have been moved into the application bundle to simplify installation. If you use the command-line utilities, you may need to update your shell’s PATH environment variable accordingly. For more information, please see How to Install. I13534
Various minor improvements have been made to the online help. I13347I13396
The Application Options preference tab has been renamed to Application.
The Merge major version has been updated to 2013 to reflect the year of release. I13535

Defects fixed

An occasional crash when closing a text or binary file comparison has been fixed. I13516

Download

Version	Build date
2013.4283	11 January 2013

2012 releases

Merge 2012.4269 for OS X 26 November 2012

This release featured a number of minor enhancements and fixes. All users (except those still on Leopard) are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent version.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.8.2 Mountain Lion
OS X 10.7.4 Lion
OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard (32-bit and 64-bit)

Information As of this release, Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.5 Leopard. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2012.4246 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

The OS X 10.7 variant of Merge is digitally signed to accommodate the introduction of Gatekeeper in OS X 10.7.5. I13414
The application icon artwork has been updated for Retina displays. The application itself continues its full support of Retina display resolutions. I13405
Instructions for integrating with the Cornerstone client for Subversion have been added to the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I12374
Tabs and toolbar buttons have been adjusted to fit better with the Mountain Lion and Lion user interface style. I13451

Defects fixed

On Mountain Lion, the araxisgitdiff and araxisopendiff command-line utilities work properly with relative paths. I13415I13435
On Mountain Lion, the keyboard shortcuts shown on application menus show the correct shortcuts, instead of ‘fn’.
Merge is able to create a folder hierarchy when copying files from one pane to another in a folder comparison where the destination location has ancestor folders that are read-only. I13421

Download

Version	Build date
2012.4269	26 November 2012

Merge 2012.4246 for OS X 13 September 2012

This release brought full support for OS X Mountain Lion. (It also continued to support the new Mac Book Pro with Retina display.) This was the last release to support OS X 10.5 Leopard. All users (except those still on Leopard) are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent version.

System requirements

This release has been tested on the following platforms:

OS X 10.8.1 Mountain Lion
OS X 10.7.4 Lion
OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard (32-bit and 64-bit)

The following platforms are also expected to work and supported with a separate setup disk image, but are no longer subject to routine release testing:

OS X 10.5.8 Leopard (32-bit and 64-bit, PowerPC and Intel Universal binary)

Information Merge is no longer supported on OS X 10.4 Tiger. Customers may, of course, continue to use an older version of Merge (2009.3793 or earlier) that works with that platform.

Enhancements

Merge is fully tested and supported on OS X Mountain Lion. A download is provided specifically for Mountain Lion. I13370I13380I13383
The OS X 10.8 variant of Merge is digitally signed, meaning that it can be opened on Mountain Lion regardless of the Gatekeeper System Preferences▸Security & Privacy▸General▸Allow applications downloaded from setting. I13286
Serial numbers with support expiry dates after 2017 are now supported. I13302

Defects fixed

A crash caused by swapping the first and second folders in a folder comparison and then immediately viewing a context menu no longer occurs. I13389

Download

Version	Build date
2012.4246	4 September 2012

Merge 2012.4201 for OS X 31 May 2012

This release featured several minor enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Information This release requires a serial number with a support expiry date of 2018-12-31 or earlier. (Serial numbers with a later support expiry date work with Merge 2012.4246 for OS X and newer.) Please therefore contact Araxis if you have a need to use this release and your serial number has a support expiry date of 2019-01-01 or later.

Enhancements

When using the araxissvndiff utility (e.g. as a result of running svn diff -c <n>), Merge now endeavours to infer the type of a file from the supplied panel title text. This should enable syntax highlighting to work in some cases. Note that this is a rather fragile workaround to the underlying problem that Subversion creates temporary filenames without extensions, making it extremely difficult for other applications to infer the file type reliably. I13192
Following a folder comparison automatic merge operation, Merge no longer gives warnings about non-text files that could not be merged if it had indicated prior to the merge that they would be skipped. I13197
Instructions for integrating Merge with the Tower client for Git are now provided in the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I13169
Memory handling has been optimized even further. This should help with performance, especially with large comparisons. I13226

Defects fixed

On OS X Lion, when editing by dragging and dropping text, the text is now shown the right way up as it is being dragged. I13219
Adding comments to a file in a binary comparison no longer causes Merge to indicate that the file has been edited. I13266
If the setting to not show line numbers in text comparisons has been selected then line numbers no longer appear in HTML reports. I13153
The sample text in the Font/Colours preference tabs for folder and file comparisons is now centred. I13185
Non-functional controls for setting the fonts of a folder comparison have been removed from the preferences. I13184
The correct fonts should now be used in XML and HTML three-way file comparison reports. I13151

Download

Version	Build date
2012.4201	30 May 2012

Merge 2012.4169 for OS X 22 February 2012

This release featured direct access to Git and Mercurial repositories, along with several other enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Information As of the Merge 2011.4040 release, Araxis is focusing its testing efforts primarily on OS X Lion and Snow Leopard. Merge continues to be supported on OS X Leopard via a separate setup disk image, but that platform is no longer subject to routine release testing.

Enhancements

Merge is able to access files directly from Git and Mercurial repositories. For more information, please see the integration instructions for Git and Mercurial. I10840I12824
The Use filter program in folder comparisons setting has been moved to the Folder Comparisons preference tab. I11876
The folder comparison setting Gather line count statistics for inserted and removed files is off by default. I11873
The major version number has been updated to 2012, reflecting the year of release. I13041

Defects fixed

An intermittent crash on OS X Lion no longer occurs. I13128
Content no longer appears more than once in the centre panel of a three-way binary file comparison. I13083
Merge no longer fails to copy files over a network where one of the folders is encrypted. I13117
Various minor corrections and improvements have been made to the documentation. I12965I12990I13053I13115

Download

Version	Build date
2012.4169	17 February 2012

2011 releases

Merge 2011.4126 for OS X 8 November 2011

This release provided support for OS X Lion fullscreen mode and brings the Japanese localization up-to-date with the English. Various other minor enhancements and fixes were also incorporated. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

OS X Lion fullscreen mode is now supported. I12721
The Japanese user interface and help localization has been brought up to date. I12973
The Preferences window features redrawn icons that are more in keeping with OS X Lion than the old ones. I12730
The Merge distribution disk image filenames have been renamed and a new disk image for OS X Lion introduced. For details, see How to Install. I12873
Instructions for integrating Merge and SourceTree are now provided. I12833
The instructions for integrating Merge and MacHg have been updated. I12911
Merge now comes to the front when right-clicking on its dock icon to open a new comparison. I12944

Defects fixed

The instructions for integrating Merge and AccuRev have been corrected. I12810
Various minor corrections to the online help have been made. I12896I12839I12831
The previous change button now works correctly in binary comparisons. I12679
Comparison statistics are now correct for three-way text comparisons with typed text. I12724
Opening a file comparison using the compare command-line utility now never results in an extra empty tab being opened. I12739
References to preferences in the folder comparison statistics window text are now appropriate for Merge for OS X. I12842I12843
Saved three-way file comparisons no longer sometimes open as two-way comparisons. I12942

Download

Version	Build date
2011.4126	8 November 2011

Merge 2011.4040 for OS X 27 June 2011

This release included further updates to track changes in the OS X Lion developer previews, along with several other enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Information As of this release, Araxis is focusing its testing efforts primarily on OS X Lion and Snow Leopard. Merge continues to be supported on OS X Leopard via a separate setup disk image, but that platform is no longer subject to routine release testing.

Enhancements

The instructions for integrating Merge with Mercurial have been improved, and instructions for integrating with MacHg added. I12087I12661
The Perforce and Subversion tabs under Application Options in the Preferences window have been combined into a single SCM tab. I12669I12733
The internal management of windows has been reworked to improve maintainability. This should not have caused any user-visible changes. I12635

Changes

Merge should now be fully operational on OS X Lion Developer Preview 4 + update. Several issues that arose since Lion Developer Preview 3 have been addressed.
Merge now provides a more helpful explanation when an attempt is made to use a file filter on Lion and the Java runtime is not present. I12614
Merge no longer crashes on OS X Lion when quitting in certain circumstances. I12620
Merge now opens an empty comparison window upon startup on Lion DP4 + update. I12692
Scroll bars and scrolling now appear and work correctly on Lion DP 4 + update. I12667I12709
In-panel information and warning messages are no longer corrupted when bounce-scrolling past scroll-endstops on Lion DP4 + update. I12723
Help topics have been updated to reference Lion as appropriate. I12738

Defects fixed

All the sample AppleScript scripts provided with Merge are now working again. I12740
Merge no longer crashes when using File▸Save File As. I12633
It is now possible to view previous revisions of a deleted file in a Subversion repository using the Subversion plugin. I12628
The Subversion plugin now works with Subversion repositories configured to support anonymous access. The svnfile: protocol is also now working again. I12629
Missing bindings in the Japanese localization of the Preferences window have been restored. I12599
Synchronisation links are now removed when swapping panels in a text comparison. I12674
A spurious tooltip on a page in the Preferences window has been removed. I12675
Several inappropriately enabled menu items are now disabled for image and binary comparisons. I12680
The disclosure triangles to the left of folders in a folder comparison no longer disappear when the column headers are used to sort. I12682

Merge 2011.4026 for OS X 12 May 2011

This release introduced preliminary support for OS X Lion, significantly enhanced access to certain SCM systems, along with many other enhancements and fixes. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

Preliminary support for OS X Lion has been added. This has been tested with OS X Lion Developer Preview 2. One or two rough edges remain, but Merge should be fully functional. Please report any problems you encounter with Merge on Lion. I12590I12497
The Versions button can now make available other versions of a file or folder stored in Perforce or Subversion repositories, as well as those stored by Time Machine. See the updated Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) topic for further details. I12278I12298I12300I12301I12277I12352I12360I12398I12401I12404I12407I12409I12419I12421I12469I12474I12488I12490I12493I12494I12521I12523I12524I12525I12526I12527I12532I12534I12539
Merge now has a single preference page for storing all credentials for accessing SCM systems. This replaces the ad-hoc dialogs that used to pop-up when Merge needed login information. I12388
The documentation for integrating Merge with Git, Subclipse, Subversion and svnX has been improved. Instructions for integrating with Subversive have been added. I12162I11416I12075I12018I12041I12050
In a folder comparison, the Select All menu item will now expand and select the contents of all collapsed subfolders. I11972
The documentation relating to accessing other versions of a file from Time Machine backups has been improved. I12408I12370
The command-line comparison utilities now endeavour to bring Merge to the foreground after launching the comparison. I12099
The Filename Patterns on the File Types preference page now allows a literal filename with no wildcard to be specified. I12369
The Merge notification messages that appear in the bottom-left corner of the screen now remain visible for slightly longer, making them easier to read. I12055
The major version number has been changed to 2011, to match the year of release. I12340
The support expiry notification message will now continue to appear until it is expressly dismissed. Previously, it would appear only once every 30 days and was therefore very easy to overlook. I12061
Merge now specifies both CFBundleVersion and CFBundleShortVersionString in its application bundle Info.plist file. This should improve compatibility with certain third-party software update managers (e.g. MacUpdate). I12350
The redundant EULA.rtf file has been removed from the contents of the Merge distribution disk image. I12171
The trademarks and information about the Boost library in the Legal Notices topic have been updated. I12295I12302

Defects fixed

When performing an automatic folder merge and a file does not exist in the common ancestor folder, Merge will now use the same character encoding as the existing file for the newly created merged file. I12238
When the File timestamps and sizes only folder comparison preference is checked, the Compare byte-by-byte for files larger than… preference is now properly greyed-out and inactive. I12059
A crash that occurred when comparing specific files in a three-way binary comparison has been fixed. I12603
Merge no longer crashes when loading an HTML file with a mis-declared invalid character encoding. I12506
A typographical error in the Regular Expression Reference topic has been corrected. I12165
On the Notifications preference page, the check boxes are now left-aligned with the Show notifications about label above them. I12010
The ‘unchanged lines omitted’ string in HTML reports has been moved to its correct location, and so should appear correctly localized in future Merge releases. I12266
The Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) topic has been updated to properly reflect the capabilities of the file filters updated in the previous release of Merge. I12014I12015
An error in one of the documentation examples for launching Merge from the command-line using the compare command has been corrected. I12377

2010 releases

Merge 2010.3907 for OS X 21 July 2010

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2010 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

Custom syntax highlighting can now be defined for types of files not already recognized by Merge (Preferences…▸Text Comparisons▸Syntax Highlighting▸Generic…). I11713I11835I11836I11837I11839I11845I11969I11978
The text extraction filter for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets is vastly improved. In particular, numeric cells should now have the correct number formatting applied to them. I11850I11923
The PDF filter can now extract text from most Japanese-language PDFs. I11854
A version of Merge optimized for OS X 10.6 is now provided. A separate download for OS X 10.5 continues to be provided. OS X 10.4 Tiger is no longer supported by new versions of Merge (although customers may still, of course, continue to use prior releases). I11305I11763I11858
Folder comparisons should now use less memory. In addition, performing a very large folder comparison for a second time now uses vastly less RAM and will be significantly faster. I11820I11821
It is now possible to disable certain notification messages (Preferences…▸Application Options▸Notifications). I11397
The tabbed user interface is now the default. I11075
When in tabbed mode, the document icon on tabs now changes into a close button when the pointer is over any part of the tab. Previously, the pointer had to be directly over the icon itself before it would change. I11219
Fresh installations of Merge for Windows and OS X now use similar change highlighting colours by default. I11467
Any pre-existing folder comparison results are now cleared when a new comparison is initiated, helping to avoid confusion. I11819
A item has been added to the FAQ describing how to speed up folder comparisons. I11841
There is a new command-line comparison utility, compare2, which behaves like compare with a -swap argument. I11551
The filename of the temporary input file that is passed to external file filter programs now has the same extension as the original file. This enables external filters to determine the type of a file based upon its extension. I11695
The instructions for integrating Merge with Git have been rewritten to include a new, simpler method of configuring Merge as the external tool comparison and merging tool. I11890
The Merge major version has been updated to 2010, and copyright dates extended accordingly. I11534
Merge has a new application icon drawn in the new Araxis product family style. I11882I11904I11994
Various minor improvements have been made to the online help. I11462I11577I11462I11834I11997I11298

Defects fixed

In a folder comparison automatic merge operation, Merge now deletes the common ancestor file if there are no changes in 1st and 2nd files and the 3rd file has been deleted. I11709
In a folder comparison automatic merge operation, a folder comparison conflict is now flagged when a file in the middle panel is not present in one of the other panels and is changed in the other. I11957
A yellow background is no longer given to markers in folder comparisons when hovering over them to see their details. This problem only occurred under Snow Leopard. I11299
Changes to preferences should now be saved under Snow Leopard even when Merge is asked to close suddenly (for example, during a machine shutdown). I11405
A problem whereby a single synchronization link could gain three (or more) heads has been resolved. I11512
The html2TextFilter file filter is now able to extract text from XHTML documents. I11831
A keyboard shortcut has been added for the Discard Unsaved Changes button in the Save Modified Files sheet. I11420
The View▸Comparison Statistics menu item is no longer erroneously enabled for image comparisons. I11621
The File▸Report… menu item is no longer inadvertently enabled for image and binary comparisons. I11727
A warning message is now displayed in formatted XML files where whitespace at the end of lines has been ignored. I11697I11947
The Mercurial integration instructions have been corrected. I11781
The PDF text extraction filter no longer removes all double letters from certain Apple PDF documents. I11826
Folder comparisons no longer try to follow drive links or read character devices (hard drive images in /dev). This enables them to be performed upon volumes containing Time Machine backups. I11844
The file patterns *.inc and *.dtd now appear only once on the Syntax Highlighting preference page. I11846
In a three-way folder comparison the Edit▸Select Changed Rows menu item no longer selects inserted and removed rows. I11959
It is now always be possible to change font preferences for text comparisons. I11995

2009 releases

Merge 2009.3793 for OS X 12 October 2009

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2009 for OS X (and the last to support OS X 10.4 Tiger). All users not still using Tiger are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent version.

Enhancements

Merge is now fully compatible with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. I11260I11223
Support for Finder integration on 64-bit Macs running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard has been added via the system-supplied Services menu. This is explained further in the new topic, Integrating with Finder. I11172I11292I11300
When Merge is configured to use tabs within a single top-level window, there is now a drop-down menu in the tab strip that can be used to select any of the open tabs. I11088
For folder comparisons, a sub-menu has been added to the drop-down menu on the Preferences toolbar button for selecting different filters. I11142
The performance of find and replace operations within a text comparison has been improved in certain circumstances. I11261
Additional information is now passed to external file filter programs. For more information, see the File Types topic. I11165
The command-line compare utility is now able to compare files located directly within a Subversion repository. I11205
The Frequently Asked Questions list has been updated with information concerning the limitations of the text extraction filters for Microsoft Excel files. I11100

Defects fixed

An encoding problem that caused problems for the comparison statistics when running under OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard has been fixed. I11242
Image files are now displayed correctly when scrolling under OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. I11311
Screen corruption in certain very specific circumstances following a merging operation no longer occurs. I11272
Choosing to display only text on the toolbar now works immediately on OS X 10.4 Tiger. I11308
Linking lines now display correctly when scrolling and the Use smooth scrolling system preference is set. I11310I10677
Clicking the Save or Save As… segmented buttons in the Save Modified Files sheet now acts on the correct table row, rather than the last selected row. I11277
Icons on the merging buttons within a text comparison should now always be crisp. Previously, they could be slightly blurry in some situations. I11245
The instructions in the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic for integrating with the Git version control systemhave been corrected. I11184
The formatting of the Japanese translation of the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic has been corrected. I11186
An error in the Command-Line Reference help topic has been corrected. I11078
A broken link in the Regular Expression Reference topic has been fixed. I11173
Various typographical errors in the help have been corrected. I11105

Merge 2009.3725 for OS X 24 June 2009

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2009 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Defects fixed

Various aspects of the Japanese-localized version of the user interface have been corrected.

Merge 2009.3721 for OS X 1 June 2009

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2009 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Defects fixed

The Open new comparisons in a tabbed window preference now works correctly on the Japanese-localized version of the user interface.

Merge 2009.3719 for OS X 28 May 2009

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2009 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

A tabbed interface is now supported as an option. To enable this, check Preferences▸Application Options▸Open comparisons in a new tab. I10842I10893I11055I10870I10781
Integration with the Git version control system is now supported via two supplied additional command-line utilitles, araxisgitdiff and araxisgitmerge. For integration instructions, see Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications. I10548I10793I10990
Instructions for integrating Merge with the Mercurial version control system are now provided in the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I10465I10991I10992
Instructions for integrating Merge with Interface Builder are now provided. I10882I10736
Information on integrating with Seapine Surround SCM is now provided in the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I10816
Instructions for integrating Merge with SmartSVN and SmartCVS have been added to the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I10657
Integration details for the Versions client for Subversion have been added to the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I10688
An FAQ item on how to compare PDF files as text instead of images has been added to the ‘Using Merge effectively’ section. I11020
The ‘Can I use Merge to compare Microsoft Word or other application documents?’ FAQ item has been updated to mention Microsoft PowerPoint .pptx files. I11022
Folder comparisons can now be greatly sped up by unchecking a new setting, Preferences▸Folder Comparisons▸Scan▸Gather line count statistics for inserted and removed files. I10750
Merge will now warn before deleting files on a network share, as such files are not moved to Trash and cannot therefore be recovered. I10611
Cmd+E now performs Edit▸Find▸Use Selection for Find. I10968
The default panel title of second panel in a new empty three-way comparison is now Common ancestor file, not Second file. I10983
An item ‘How do I make my Merge serial number work for all users on my Mac?’ has been added to the FAQ. I10609
The folder comparison pages in the Preferences window have been re-arranged and reworded to make them easier to understand and manage. I10837
For new installations, the default folder comparison filter now excludes FAT/FAT32 volume extended attribute files (prefixed ._). I11064
An FAQ item on how to speed up comparisons of large files has been added. I10861
Double clicking on function and type names in C source code will now highlight the whole name. I10592
The Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) topic has been updated to mention support for the syntax highlighting of Visual Dataflex files. I10770
Various minor improvements have been made to the help. I10814I10876I10802I10835I10951I10980

Defects fixed

When using Save As to change an XML file from DOS to OS X line endings, the line endings will now be applied as in the original file, not as in the XML file reformatted for display. I10594
Merge now uses the shared Find pasteboard for search text. I10765
In folder comparisons, the icon adornment for new files is now only present when the file is in more than one column of the comparison. I10806
Overview strips are now visible upon initial load for all files opened from the command-line. I11008
The compare command-line utility now allows saving to a merged output file regardless of file permissions of the input files. I10936
The compare command-line utility -wait argument now returns correctly if Merge is quit (rather than the comparison in question merely being closed). I10994
Resolved markers will now always be displayed the right way up. I11050
When opening files, the There is no file loaded message text is no longer displayed prematurely. I10792
A problem reported by one user whereby the Merge Finder plugin prevented shutdown has been fixed. I10844
A problem with releasing a drained NSAutoreleasePool (manifested as an error message in the log on Snow Leopard) has been fixed. I10967
Merge will no longer crash when performing a merging operation on certain files when a regular expression is enabled that forces lines into the unchanged state and the setting to break changes into individual lines is enabled. I11026
A problem has been fixed whereby support would prematurely expire if the Araxis Merge application bundle were altered by disk-space reduction applications. I10863

Merge 2009.3646 for OS X 12 January 2009

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2009 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

The major product version number is now 2009, to reflect the year of release. I10710
Instructions for using Merge to access FTP sites have been added to the Frequently Asked Questions. I10493
Much of the information on the Merge overview topic is now initially collapsed. I10675

Defects fixed

The 64-bit PowerPC version of Merge no longer allows certain invalid serial numbers. I10619
An encoding problem that occurred in certain circumstances with comparisons involving UTF-16 files has been corrected. I10659

2008 releases

Merge 2008.3633 for OS X 11 November 2008

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2008 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

The Merge user interface and online help have been translated into Japanese. This means that Merge for OS X now fully accommodates both English and Japanese-language users. I10595
Merge will now delete Araxis Ketura comparison files after it has opened them. This enhances the integration between Ketura, Merge and the supported configuration management systems. I10324
A visual indication has been added to show whether the p4 and svn paths in the Preferences window are correctly set. I10543I10542
The detection of character encoding based on <?xml …> XML processing directives within files has been improved so that Merge will only use such a directive if it is the first non-whitespace content within a file. I10512
AppleScript examples have been added to show how to launch image and binary comparisons. I10398
Support has been added for determining from AppleScript whether the Standard or Professional Edition of Merge is installed. An example script showing how to do this is included with Merge. I10458
It is now possible specifically to request a binary or image comparison from an AppleScript script. I10397
By default, filenames with the .xsl extension are included in the list of file types handled by the XML/XHTML filter. I10472
The Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) help topic has been updated to mention that password-protected documents can’t be processed by the text extraction filters. I10482

Defects fixed

Merge no longer crashes if a merging button is used immediately after adding a synchronization link. I10506
In certain circumstances, a crash in the 64-bit version of Merge can be caused by a known fault in Apple’s 64-bit Ink input method code (described at https://lists.apple.com/archives/Java-dev/2008/Aug/msg00283.html). Merge will now detect this crash if it occurs, and suggest a workaround. I10572
Any change to the default character encoding in the Preferences window now takes full immediate effect, without Merge having to be restarted. I10513
Navigating to the next/previous bookmarks and conflict markers within a folder comparison now correctly scrolls the display. I10570
Merge no longer creates large numbers of log entries when comparing Microsoft Excel or Word documents. I10559
Columns in tables within the Preferences window are now shown correctly if they have been re-arranged. I10579
After resizing a column in a table within the Preferences window, the mouse pointer now reverts back to the arrow image, instead of staying as the resize indicator. I10578
The documentation relating to line numbers in the Add Synchronization Link dialog has been corrected. I10574
Certain debug diagnostic messages have now been disabled. These had been left enabled accidentally, resulting in unneeded messages being written to the system console log. I10569
When closed, Merge will now prompt to save any unsaved text that has been typed into an empty text comparison pane in a text comparison created from an image comparison using the View▸As Text Comparison menu item. I9957
A link within the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic has been fixed. I10507
HTML comparison reports now work when literal tab characters are present in regular expressions set in the Expressions page of the preferences dialog. Previously, such characters were not being handled correctly, resulting in an error when HTML reports were created. I10485
The Display help topic has been updated with the correct key combination for enabling/disabling file panel linking when scrolling.
Dropping a shortcut from Finder on to a file panel now results in the target file being loaded. I10444
It is now possible to delete a file that resides on a network share when that file cannot be moved to Trash. Previously, an error would occur if the file being deleted could not be moved to Trash. I10610

Merge 2008.3580 for OS X 5 September 2008

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2008 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

Although it is useful for Merge to be able to extract and compare the text from proprietary formats such as Microsoft Word, using these text extraction filters when comparing files in a folder comparison can significantly slow down the comparison. A new setting, Use filter programs in folder comparisons has therefore been added to the File Comparisons▸File Types page of the Preferences window. I10450
Instructions for integrating Merge with Xcode have been added to the Integrating with Source Control, Configuration Management, and Other Applications topic. I10440

Defects fixed

A problem has been fixed that sometimes caused the text extraction filter for Microsoft Word documents to fail with the error code 0x80004005. I10439
The Microsoft Excel .xlsx text extraction filter has been fixed so that it can handle certain spreadsheets that it previously could not read. I10442

Merge 2008.3571 for OS X 13 August 2008

This was a previous production-quality release of Merge 2008 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Enhancements

Merge now supports file filters to extract the content from from certain common types of files when they are loaded. This means, for example, that you can drag and drop a pair of Microsoft Word documents on to a Merge text comparison window and have the text comparison automatically extract and compare the text from those documents. For more information, please see Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text). I10098I10189
A file filter is also provided to convert a binary .plist file into XML when loaded, and to convert it back upon save. This means that binary .plist files can now be compared, merged and saved.
The ability to format the display of XML and XHTML files (without changing the underlying text) in text comparisons has been added. This enables some XML files to be compared more easily. Please see Comparing Text Files (or Typed/Pasted Text) for more information. I10257I10254
In text comparisons, Merge now offers an optional panel to display the current lines above one other. I9353
Files can now be dropped on to the Merge dock application icon. I9807
A web link, How to Install.webloc, has been added to the Merge distribution .dmg disk images. I10106
Double-clicking on a []<>() character will now select back/forward to the matching opening/close character. I10258
Support for integration with a future release of Ketura has been added. I10358I10319I10357I10327
It is now possible to wait for a report to finish being generated using the AppleScript API. I10306
The display of space and tab characters can now be toggled on and off. I10267

Defects fixed

Merge no longer crashes when an image comparison is launched from Find Duplicate Files. I10118
Merge now reports an error when attempting to reload an externally modified file that can no longer be read. I10064
The integration of Merge with Time Machine now works with Time Capsule. I10281
The Continue button is now positioned correctly in the Some of the compared files have been edited sheet. I10169
Descriptions of the Search size and other controls for binary comparisons have been added to the online help. I10231
Performing a Merge operation immediately after deleting an unchanged line no longer causes problems. I10265
The mounted volume name of the Merge for OS X 10.4 distribution .dmg file been changed to include ‘for OSX 10.4’. This enables you to see whether you have the Leopard or Tiger .dmg mounted. I10114
The Compare with Araxis Merge context menu item in Finder now causes Merge to be given focus. I10033
Opening a saved comparison will now work reliably when you answer ‘Yes’ to whether to use the saved preferences. I10066
The interaction of folder comparison filters and file items provided by virtual file-system plugins has been corrected. I10128
High port numbers now work in svnhttps URLs. I10170
The username field in the virtual file-system plugin username/password/host window is now editable. I10350I10310
It is now possible to see the end of a long file panel title that is too wide to be visible all at once. I10322
Certain binary comparisons no longer make Merge hang. I10294
Merge now identifies CR line endings (Mac Classic) and LF line endings (Unix and Modern Mac) as different (unless the setting to ignore line ending differences is in effect). I10278
Cancel button on Perforce user/password prompt now works. I10320
It is now possible to change the default HTML and Ruby syntax highlighting colours. I10181
Folder comparisons now correctly handle circular hard-links within a folder hierarchy. I10072
An error message with code 0x80010004 should no longer appear in certain circumstances when trying to open a recent Subversion comparison. I10216
Custom titles file file panels (for example, specified when launching Merge using the command-line compare utility) are now also used in the comparison window title bar and in the Window menu, in addition to the comparison pane header. I10139

Merge 2008.3487 for OS X 27 March 2008

This was a production-quality release of Merge 2008 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Changes

Annoying (but benign) messages relating to x86_64 architecture support no longer appear in svnX when Merge is used from the svnX Subversion GUI client. I9994
The command-line utilities now give Merge focus when a comparison is launched. I9993
The creation of HTML reports uses somewhat less memory than before. I10043
Once support has expired for your serial number, Merge now notifies you on start-up once every thirty days. I9949
The EULA that is displayed when you open the Merge disk image has been updated to be consistent with that in the online help. I9979

Merge 2008.3469 for OS X 10 March 2008

This was a production-quality release of Merge 2008 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Changes

The OS X 10.5.2 update fixed a problem with folder browse dialogs that was exhibited in 64-bit applications under OS X 10.5.1. Consequently, it is strongly suggested that Leopard users run 10.5.2 or later.
The Standard Edition of Merge no longer lists three files in window menu and title bar when an attempt is made to open a three-way comparison (a feature available only in the Professional Edition). I9803
In binary comparisons, warning messages are now displayed in empty panels rather than dialogs. I9804
A Refresh button now appears in binary comparisons when non-automatically applied display settings are changed in the Format drop-down list box. I9810
The folder comparison context menu now has Reveal in Finder and Open with Finder menu items. I9539
Error handling has been improved when there is no file-system plugin to enable Merge to build a list of files and folders. I9827
Cmd+→ now works correctly following a Find… operation. I9831
The SCM integration help topic now contains instructions for integrating Merge for OS X with the latest Perforce P4V version. I9938
Integration instructions for svnX, a graphical client for Subversion, have been added to the SCMintegration help topic. I9860
‘SystemFlippers: didn’t consume all data for long ID’ errors are no longer generated when Merge is invoked from svnX. I9932
Various minor corrections have been made to the online help. I9840I9942
The Please email me about significant new product releases checkbox in the registration dialog is now checked by default. I9849
If a three way folder comparison is started from Finder, Merge now displays three folders immediately. I9909
Merge now skips .DS_Store files when automatically merging folder comparisons. The changes that Merge was sometimes making to these files during an automatic merge was causing Finder to crash. I9915
Ctrl+Left Click now brings up the context menu in folder and text comparisons. I9812I9946
Ctrl+Left Click on merging buttons now brings up a context menu. I9934
Ctrl+Left Click now works on edit markers, conflict markers and bookmarks. I9935
Toolbar button tooltips now work in a three-way text comparison. I9937
When copying files in a folder comparison, Merge no issues an inappropriate warning regarding replacing files when copying a folder and its files to a location that doesn’t already container a folder with the same name. I9941
Merge no longer causes a Connection Failed dialog to appear when used with Time Machine backups over a network. I9944

Merge 2008.3430 for OS X 11 January 2008

This was the preview release of Merge 2008 for OS X. Information This is no longer the current release. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent release.

Known issues

When running under OS X 10.5.1 Leopard on 64-bit systems, file and folder browse dialogs require two mouse clicks on a folder to show the contents of that folder. This is a defect in OS X 10.5.1, and is fixed in OS X 10.5.2. As a work-around, you can run the 32-bit version of Merge by right-clicking on the Araxis Merge application icon, choosing Get Info, and then checking the Open in 32 Bit Mode checkbox. I9654
In folder comparison windows, Ctrl+Left Click fails to bring up the context menu. Right-clicking on a two button mouse does, however, bring up the menu.
The online help on this website is slightly more up-to-date than that provided with the product.
When Merge is used with a Standard Edition serial number (which enables only two-way comparison and merging), if an attempt is made to load three files into a two-way file comparison, Merge correctly loads two of the files, but still lists three files in the application title bar and Window menu. I9803

Changes

Mac-specific online help is now provided. I9516I9798
All the functionality intended for the production-quality release is now present.
Many bugs have been fixed.

2007 releases

Merge 2007.3371 for OS X 28 November 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

The product download has been split in two. One download for use on OS X 10.5 Leopard, and another for use on OS X 10.5 Tiger. The 10.5 download supports 32-bit and 64-bit Intel and Power PC platforms. There are still some problems with 64-bit Cocoa though, so if you are affected, you can use the Get Info window for the Araxis Merge application icon to force it to run in 32-bit mode. In particular, the file/folder browsing windows may require two clicks on folder items to disclose their content.
Integration with Time Machine has been added. When a compared file or folder has one or more backups available, the Versions button next to the path text field will light up and can be clicked to access a list of previous versions that can be compared.
Image comparison printing support has been added.
Image comparisons should be more responsive when comparing PDFs, and a bug that could cause an incorrect number of pages to be displayed has been fixed. More zoom levels have been added.
Folder comparisons will no longer follow symbolic links when traversing folder hierarchies. You can manually follow these links by double-clicking on the relevant row in the results list.
Some problems saving files with a deliberately incorrect encoding have been fixed.
The encodings list shown when saving reports is now filtered to include only those encodings that are supported by Safari and OS X’s XML parser.
File/folder icons should now appear correctly when comparing relative paths in the folder comparison window.
The Subversion plugin now supports https:, file: and svn+ssh: protocols. Use svnhttps:, svnfile: and svn+ssh: in Merge for these protocols.
A variety of other bugs have been fixed, and tweaks made.

Merge 2007.3327 for OS X 23 October 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

The Finder contextual menu plugin now shows the Merge commands.
Resizing knobs have been added between file panels.
Bookmark setting/editing in Binary comparisons should now work.
Dimming for lines marked as resolved should work.
The checkboard colours used by image comparisons to indicate transparency can be configured in the Preferences window.
A progress window is displayed when opening/saving large comparison files.
Various ergonomic tweaks to the comparison windows (position on first change, focus setting, etc).
Ctrl+A and Ctrl+E should now work for moving to start/end of line.
Select Changed and Compare Selected buttons have been added to folder comparison toolbar. You may need to customize the toolbar content to add them if you’ve been using earlier Merge builds.
The list of manually hidden files/folders in a folder comparison window is now included in saved folder comparisons.
The Swap menu commands should now work in Folder Comparisons.
The linking lines panel width setting should now work.
Syntax highlighting colours can now be edited in the Preferences window.
Support for Apache-hosted Subversion repositories has been added. Just use svnhttp:// as the URI scheme instead of http://. svn:// only works with repositories hosted by svnserve.
Inline regular expression editing should work again.
Bookmark tooltips should appear more reliably now.
Text comparison word selection has been tweaked. Underscore characters no longer count as word boundaries.

Merge 2007.3291 for OS X 31 August 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

Preliminary, but incomplete, binary comparison support has been added.
Text comparison bookmark tooltips are enabled.
Two problems encountered on Leopard seeds have been fixed.
Cmd+N key equivalent added.
Mouse/keyboard/selection interaction in comparison windows has been added/fixed/tweaked.
Most table views should now remember column sizes/orders.
Relative path matching is support in folder comparison filters has been integrated from Merge for Windows.
There is now increased status bar activity during folder comparisons.
The folder comparison selection handling when launching comparisons has been changed in response ot several customer requests.
Occasional problems with preference changes taking effect after Apply or OK have been fixed.
File type patterns can now be used to override UTIs.
A few tweaks to the scripting dictionary have been made.
Some problems with the Subversion file system support have been fixed.

Merge 2007.3251 for OS X 30 May 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

A plugin to enable access to Subversion repositories has been added. svn:// URIs can now be used in file and folder comparison windows. The path to the svn command-line program needs to be set in the Subversion section of the Application preferences page first.
←/Home/End keys now behave sensibly in the folder comparison results list.
Various changes have been made to Merge’s scripting dictionary.
Some performance improvements have been made to folder comparisons.

Merge 2007.3242 for OS X 10 May 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

Image comparisons are now supported. Merge uses registered UTIs (Uniform Type Identifiers) to decide which type of comparison window to use when launching comp folder comparison window. The file type settings in the Preferences window are ignored, and will probably be removed. Merge supports the image file formats listed in the Images chapter of the Cocoa Drawing Guide.
Text, folder, and image comparisons can now be saved/loaded.
Various quirks have been fixed.

Merge 2007.3232 for OS X 11 April 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

There is now a drop-down menu on the Preferences toolbar button.
Accessibility and Services support has been added to the text panels.
Folder comparison loading/saving has been implemented.
Comparison window size is now remembered.
File/folder copying is now supported.
Three-way folder merging has been added.
Character encodings are shown in the file history windows.
More of the folder comparison commands have been enabled.
Line endings should now be converted correctly when transferring text to/from the clipboard.

Merge 2007.3210 for OS X 13 March 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

Command-line utilities have moved out of the application bundle to a Utilities folder in the Merge disk image.
There is an experimental araxissvndiff command-line utility (in the Utilities folder) that can be used with Subversion. araxissvndiff3 is not yet complete.
Toolbar support in text and folder comparison windows has been enabled.
The file-copying features in the folder comparison window are not yet complete. We recommend avoiding these features for the time-being.
A variety of bugs has been fixed.
General note: When choosing Araxis Merge as an external diff program in other products, select one of the compare, araxisp4diff, or araxisp4winmrg command-line utilities, and not the Araxis Merge application itself. The Merge application icon does not currently accept dropped files or command-line arguments.

Merge 2007.3198 for OS X 26 February 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

Perforce URIs should now work. The Application preferences page contains some settings that will need to be filled out.

Merge 2007.3194 for OS X 22 February 2007

This is an early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Changes

Text comparison printing mostly complete.
Headers/footers should now work properly in text/folder comparison printouts.
Some fixes for problems with the command-line tools (compare, araxisp4diff, etc) have been made.
Some experimental fixes for obscure Keychain-related problems have been implemented.

Merge 2007.3160 for OS X 24 January 2007

This is the first public early-access test release of Merge 2007 for OS X. This release is not of production quality and is provided ‘as-is’, with no warranty. Use at your own risk.

Many of the features present in the next major Windows version of Merge have not yet been implemented or are incomplete.
Some features may not work correctly, so caution is recommended, particularly when using Merge to modify files. Please take backups before saving over valuable files. Your attention is drawn the ‘no warranties’ disclaimers in the EULA.
The application is still unpolished in places: dialogs may not be arranged correctly, and artwork may not be final.
The online help included is that for the Windows version of Merge.