Comment comparison

Source pin: 7338078f8ddd924b8cddee35f512f2286072136d. The original src/Resources/ignorecomments.txt is bundled unchanged with blob/SHA-256 provenance in the shared Core resource directory. Its extension profiles retain literal delimiters, including SQL's required space after --. Profile selection uses Base, Mine, Theirs precedence. Unknown extensions disable Ignore Comments. IgnoreComments defaults to false and is saved alongside comparison options.

The UTF-16 stripper ports FileTextLines.cpp::StripComments/IsInsideString. Each source has independent multiline-block state. Comments are removed from comparison keys before regex, whitespace and case conversion. Original source text, ending styles, encoding metadata, numbered rows and save/transfer data remain untouched. Both native viewers expose the command through the shared Comparison menu; three-pane changes retain the dirty Save/discard/Cancel path.

The source deliberately uses a fast quote-count heuristic, not a language lexer. It does not handle escaped/multiline strings completely, and its single-quote scan advances through double quotes. Those behaviors are preserved. A quoted line marker can also prevent removal of a later actual comment on that line. The macOS port adds cancellation, iteration/time/input limits; failures are reported instead of trapping preparation in an unbounded loop.

Grouped evidence: 26 Core tests passed, including profile lookup, literal SQL markers, quoted delimiters, Unicode, independent multiline state, cancellation and real engine filtering before regex. The unsigned Debug build completed with existing diagnostics. Both native receivers passed in one compilation/process, including recognized C++ support, saved Ignore Comments, actual comment-only differences becoming filtered rows, unchanged input files and existing editing/save/Undo/cancellation checks. Actual framework profile bytes and SHA-256 were verified. All owned windows/helpers exited. See qa/comment-comparison-2026-10-12.json.

Custom profiles and Settings

The comparison batch now also reads a user ignorecomments.txt from TurtleGitMerge in the macOS Application Support directory (the private container in Store builds). As in MainFrm.cpp::LoadIgnoreCommentData, an existing file replaces the entire extension map. A missing file uses the unchanged bundled profile; macOS creates a custom file only when the user applies an edit.

Merge Editor Settings provides Ignore Comments and Edit Comment Profiles with a monospaced editor, source-format instructions, Restore Defaults and draft OK/Cancel. The outer Apply/Cancel transaction controls persistence. SQL's trailing marker space is retained. Validation rejects incomplete block pairs, invalid UTF-8/NUL and files over 128 KiB. Invalid UTF-8 or oversized external files need correction outside Settings; malformed UTF-8 definitions can be repaired in the editor. The save checks the captured text to reject an intervening external edit and uses an atomic replacement. A failed profile save leaves other merge preferences unsaved. This is optimistic stale-edit detection, not an external-editor lock.

Both viewers capture custom definitions on Reload. Two-pane typing reuses its captured map rather than reading Application Support on every keystroke. Three-pane Cancel retains the previous result and profile support; successful reload changes them together through the existing Save/discard/Cancel flow. These definitions change comparison keys only, never original contents. The settings-file path is injectable for private native fixtures.

Grouped file-profile validation passed 28 Core checks. Both native viewers passed in the combined receiver, including custom marker changes, replacement-map extension support, restoring defaults and three-pane dirty Cancel/discard. The initial native attempts exposed an existing Unicode selection collapse. The repair consumes caret/selection requests once and preserves native selection in source coordinates while using the current alignment during hosting updates; the final receiver passed selection, Undo/Redo and save checks. See the batch record. Physical interaction with the new Settings editor remains unverified.

Remaining: exhaustive source-heuristic edge equivalence, full language parsing if intentionally added later, physical menu and source-layout comparison, complete captures, signed helpers/bookmarks and App Store acceptance. This does not certify complete TortoiseGitMerge parity.