Tjyylli

I have 2 PCs at work, one with older version of Notepad++ (6.1.7) and one with newer version (6.5.3) and I use it frequently to quickly compare pieces of code or any other strings (I use WinMerge or Total Commander for larger compares).

In the older version of Notepad++ when there is line difference in the code, it highlights the actual difference within the line while in the new version only highlights the line but the not actual difference (which is pain when some lines can be very long).

I played with the setting, compared them on both PC, played with Clickable links settings in preferences but to no avail. I can't just install old version of the Notepad++ because it is controlled/blocked from corporate.
Does anybody know what am I missing and how to bring the functionality back?

old version 6.1.7 highlights the actual difference

New version 6.5.3 highlights only the line

I have had the same problem with Notepad++ Version 6.7.5.

I first tried to update via Plugin Manager but this only updated the Compare Plugin to Version 1.5.6 and it was still not working.

After that I got it working by manually installing the Compare Plugin Version 1.5.6.2 (Download: http://npp-compare.sourceforge.net/).
Just copy the "ComparePlugin.dll" into the "C:Program Files (x86)Notepad++plugins" directory.

Now line changes are highlighted correctly again.
(see also: http://sourceforge.net/p/npp-compare/bugs/11/#2cc8)

Just install the latest version of ComparePlugin.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/sourcecookifier/files/other%20plugins/

I have 6.6.9, the latest version, and I could not find any way to change it. I use NPP very infrequently as I mostly use TextPad. It too has a built in compare tool, but it's very rudimentary. Beyond Compare is the diff tool I use, and I almost never use the built in. Have you considered making the switch completely to WinMerge?

In Notepad++ version 7.4.2 Compare Plugin 2.0 does NOT highlights characters inside different words only the whole words are highlighted.

However when I manually tried to install Compare Plugin 1.5.6.2 it now works OK. Inside the different words also characters are highlighted.

To bring back the functionality you are looking for you have to install the v 1.5.6.2 or the v 2.0 of the n++ Compare Plugin.

But unfortunately there are some limitations even in those versions.

In fact I've just tested the v 1.5.6.2 and installed and tested the v 2.0 of the Compare Plugin: both versions highlight the whole word/string not the changed part of it solely.

In the example below n++ Compare plugin highlights the whole row as if it was a completely different row, but there are just few differences in some digits.

v 1.5.6.2 screenshot

v 2.0 screenshot

This is a huge problem when comparing very long and similar char or number strings because there is no way to understand what differences really are so you have to discover them by sight.

Both versions I tested, though, highlight single words differently from the rest of the row with different backgrounds and you can see them at a glance distinct from the rest of the row, but only if they are separated words or strings.