Can Meld comparison output be exported to a file?

Question

I've been using Meld to compare directories recursively. I want to know how to export the comparison result onto a new file. Meld is a visual tool but is there any way I can save the comparison?

Answer 1

As of version 3.18.0 this is not a supported feature.

You can see the advertised features here.

If you dig into the code, an UI option to save content (and subsequent implementation) is only present in data/ui/filediff.ui and not in data/ui/dirdiff.ui. This means comparison output can only be exported when comparing files.

The code snapshot is from the latest commit on master, January 2 2018: 945014f5.

Answer 2

Update: I also confirmed just now (28 Jan 2021) on Ubuntu 20.04 that the latest version of meld on gitlab, meld version 3.21, does NOT have this feature either. See my comment and screenshot here: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/meld/-/issues/551#note_1019418.

Please click on the feature request issue below and upvote it to get this feature request some positive attention.

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My version of meld is:

$ meld --version meld 3.18.0 

...and this feature still does not exist as of Jan. 2021, so I have opened this issue on the meld project in Gitlab here: meld Feature request on Gitlab: create a way to save or export GUI meld comparison views as both HTML and PDF.

Please go upvote it. If you don't have a Gitlab login to be able to upvote it, you can create one now or log in to Gitlab with your GitHub credentials.

Upvoting it gives it attention and may help get this feature sooner. Developers have the tendency to implement those features first which they know people want, so upvoting it gives it visibility.

If you have the skills and time (or the time, and want to start developing the skills), please join their mailing list and start working directly on implementing the feature yourself.

See also:

1. https://meldmerge.org/development.html
2. https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/meld#contributing

Answer 3

Because the title doesn't specify that the question is about directory comparison, I landed here by Google for exporting a "(temporary) file comparison".

Why bother to do that if there is the diff command?

I use meld to compare content by pasting temporary content into the panes.

For anyone else searching a way to export that:

File->Format as Patch...

has even a Copy to Clipboard button.

Tested with version 3.20.4