The settings menu was reorganised in Draftable Legal 26.6. If you are on 26.6 or later, follow the “26.6 and later” tabs below. On earlier versions, follow “Before 26.6”. To check your version, open Settings. The version number shows at the bottom-left (for example, v26.6.0).
Note:This article was updated in January 2025 to reflect major changes to Bulk Compare’s file loading interface and functionality in our December 2024 release (v24.12.0)
Video Resource
A guide to using the older version of Bulk Compare (before v24.12.0) is included in our specially crafted explainer video.
How to enable the ‘Bulk Compare’ setting and turn on ‘Bulk Compare’ mode
To get started with Bulk Compare, you will first need to enable the feature in your settings.1
Open Draftable Legal and go to the Settings menu in the top right corner of the New Comparison Window.
- 26.6 and later
- Before 26.6
2
Go to the ‘General’ section on the left hand side menu, and click the Show Bulk Compare option check box.
3
Once the check box is selected, close the Settings menu and click the Bulk Compare toggle on the New Comparison Window.
How to load files in Bulk Compare mode
File loading for Bulk Compare is designed to be intuitive and flexible. Individual files can be added either as Older or Newer documents, but once they are loaded can be easily rearranged however necessary to reflect the pairs and ordering needed. Files can be loaded into Draftable when Bulk Compare mode is enabled via:- Local file browsing
- From your Document Management System (DMS)
- From recently compared files
- Via Drag and Drop.
Loading via local file browsing
1
Click the Browse folder icon (shown in the screenshot below) for either the Older Document(s) or Newer Document(s).
2
Draftable will open the windows file explorer menu, where you can select all documents required for bulk comparison and hit Open to add to Draftable. *Note, you are able to select multiple files at once by holding ‘Ctrl’ and clicking each individual file or by holding the ‘Shift’ key and selecting the first and last files in the desired list.
3
In the current Matched Pairs layout, selecting one file places it in the slot you chose. Selecting several files runs automatic matching when Automatic version ordering is on. With it off, a multi-file selection from a slot stacks in Older documents, one file per row. You can drag files into the pairs you need.
Loading files from your Document Management System (DMS)
In Bulk Compare mode, you can load files from your Document Management System via the DMS icon inside Draftable or via your DMS application’s file loading options.Load DMS files via the icon in Draftable
1
Click the DMS cloud icon (shown in the screenshot below) for either the Older Document(s) or Newer Document(s).
Note:Draftable will automatically detect which DMS you have enabled and open the file selection menu. If you have multiple DMS integrations enabled, Draftable will choose the ‘priority DMS’ based on the following hierarchy: *iManage > NetDocuments > SharePoint > Epona. This means if you have iManage and SharePoint enabled, the DMS cloud icon will only open the iManage file selection menu.
2
Select the files using your Document Management System file selection menu. You can select as many files at once as you need providing multi selection is supported by your DMS browsing interface).Example of iManage file selection menu:
3
In the current Matched Pairs layout, selecting one file places it in the slot you chose. Selecting several files runs automatic matching when Automatic version ordering is on. Versions of the same DMS document are grouped together, so selecting versions of several documents does not mix those documents into pairs. Check the resulting pairs and drag files into place if needed.
Load DMS files from your DMS
You can also use the file loading options in your Document Management System to load files when Bulk Compare Mode is enabled. For guidance on how to load files from your DMS, see the relevant guides below:Launching comparisons from within iManage
Launching comparisons from within NetDocuments
Launching Comparisons from SharePoint
Running comparisons with files from Epona and saving outputs to Epona
Load recently compared files
1
Click the Recent icon (shown in the screenshot below) for either the Older Document(s) or Newer Document(s).
2
Select the recently compare files you wish to compare. You can select as many files as you wish.
3
When you add recent files to a specific column in the current Matched Pairs layout, Draftable keeps them in that column. With Automatic version ordering on, it can match them with files already in the opposite column. Drag files between slots if you need to change the pairs.
How to compare files in Bulk Compare mode
Automatic version ordering in Matched Pairs
Available from version 26.10.0 With Automatic version ordering on under Settings > Compare Selector, Draftable matches newly added files with each other and with unpaired files already loaded. For example, addingContract v5.docx can place it opposite an unpaired Contract v4.docx. Adding files keeps existing complete pairs and files you placed by hand in place.
Draftable uses the DMS document identity and version history, or clues in local file names, to find and order matches. It recognises version labels such as v2, v 2 and v. 2. A trailing Base after at least two name words, such as Supply Agreement Base, can identify the original. A trailing copy number such as (1) can identify a later copy when stronger clues do not decide the order. Files can also match when they share at least two name words before the version, even if the text after it differs. DMS version numbers are compared by their parts, so 1.10 follows 1.9.
Draftable leaves uncertain matches unpaired to avoid comparing the wrong documents. For a batch added without choosing a column, unpaired files stack in Older documents. With ordering off, all files in that batch stack there, one per row. With ordering on, a batch of more than two files with no matches also stacks there. An explicit column choice keeps files in that column.
Check every pair before comparing. You can try Sort files into version order to reconsider the whole grid, then place any files that remain unpaired by hand, or remove them from the batch.
Sort files into version order and undo a sort
Available from version 26.10.0 In the Newer documents header, Sort files into version order rechecks the whole grid. It can change existing pairs and manual placements when the matching evidence is strong; uncertain matches may remain unchanged. The button is shown when automatic ordering is on and more than one row contains files. After a sort changes the arrangement, Undo sort restores the previous arrangement while keeping files added afterwards. Use it before manually moving, replacing or removing files, because a manual change makes that undo unavailable. After adding files automatically creates pairs, the undo button can instead read Undo automatic pairing. The sort and undo icons appear in the Newer documents column header beside the swap and clear icons. Hover over them to see Sort files into version order and Undo sort. After you use Undo sort, its icon disappears. Both controls are unavailable when Automatic version ordering is off.
Comparing multiple discrete pairs of documents
1
To compare multiple discrete pairs of documents in Bulk Compare mode, start by loading the desired files into Draftable.
2
Once these are loaded, simply rearrange your files so that the desired pairs of Older and Newer Documents are aligned.
3
To confirm that your arrangement will compare files as discrete pairings, you should see individual bi-directional arrows between the Older and Newer Documents (see picture below).
4
Once your files Select your preferred Comparison Type - e.g. “Redline (.pdf)”, “Redline (Word with Tracked Changes)”, etc and settings ‘Profile’.
5
Click Compare.
Comparing one Older Document against multiple Newer Documents
1
To compare one Older Document against multiple Newer Documents, start by loading the relevant files into Draftable.
2
Once these are loaded, simply rearrange your files so that the desired Older Document is on the left and the Newer Documents are on the right.
3
Draftable will indicate with arrows in the middle that all Newer Documents will be compared against your one Older Document (see below example where the Airbnb file v1 is compared against v2 and v3).
4
Once your files Select your preferred Comparison Type - e.g. “Redline (.pdf)”, “Redline (Word with Tracked Changes)”, etc and settings ‘Profile’.
5
Click Compare.
Comparing multiple Older Documents against one Newer Document
1
The same approach above can be used to compare multiple Older Documents against a single Newer Document. First, load the Documents you wish to compare into Draftable.
2
Once your documents are loaded, rearrange them as needed by dragging and dropping them into place, ensuring your have only one file on the right side under the Newer Document(s). Note: you can place the one Newer Document in any position on the right side - see picture below).
3
Once your files Select your preferred Comparison Type - e.g. “Redline (.pdf)”, “Redline (Word with Tracked Changes)”, etc and settings ‘Profile’.
4
Click Compare
Actions after the comparisons are completed
After the comparison is complete, Draftable Legal supports directly saving all output files to your local computer or opening them individually in the comparison viewer to review and take any ‘next action’ (save to DMS, copy to clipboard, email, print).Action 1: Save all output files to your computer
1
From the Comparison finished window select all the comparisons that are intended to be saved, then click Save.
2
In the popup menu, you can specify the save location by selecting the ”…” button (pictured).
3
Once opened, the Select Folder pop-up will allow you to navigate to the folder that the comparison outputs are to be saved in, then click Select Folder.
4
Select the files you wish to save (you can choose to save the Older and Newer input files for each comparison as well as the comparison output in the form of Tracked Changes, Redline Docx and Redline PDF).
5
Select whether you wish to save the files only, save the files into a zipped folder, or save both the files and a zipped folder of the files.
6
Select Save.
Action 2: Open comparison outputs individually for review & next action
1
From the Comparison finished window click Open on the desired comparison output to review it in the comparison viewer. Redline .pdf comparisons and Side by Side comparisons will open in the Draftable viewer and Redline (Word with Tracked Changes) will open in MS Word.
2
After a comparison has been opened, its status will appear in the Comparison finished window will change to Opened.