I think this behavior changed around 4-6 months ago after an update (sorry I cannot be more specific).
I have SmartSVN: version 9.3.1 #7058, installed: #7053
To reproduce, just set up a batch file or whatever that gets called to do an external compare (like in the image I attached earlier), then launch it (double click on a file in SmartSVN) with local changes and then with remote changes -- the old & new (left file & right file) that are fed in will be flipped in those two cases.
Further info, so that I can hopefully get a fix...
When comparing changes made locally, the working copy file is correctly ${rightFile}
When comparing changes made remotely, the working copy file is still ${rightFile}, when it should be (and used to be in previous versions on SmartSVN) ${leftFile}
I hope that makes sense. If you try this out with some type of comparison tool, the two different ways (you are comparing a change you made locally to the repo vs. you are comparing a change someone else made in the repo to your local file), it should be obvious.
Please see attached screenshot. Sorry for the delay, but I hope this answers your question.
When a local working copy file is not up to date with the HEAD (is a previous version relative to HEAD), all of the below options give the same (incorrect/different than earlier version of SmartSVN) result:
- Double click
- Query, Compare with HEAD
- Query, Compare with Revision... [and choose HEAD]
Again, when there are local changes relative to the repo, or if I double click on a file in a Log window, the changes are shown correctly (the Left and Right file parameters are fed in correctly).
I will explain using a text file and the built in SmartSVN comparison tool, which has the same behavior (meaning that it changed compared to previous versions of SmartSVN).
With a modified working copy relative to (newer than) the repo (HEAD), when you double click, the compare has the repo (old, pristine) copy on the left and local working (new) copy on the right. This is expected.
With an unmodified working copy, and with the repo (HEAD) changed relative to (newer than) the working copy, when you double click, the compare has the repo (new) copy on the left and local working (old) copy on the right. This is NOT expected.
With a Word file comparison tool, this inconsistent behavior is VERY inconvenient. It means that in the latter case new text is crossed out and old text is shown as being added.
It sounds like SU-19405 does not describe the fix I am asking for. I do not want a new feature, I would like SmartSVN to consistently perform comparisons -- in the same way it had in previous versions for many years.
This behavior changed around the beginning of the year after I made an update; sorry I cannot be more specific.
Attached is what my Settings Path looks like.