Report.Compare.Two files

The Report.Compare.Two files activity runs a compare against two files which you define and reports on the differences it finds.

Generating comparison reports

The reporting of any differences found can be any combination of the following three reports:

1. The Report File on the main Activity tab records a history of the jobs that have been run and their result.
2. An HTML report which allows you to see the differences between the two files next to each other in a color-coded and columned format.
3. A .txt file report which shows differences in top down format.

The HTML and .txt file paths are capable of receiving Filename Variable parameters.

This activity does not require the selection of any devices. Filename variables relating to devices, such as %GroupName%, %BaseFile% , %DeviceName%, do not work.

Setting up the activity for Report.Compare.Two files

For information on setting up activities, see Add / Edit scheduled activity details.

Activity options

Configure the options specific to this activity in the Options tab.

Source File	The first file for the comparison to use. This can be thought of as the new file.
File to compare against	The second file for the comparison to use. This can be thought of as the original file.
Ignore Text	Should the new file contain any lines of text that are likely to different from the original file every time the comparison is run (such as a timestamp) and you would like to ignore these lines, they can be added here. For more information, see Ignore Text field.
HTML compare report	Results are shown in HTML format. Indicate where the report should be saved.
Text summary diff report	Results are shown in Text format. Indicate where the report should be saved.
Only notify by e-mail if differences found	Receive emails reporting differences found between the new and old files.
Attach reports to email	Allows you to choose what level of diff reports you are sent via e-mail: HTML compare report only (default) Text diff report only Both reports If you want full comparison reports with highlighting, use the HTML compare report. If you just want the changes, use the text report. If you are sending the reports via an insecure medium, such as a corporate network or internet, be aware that the HTML reports contain your full device configuration. SolarWinds recommends that you send password protected HTML reports over an insecure medium.
Zip Attachments	To reduce network traffic and allow for password protection, you can choose to zip the attachments. This is the recommended and default option. It keeps the e-mail smaller and places all the files in a single attachment, which can be beneficial when you have, for example, 400 devices.
Password protect Zip file	Protect your reports by adding a password to your zip file. A password protects your files over insecure mediums while in transit to your e-mail box. SolarWinds recommends using current password strength standards when creating a password for your files.