SmartDiff

Python + PySide6 diff viewer and merge program.

Run

uv run smartdiff
uv run smartdiff --d C:\left C:\right
uv run smartdiff C:\left\file.py C:\right\file.py

--d disables subdirectory scanning when comparing directories.

Build EXE

Nuitka can build a Windows onefile .exe and Linux/macOS release builds:

uv run --with nuitka python -m nuitka smartdiff_nuitka_windows.py

uv run --with nuitka python -m nuitka smartdiff_nuitka_linux.py

uv run --with nuitka python -m nuitka smartdiff_nuitka_macos.py

Launchers:

• smartdiff_nuitka_windows.py builds a Windows onefile SmartDiff.exe in dist/nuitka_windows with the PySide6 plugin and hidden console window.
• smartdiff_nuitka_linux.py builds the Linux onefile executable in dist/nuitka_linux. The GitHub Actions Linux release build runs on ubuntu-22.04 for broader glibc compatibility.
• smartdiff_nuitka_macos.py builds the macOS .app bundle in dist/nuitka_macos for Apple Silicon. smartdiff_nuitka_macos_x86.py builds the Intel x86_64 variant in dist/nuitka_macos_x86. Release builds target macOS >= 11.0.

A C compiler is required; on Windows, Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools is the safest choice. On macOS, use the system Clang compiler from Xcode.

GitHub Actions builds release artifacts on tag pushes matching v*. You can also run the SmartDiff Nuitka workflow manually for build verification.

For local macOS release-compatible builds, set MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=11.0 before running Nuitka.

The project is pinned to PySide6==6.7.3 because newer PyPI wheels such as 6.11.1 target newer macOS versions and break macOS 11.0 compatibility for release builds.

Current Features

• Compare two directories or two files.
• Hide equal files by default with the Only changes checkbox.
• Double-click a changed file to open a side-by-side diff window.
• Line-level and inline changed-text highlighting.
• Find, Find Next, Find Previous in the selected side.
• Editable diff panes with built-in undo/redo from QPlainTextEdit.
• Save changes only when File -> Save is used.
• Unsaved-change prompt on close.
• Ignore whitespace, ignore case, and light/dark theme options.
• Binary files and text files over 10 MB are compared by size, timestamp, and SHA-256 without text diff.
• Recursive directory scans skip known generated/service directories such as .git, .venv, __pycache__, and node_modules.
• File -> Preferences... edits binary extensions, ignored directories, and max text diff size in ~/.smartdiff/settings.json.

License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE.