Share Comparisons Instantly: New URL Parameter Feature

Introducing URL Parameter File Loading

We're excited to announce a powerful new feature that makes sharing and automating file comparisons easier than ever: URL Parameter File Loading. You can now load files directly into any TextCompare tool using URL parameters, enabling instant comparison sharing and automated workflows.

This feature is now available across all comparison tools:

• Text Comparison
• PDF Comparison
• Excel/Spreadsheet Comparison
• CSV Comparison
• Image Comparison

How It Works

Simply add original= and modified= parameters to any TextCompare URL with publicly accessible file URLs:

https://textcompare.com/en/?original=https://example.com/file1.txt&modified=https://example.com/file2.txt

The tool will:

1. Automatically fetch both files from the provided URLs
2. Load them into the appropriate comparison view
3. Trigger the comparison automatically (when both files load successfully)

Supported URL Formats

The feature supports various URL formats and automatically handles:

• HTTP and HTTPS URLs
• URL encoding (both encoded and plain URLs work)
• Different file types based on the tool
• CORS-enabled public URLs

Use Cases

1. Share Comparison Links

Instead of sending files back and forth, share a single link that loads both files:

https://textcompare.com/en/pdf/?original=https://mysite.com/v1.pdf&modified=https://mysite.com/v2.pdf

Perfect for:

• Code review discussions
• Document version comparisons
• Collaborative data analysis
• Bug reports with before/after screenshots

2. Automate Quality Assurance

Integrate comparisons into your CI/CD pipeline or automated testing:

# Generate comparison URL in your test scripts
COMPARISON_URL="https://textcompare.com/en/csv/?original=${EXPECTED_OUTPUT}&modified=${ACTUAL_OUTPUT}"
echo "View differences: $COMPARISON_URL"

3. Documentation and Tutorials

Embed live comparison examples in documentation:

[View the difference between versions](https://textcompare.com/en/?original=https://docs.example.com/old.txt&modified=https://docs.example.com/new.txt)

4. GitHub Integration

Compare files from GitHub repositories:

https://textcompare.com/en/?original=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/user/repo/main/file.js&modified=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/user/repo/dev/file.js

5. Cloud Storage Integration

Load files directly from cloud storage services:

https://textcompare.com/en/excel/?original=https://your-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/report-jan.xlsx&modified=https://your-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/report-feb.xlsx

Examples by Tool

Text Comparison

https://textcompare.com/en/?original=https://example.com/config-old.json&modified=https://example.com/config-new.json

Supports: .txt, .json, .xml, .html, .js, .ts, .py, .java, .docx, and more

PDF Comparison

https://textcompare.com/en/pdf/?original=https://example.com/contract-v1.pdf&modified=https://example.com/contract-v2.pdf

Supports: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .rtf, .txt, .html

Excel/Spreadsheet Comparison

https://textcompare.com/en/spreadsheet/?original=https://example.com/Q1-data.xlsx&modified=https://example.com/Q2-data.xlsx

Supports: .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm, .csv, .ods, .txt

CSV Comparison

https://textcompare.com/en/csv/?original=https://example.com/users-jan.csv&modified=https://example.com/users-feb.csv

Supports: .csv, .txt, .tsv

Image Comparison

https://textcompare.com/en/image/?original=https://example.com/design-v1.png&modified=https://example.com/design-v2.png

Supports: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .webp, .bmp, .svg, and many more formats

Important Considerations

CORS Requirements

For security reasons, the files you want to load must be accessible via CORS-enabled URLs. The server hosting the files needs to allow cross-origin requests.

If you encounter CORS errors, consider:

• Using a CORS proxy service
• Hosting files on CORS-enabled platforms (GitHub Pages, AWS S3 with CORS, etc.)
• Using the traditional file upload method

Privacy & Security

• Files are fetched directly from the URLs you provide
• All processing happens in your browser
• No data is sent to our servers unless you explicitly choose to save the comparison online
• URLs are visible in the browser address bar, so only use publicly accessible files

URL Encoding

URLs are automatically decoded, but for best results:

• Use properly encoded URLs (e.g., %20 for spaces)
• Avoid special characters in filenames when possible
• URLs can be passed both encoded and unencoded

Technical Implementation

This feature was carefully implemented with:

• Comprehensive error handling - Clear error messages for network issues, CORS errors, HTTP errors, and invalid files
• Parallel loading - Both files are fetched simultaneously for faster performance
• Smart comparison triggering - Automatic comparison only when both files successfully load
• Type safety - Full TypeScript support with proper error handling
• Browser compatibility - Works across all modern browsers

Getting Started

Try it out now with these example comparisons:

Or create your own comparison URL:

1. Choose a comparison tool (text, PDF, Excel, CSV, or image)
2. Get publicly accessible URLs for your files
3. Construct the URL: https://textcompare.com/en/[tool]/?original=[url1]&modified=[url2]
4. Share the link!

What's Next?

We're continuously improving TextCompare to make file comparisons faster, easier, and more powerful. Here are some upcoming enhancements:

• Support for loading files from more cloud storage providers
• Batch comparison URLs for multiple file pairs
• Saved comparison templates
• API access for programmatic comparisons

Feedback

We'd love to hear how you're using this feature! If you have suggestions, encounter issues, or want to share your use case, please reach out through our GitHub Issues or contact us.

Try URL Parameter Loading Now

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This feature is available immediately across all TextCompare tools. No account or registration required.