Official TkDiff Version 5.2 is released

TkDiff V5.2 can be viewed as both a cleaned-up version of its predecessor (a fix release) and as unveiling at least one new ability, although that one would be something long missing: recursive-descent Diff against a pair of directories. Ordinarily when given two directories, TkDiff would look for pairs of identically named files, but only within the directories named. With the addition of a new command line option (-R), not only will those given directories be searched , but any and all sub-directories contained. All such pairs found are remembered and can be displayed as desired by the user. This ability actually derives from the Diff engine itself (it performs the searching) and thus there is a new "preference" specifying the distinct options needed to enable this behavior. By making it a preference, TkDiff insulates itself from the possible use of a Diff Engine other than the conventional GNU Diff (or a workalike). But, by default, this preference is preset to that GNU syntax, subject to being overridden by the user; thus the feature just "works" out-of-the-box.
There are smaller, less noticeable enhancements, such as better visual feedback when performing a "Split" operation, Feel free to review the Changelog file for others, and of course, the builtin Help facility to get all the hints to making them as useful as possible.
Yet one new feature should hopefully be harder to actually spot; the tool startup procedure should be far more tolerant of improper, inadequate, or simply badly specified input arguments. Moreover, when encountered, besides reporting their occurrence, most often in a popup display, TkDiff will generally attempt to "start over" and present the interactive input dialog window, allowing the user to "try again". This is part of an attempt to limit the need for what is called "console" output, particularly on platforms that often don't use one (Mac + Windows). Of course, if you always enter proper information (command line or interactively), you may never see this "new feature". In fact, if you always start from the interactive dialog, there is an even greater chance of ensuring a "retry" attempt, especially on platforms for whom a console is not uncommon (*nix).

This release is also something of a major milestone in that the arc of changes made (starting with V4.3) is now completed. Thus if there are ideas for additional capabilities, you are invited to visit the discussion and begin a conversation on what you have in mind. Naturally, should you find a problem, well ... , we cheerfully accept those too! Enjoy this latest offering, and thank you to all that have contributed their insights.