Re: [xml-dev] XML Diff

[Robin LaFontaine <robin@deltaxml.com>]

Fraser,

Do check out DeltaXML again - we have much lower pricing now, recently 
revised! [1]. There is also a free web based interface [2].

DeltaXML does not compare 'ignorable whitespace' and it is not DOM 
based, so can handle larger files (Gb or more if you have the memory, 
and it is quite efficient in its use of memory [3]). There are also 
facilities to use keys, handle orderless data etc so quite a few useful 
options, and of course the output is in XML so processing the result is 
easy.

Let me know if you need anything further.

Best regards,
Robin
[1] http://www.deltaxml.com/dxml/pricing/
[2] http://www.deltaxml.com/free/compare/
[3] http://www.deltaxml.com/dxml/library/how-to-compare-large-files.html

matthew pickard wrote:
> I never been impresses with any XML aware diff tools. You say 
> Canonical XML... This betrays set issues.  What exactly does the the 
> diff tool do.   Is it tree based?  Does it use a DOM?  Then you are 
> comparing two DOMs.  Where they validated?  Then there's the 
> whitespace issue, is it ignorable, or significant.  Still on the 
> validation subject what about default values (DTD FIXED), or if you 
> have schema are you going to be comparing to PSVIs.  Oh..., and is it 
> going to resolve your entities...
>
> These and many similar questions aside... Just what sort of XML are 
> you going to compare, what does if describe.... Is it a regular 
> relational type structure, is it mixed content and narrative in 
> nature.  In the first case order may not be significant, and in the 
> later it will.  In both cases whitespace too will play a different 
> roles...
>
> I once worked with an analyst who wrote his own XSLT diff tool.  It 
> was fine because within his domain of discourse, differences and 
> equality had a very restricted sense.    
>
> In my favorite XML IDE there is a diff tool.  You can chose a number 
> of modes, XML aware, line, character etc...  But often I fined plan 
> old text base best.
>
> My advice... If you can roll your own, or just used a vanilla diffing tool
>
> best regards
>
> Matt
>
> On 30/07/07, *Richard Salz* < rsalz@us.ibm.com 
> <mailto:rsalz@us.ibm.com>> wrote:
>
>     > I will [probably] also be interested in XML cananonicalization (I
>     > have a copy - which I slightly modified - of James Clarke's), so if
>     > anyone knows of any good source for this process also ?
>
>     Check out the implementation of C14N that's part of various XML
>     security
>     libraries.
>
>             /r$
>
>     --
>     STSM, Senior Security Architect
>     DataPower SOA Appliances
>     http://www.ibm.com/software/integration/datapower/
>     <http://www.ibm.com/software/integration/datapower/>
>
>
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-- 
-- ---------------------------------------------------
Robin La Fontaine    DeltaXML: "Change control for XML"
Email: robin@deltaxml.com      http://www.deltaxml.com
Free XML comparison service http://compare.deltaxml.com