Compare Mode

Compare mode is a view-only mode that allows you to compare two different versions of the same ontology. It provides a list of frames that are unchanged, and attempts to identify which frames have been changed, and what they now correspond to. 

Note: If you are familiar with programming environments such as UNIX, note that the functionality of compare mode is similar to comparison tools such as the UNIX tool diff, but is based on the ontological structure of the project, rather than the line-by-line difference between the files. 

Like merge, compare uses a number of heuristics to make a best guess as to changes and correspondences. In this case, the heuristics behind the standard PROMPT merge can be modified. When the two projects to be merged are known to be different versions of the same ontology, Protégé can use stronger heuristics, suggesting, for example, that a single unmatched sibling of the same parent in the two different versions may be the same frame with a different name.  By concentrating on the differences between two similar projects (rather than the similarities of two different projects as in merge), compare can give much better results for the type of reconciliation required in version control. 

For compare mode, the Prompt tab consists of a single window, the Image table, which shows all the frames in the two compared projects and lists the similarities and differences. See the Image Table topic for further information.


Next: The Prompt Tab

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