> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://jadelab.gitbook.io/jadegit/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://jadelab.gitbook.io/jadegit/0.18.0/developers/branches/compare.md).

# Compare

The functionality in JadeGit allows you to view commit details and compare commits in any history view.

## View Commit Details

Use the **View Commit Details** option in the context menu for a selected commit to see detailed information, including the author, message, date, and files changed. The differences displayed are based on a comparison with the commit’s parent.

<figure><img src="/files/hrXYpg49tgFCfvLrp35g" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Compare Commits

Use the **Compare Commits** option in the context menu to view differences between two commits in the history, selected while holding Ctrl.

<figure><img src="/files/b6XNqeq70PBeJORJgvNB" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

You can use the **Switch Commits** option to swap the comparison order and see changes in either direction.

## Extract Patch

The **Extract Patch** dialog can be opened from the menus on the **View Commit Details** and **Compare Commits** forms.

It enables you to generate a Jade patch based on the commit or comparison currently shown. When using **Compare Commits**, if the comparison direction has been reversed using **Switch Commits**, this can be used to undo changes.

<figure><img src="/files/nZUQpENsJPajxQCVK4lq" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

If **User Name** and **Patch Number** are left blank, for each schema entity in the patch, the author and ID of the last commit that updated it are combined as the *modified by* user name. If a **User Name** is specified, that value is used for all entities in the patch.

To streamline subsequent extracts, the last-used **Output Folder** and **User Name** are stored in the initialization file under the `JadeGit` section (`PatchExtractDirectory` and `PatchExtractUserName`).

### Target Platform Version

By default, patches are generated for the current platform version. If required, this can be overridden by defining `PatchExtractPlatformVersion` in the `JadeGit` section of the initialization file.

This can be useful when developers are using a newer version locally but need to extract patches for an environment running an earlier version.

```ini
[JadeGit]
PatchExtractPlatformVersion=22.0.05
```