MDAPI Diff

Professional Salesforce metadata comparison tool for VS Code. Compare local MDAPI files with Salesforce org metadata instantly.

Features

• Single File Diff: Right-click any metadata file to compare with org version
• Folder Diff: Compare entire folders with multiple diff tabs opened automatically
• Smart Caching: Reduces org access requests with intelligent caching
• Whitespace-Aware: Optional whitespace-aware diff comparison
• Private Files: Retrieved org files stay in memory - never written to disk
• Backup Creation: Automatic backups when applying org changes
• Error Recovery: Comprehensive retry mechanisms and error handling
• Cancellation Support: Cancel long-running operations instantly with automatic cleanup
• Resource Management: Bulletproof cleanup of temp files, processes, and virtual documents

Supported File Types

Supports all major Salesforce metadata types including:

• Apex Classes (.cls)
• Apex Triggers (.trigger)
• Visualforce Pages (.page)
• Lightning Components (.cmp, .app)
• Custom Objects (.object)
• Flows (.flow)
• Permission Sets (.permissionset)
• And many more...

Getting Started

1. Install the extension
2. Open a Salesforce project in VS Code
3. Authenticate with your org: sf org login web
4. Right-click any metadata file and select "MDAPI Diff"
5. For folders: Right-click any folder and select "MDAPI Diff: Compare Folder with Org"

Requirements

• Salesforce CLI installed and configured
• Authenticated connection to at least one Salesforce org

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• mdapiDiff.enabled: Enable/disable the extension
• mdapiDiff.ignoreWhitespace: Ignore whitespace differences in diff view
• mdapiDiff.orgCacheDuration: Cache duration for connected orgs
• mdapiDiff.createBackups: Create backup files before applying changes
• mdapiDiff.enableCancellation: Enable cancellation support (recommended)
• mdapiDiff.logLevel: Set logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR)

Commands

• MDAPI Diff: Compare local file with org version (cancellable)
• MDAPI Diff: Compare Folder with Org: Compare entire folder with multiple diff tabs
• Select Salesforce Org: Choose which org to compare against
• Refresh Connected Orgs: Refresh the list of available orgs

Cancellation Support

All long-running operations can be cancelled instantly:

• Press ESC or click the cancel button in any progress notification
• Immediate response: Operations stop within 1-2 seconds
• Clean shutdown: All temporary files, processes, and virtual documents are cleaned up
• No side effects: System returns to a clean state, ready for the next operation
• Correlation tracking: Each operation gets a unique ID for troubleshooting

What Gets Cleaned Up

✅ External processes: Salesforce CLI commands are terminated
✅ Temporary directories: All .mdapi-diff/ folders are removed
✅ Package.xml files: Cleanup of generated metadata manifests
✅ Virtual documents: In-memory org content is disposed
✅ File handles: All open file streams are closed
✅ Backup staging: Incomplete backup operations are rolled back

Release Notes

1.0.5

Initial release with full Salesforce metadata comparison capabilities.

Enjoy comparing your Salesforce metadata! 🚀