How to Compare Document Revisions | Web

How to Compare Document Revisions | Web

How do I compare two revisions of the same drawing?

Quick answer: Open the drawing in the Document Register, click Compare, select the second revision from the dropdown, and click Compare again. The overlay highlights differences in red and blue, with shared elements shown in black.

Notes
This feature is only available on PDF Documents

Interactive Demo

Info
"For the best experience, hover over the bottom right corner of the demo to enable fullscreen."


Steps

1. Navigate to the menu bar and click Document Register under Document Control



2. Select the drawing you want to compare revisions for
3. Click Compare



4. From the dropdown list, select the second revision you want to compare against the first

compare revisions

5. Click Compare



What to expect

The two revisions will appear overlaid on screen using a colour-coded system:

  • 🔴 Red — content from the first (newer) revision
  • 🔵 Blue — content from the second (older) revision
  • Black — elements common to both revisions

This makes it easy to spot exactly what has changed, been added, or removed between the two versions.




Common issues

Problem: The Compare option is not available for a document
Cause: The comparison feature only works with PDF documents — other file types are not supported
Fix: Ensure the drawing is uploaded and stored as a PDF before attempting to compare revisions


Problem: Only one revision appears in the dropdown
Cause: The drawing has not yet had more than one revision uploaded to the register
Fix: Upload an additional revision to the document before using the compare feature


Sending the comparison by email

To share the comparison with others:

  1. Select Attach Comparison from within the comparison view
  2. A new email window will open with the comparison already attached
  3. Compose your message and send as normal


Also known as

Revision comparison, drawing diff, compare drawing versions, overlay revisions, PDF revision overlay, document version comparison, compare PDF drawings, drawing change tracking




    • Related Articles

    • How to Compare Two PDF Documents and Highlight Differences | Web

      Commnia provides a powerful feature allowing you to compare two PDF documents and highlight the difference, changes quickly and easily. 1. Access Document Register 2. Within Document Register, Select Files and Compare Once you select the two files, ...
    • How to Compare Document Revisions with Markups in a Workflow

      Users have the ability to compare revisions in workflow along with the comments from previous workflows. Navigate to the menu bar icon and click Document Approval Workflow under Document Control. Select the Workflow Category and Document that you ...
    • How to Change a Document to the Latest Revision | Web

      Only Administrators or Document Controllers can change any uploaded documents to become the latest revision. 1. Access Document Register Navigate to the menu bar icon and click Document Register under Document Control. The green checkmark next to the ...
    • Upload Revised Documents to the Document Register | Web

      Purpose Commnia offers the flexibility to upload files of any size, including various formats such as PDF, DWG, CAD, MS Excel spreadsheets, MS Word, photos etc. Uploading revised documents to the register is a straightforward process: users simply ...
    • How to Attach a Package to an Email via Document Register | Web

      When a document package is created in the document register, users can attach these packages when composing a new email. Click here to learn how to create a Package. 1. Access Document Register Navigate to the menu bar icon and click Document ...