Using the Viewing window of Rational ClearCase XML Diff Merge

The Rational® ClearCase® XML Diff Merge - Viewing displays a window single XML file. All of its functions are also available in the Comparing and Merging windows. Figure 1 shows the two main parts of the window.

Figure 1. Viewing window

In viewing mode, the data display shows the node tree for a single document. The node that currently has focus is indicated by the background color. To see the type of any node, hover your cursor over the node icon to display its hover help.

You can select any node in the document by clicking its text, or step through the node tree by pressing the keyboard arrow keys. You can also use the menu and toolbar controls to show or hide part of the node tree.

The controls in the Viewing window menus and toolbar can be grouped into the following sections:

Session controls

Use the menu and toolbar commands described in Table 1 to control your current session.

Table 1. Session controls in Viewing window
Menu command Toolbar button Description
File > Open Contributors None Ends the current session and start a new one without leaving the Rational ClearCase XML Diff Merge window. For example, you can switch between viewing, comparing, and merging modes, or specify new contributors for the current mode.
File > Restart compare None Re-reads and parses the file from the disk, and refreshes the data display using current settings. This is useful if, for example, you have modified contributors outside of XML Diff Merge.
File > Options Opens the XML Diff Merge Options window, where you can view and change displays and functions for this session.

Tree display controls

Use the menu and toolbar commands described in Table 2 to control the tree display.

Table 2. Tree display controls in Viewing window
Menu command Toolbar button Description
View > Expand Selected Branch Expand the current node branch and all its child nodes. Attributes are not affected.
None Expand Level button: Expand this node branch and all branches in the current level, except attributes.
View > Expand or Collapse All Attributes Show or hide attribute nodes in all visible elements (not just the current branch). Attributes in collapsed branches are not affected.
None Collapse Level button: Collapse this node branch and all branches in its level. Attributes are not affected.
View > Collapse Selected Branch Collapse the current node branch.

In addition to the menu and toolbar controls, you can use the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard to expand or collapse the current level only. The keyboard arrow keys also work on attributes, unlike the Expand Level and Collapse Level buttons.

Document view controls

In addition to the normal tree view of your documents, Rational ClearCase XML Diff Merge enables you to view your XML data in a number of alternate ways described in Table 3.

Table 3. Document view controls in Viewing window
Menu command Toolbar button Description
View > Source... None Opens the document in an associated viewer, such as an XML or text editor.
None Toggles (opens or closes) the Web browser display.
None Back and Forward buttons: Steps through the browser's document history list.
None Home button: Reloads the contributor (for example, if you previously followed a link to a different file or URL).
None Reload button: Reloads the current document. This could be a contributor or a different file or URL.
None Stop button: Stops loading the current document.

Feedback