idlastro / Database Procedures: DBCOMPARE

[Source code]

NAME
DBCOMPARE
PURPOSE
Display two entries in an IDL database side by side in a column format
CALLING SEQUENCE
dbcompare, list1, list2, [items, TEXTOUT= , /DIFF]  
INPUTS
list1 - Integer scalar giving first entry number to be compared.
list2 - Integer scalar giving second entry number to be compared.
OPTIONAL INPUT-OUTPUT
items - items to be compared, if not supplied then all items will be
     compared.    The items can be specified in any of the following ways:
        form 1  scalar string giving item(s) as list of names
                separated by commas
        form 2  string array giving list of item names
        form 3  string of form '$filename' giving name
                of text file containing items (one item per line)                      line)
        form 4  integer scalar giving single item number or
                integer vector list of item numbers
        form 5  Null string specifying interactive selection.   This
                is the default if 'items' is not supplied
        form 6  '*'     select all items (= default)
       If items was undefined or a null string on input, then
       on output it will contain the items interactively selected.
OPTIONAL INPUT KEYWORDS
/DIFF - If this keyword is set and non-zero, then only the items 
        in the database that differ will be printed
TEXTOUT -  Scalar Integer (1-7) Used to determine output device.   See
          TEXTOPEN for more info.
SYSTEM VARIABLES
Output device controlled by non-standard system variable !TEXTOUT, if 
TEXTOUT keyword is not used.    
EXAMPLE
Display entries 3624 and 3625 in column form showing only the items
that differ.
          IDL> dbcompare,3624,3625,/diff
PROCEDURES USED
DB_INFO(), DB_ITEM, DB_ITEM_INFO(), DBRD, DBXVAL()
TEXTOPEN, TEXTCLOSE
HISTORY
Written,  W. Landsman            July 1996
Fix documentation, add Syntax display    W. Landsman   November 1998   
Replace DATATYPE() with size(/TNAME)   W. Landsman    November 2001
Assume since V5.5, remove VMS call  W. Landsman       September 2006
Fix problem with multiple values when /DIFF set W. Landsman April 2007