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My favorite pandoc hack is using it to convert word docs into markdown which can then be diffed similar to source code. Works great for legal redlining.
by koolba 8y ago
My favorite pandoc hack is using it to convert word docs into markdown which can then be diffed similar to source code. Works great for legal redlining.
- flatline 8y agoDo Word’s native diff features not work for you?
- copperx 8y agoDiff works great in Word.
- unsignedint 8y agoAnother option I recommend comparing two Word docs (and just about anything) is Beyond Compare.[0] It's the software you would have to buy, but if you have to compare files a lot I would highly recommend it. (Runs on multiple platforms, too.) [0]: https://www.scootersoftware.com https://www.scootersoftware.com
- TuringTest 8y agoWinMerge does the same, and it's open source. It's only for Windows, though. http://winmerge.org/ http://winmerge.org/
- unsignedint 8y agoYeah, WinMerge a nice tool, too. Aside from multi platform, BC has things like CSV compare and marking unimportant changes are fairly robust. I do personally prefer open source myself, but BC is certainly one of the few that I didn't mind paying for.
- lucb1e 8y agoCan you diff two Word docs with Word? Afaik you can only hit the "track changes" button, which doesn't help if you got a new version of a document from someone else.
- raws 8y agoCompletely new to this: so you're highlighting the differences between two documents in word? say 2 terms of service 1 old and 1 new?
- coldtea 8y agoYes
- PhasmaFelis 8y agoHmmm. Wonder what "track changes" does if you Ctrl-A highlight the entire old doc, and paste the entire new doc over it. (I imagine it registers it as one huge change, rather than tracking a zillion individual changes, but it might be interesting to try.)
- TuringTest 8y agoIt does exactly that. I don't know why someone downvoted you for that comment.
- Terretta 8y agoTools, Track Changes, Compare Documents ... https://support.office.com/en-us/article/compare-and-merge-two-versions-of-a-document-f5059749-a797-4db7-a8fb-b3b27eb8b87e https://support.office.com/en-us/article/compare-and-merge-t... Had this forever, here's a visual on old version of Word: http://www.techyard.net/how-to-compare-two-word-documents-and-find-differences/ http://www.techyard.net/how-to-compare-two-word-documents-an... For more advanced, try legal blacklining: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/compare-document-differences-using-the-legal-blackline-option-dbfc7351-4022-43a2-a0c4-54d1898702a0 https://support.office.com/en-us/article/compare-document-di... Or combine multiple sources of a similar document: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/combine-documents-f8f07f09-4461-4376-b041-89ad67412cfe https://support.office.com/en-us/article/combine-documents-f...
- psychometry 8y agoDoes it come up with the right semantic content for lists and tables?
- d99kris 8y agoAgree, and it can be nicely integrated with Git: http://blog.martinfenner.org/2014/08/25/using-microsoft-word-with-git/ http://blog.martinfenner.org/2014/08/25/using-microsoft-word...
- tomrod 8y ago> legal redlining Is this underlining, and not redlining as defined in financial services? (redlining: differential pricing based on demographic makeup of a zip code or neighborhood)
- prdonahue 8y agoRedline as in how strikethrough appears in Word. It's a colloquial term.
- URSpider94 8y agoAttorneys and business folks use it to mean “marked up” - a redlined contract has additions in red, and removals in red with red lines through them.
- h4b4n3r0 8y agoOP was referring to diffing changes between the original and modified version of a legal document (typically a contract).
- amelius 8y agoTrying pandoc on a word doc gives me: # pandoc test.doc -o test.pdf pandoc: Unknown reader: doc Pandoc can convert from DOCX, but not from DOC.