Compare Files (zeysdk compare)

The compare command compares local files with their server versions to detect content and property differences.

Bash

zeysdk compare [ASSET_PATH...] [options]

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Required	Example
ASSET_PATH	Specific asset paths to compare	No	services/backup.ixml weblets/dashboard.ixml

Options

Option	Description
--verbose	Show detailed output

Process

1. State Loading

   • Reads local sync configuration
   • Loads local file metadata
   • Fetches matching server metadata

2. Comparison

   • Compares local file hashes with stored sync hashes
   • Compares server hashes with stored sync hashes
   • Checks metadata properties for differences

3. Output

   • Groups results by asset type
   • Marks local, server, and conflict states
   • Opens a diff tool when comparing selected files with content differences

Status Indicators

Symbol	Meaning
+	Created locally or added on server
-	Deleted locally or deleted on server
~	Modified locally or modified on server
!	Conflict
<>	Property conflict
->	Local changes to be pushed
<-	Server changes to be pulled

Comparison Categories

The output is organized by asset type:

• Settings
• Services
• Assets
• Resources
• Weblets

Examples

Bash

zeysdk compare
zeysdk compare services/backup.ixml weblets/dashboard.ixml
zeysdk compare --verbose

Error Handling

Error	Description	Resolution
Missing sync.json	No sync configuration	Run zeysdk link first
Invalid sync.json	Missing id/url	Re-link instance
Diff tool error	Tool launch failed	Select alternative tool
Server error	Cannot fetch remote	Check connection/auth
Parse error	Invalid file content	Check file format

Notes

• compare does not change local files or server state
• compare reads the active instance and may fetch remote file contents to support a diff
• compare does not acquire .zeysdk/.sync.lock; avoid running it during a modifying synchronization command if you need a consistent snapshot
• Passing specific asset paths limits comparison and may open a diff workflow
• Metadata differences are reported separately from content changes
• Diff tool behavior depends on the global CLI configuration
• Remote snapshots reuse the content fetched during comparison, including empty files, and are removed after the comparison tool exits
• Beyond Compare uses its waiting launcher (bcomp on macOS, BComp.com on Windows), so an already-open window can read the remote snapshot before it is removed
• Beyond Compare's normal result codes (0, 1, 2, 11–14) finish the comparison without prompting for another tool; launch failures and error codes remain failures
• To use Hunk, install its CLI separately, then select Default Diff Tool → Hunk in zeysdk configure; the viewer runs in the current terminal
• Custom comparison commands must wait until the viewer is finished before exiting

Best Practices

• Run zeysdk compare before push, pull, or sync when remote state may have changed
• Compare specific files when investigating a focused change
• Configure a diff tool with zeysdk configure for easier conflict review
• Resolve unexpected differences before running forced sync commands