I am comparing two folders using a diff tool. I have tried a few different diff tools, but right now I’m using WinMerge. There are many files which show as unique to the right or left side, for example:
On the right we have: /bar/some_organized_characters.txt
On the left we have: /foo/some_similar_organized_characters.txt
The text file may have slight variations, but it’s mostly similar. I would expect a tool to exist in most merge/diff tools which could tell you that these files are likely the “same” (meaning they have the same base), but the file has been moved, renamed, and slightly modified.
What I’m specifically trying to do is a “vendor merge.” We have some customized software, and we want to merge the changes from a recent official release with the changes we have made. Many files have moved in the latest official release, and finding every move/rename by hand is difficult.
use a version control tool to check for changes. Simply commit the structure as an initial commit. Then overwrite the structure with the new version and commit that. The patch view will show you moved items. I’ve been able to do this with Git very easily. These tools are made to see how something has changed and will dig into the contents of the file. In fact, in git, you can set the threshold of what percentage of changes in a file constitutes a move and change, vs a delete and create.