Some settings are not exposed in the Preferences panel and must be configured from the terminal using the defaults command.
General pattern
defaults write com.visualdiffer <key> <value>
Reset to default
defaults delete com.visualdiffer <key>
Changes take effect the next time the application is launched.
Settings
Click any row in the Example column to copy the full command to the clipboard.
| Key | Default | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
alwaysResolveSymlinks |
YES | Resolve symbolic links when determining file paths. |
-bool false
|
colorsConfigPath |
— | Path to a JSON file containing a custom color configuration.
Recommended location: ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.visualdiffer |
"/path/to/vd-colors.json"
|
defaultEncoding |
UTF-8 | Default character encoding for opening text files.
The value is the CFStringEncoding integer identifier. |
-int 30
|
filesStatusBarShowMessageTimeout |
3 | Seconds a status bar message stays visible in the file diff view before the counters are restored. |
-int 5
|
foldersDifferenceNavigatorCenterInWindow |
YES | Center the selected difference in the folder comparison window when navigating. |
-bool false
|
folderViewDateFormat |
ddMMyyHHmmss |
Date and time format used in the folder diff view. Pattern syntax: Unicode Technical Standard #35 |
HHmmss
|
showNotificationWhenWindowIsOnFront |
NO | When NO, completion notifications are shown only when the app is in the background.
When YES, notifications are always shown. |
-bool true
|
showRecentDocumentsList |
NO | Show the Recent Documents popup menu on the main window. |
-bool true
|