Microsoft XML Diff/Patch -- how to output differences

[Steve Hershoff]

Thanks to this newsgroup I've been pointed to Microsoft's XML Diff & Patch
utilities. I've been reading about how I can use the tools to generate a
diffgram between two XML documents, and how the XML Patch utility can (for
example) bring document A in line with document B. Very cool.

However, I was wondering if there's any way I can use the diffgram to
generate something else; a third type of document that highlights the
differences between the the input docs and is a little more readable than a
diffgram would be ideal. Where I can see actual node names instead of node
match numbers, for instance.

Even if I could get a document that shows what XML Patch would do; the new
nodes added, or nodes deleted, or values changed, I'd be happy. The XML
patch demo site at http://apps.gotdotnet.com/xmltools/xmldiff/default.aspx
has a nice colored comparison between the two files, and would be terrific
for my purposes, but I can't find any source code on how they did it.

Has anyone done something like this before? I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks!

[Ken Arway]

Steve Hershoff wrote:

Even if I could get a document that shows what XML Patch would do; the new
nodes added, or nodes deleted, or values changed, I'd be happy. The XML
patch demo site at http://apps.gotdotnet.com/xmltools/xmldiff/default.aspx
has a nice colored comparison between the two files, and would be terrific
for my purposes, but I can't find any source code on how they did it.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ml/xmldiff.asp

explains using the DiffPatch tool and has a link to download Xmldiffpatch.exe which contains the source.

Note that there are a few bugs (as posted in the discussion forums). You can also download my ComXT tool from
http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/U...D-48A81BE0298F

for an example of using the XmlDiffPatch DLLs (and contains my modified XmlDiffPatch DLLs which correct a couple of the bugs).

--
Take care,
Ken
(to reply directly, remove the cool car. <sigh>)

[Steve Hershoff]

This looks great, Ken. Many thanks.

As an aside, I'm wondering if it's possible for me to tweak things, so that
two XML files are "different" only if they have extra or missing nodes.

As an example, if two documents had two nodes at the same point in their
trees that looked like this:

document 1:
<add key="Contact" value="jo*@myspace.com"/>
document 2:
<add key="Contact" value="da***@craigslist.org"/>
.....I'd like to consider them as not different.

.. I'm more interested in the structure, not value content, of the files.
I've browsed the source code for XML diff and it's a little daunting, so I
was wondering if anyone knew which sections I might zero in on to accomplish
this, if it's possible. Thanks again.


"Ken Arway" <ka****@jaguar.att.netwrote in message
news:uI**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

Steve Hershoff wrote:

>Even if I could get a document that shows what XML Patch would do; the
new nodes added, or nodes deleted, or values changed, I'd be happy. The
XML patch demo site at
http://apps.gotdotnet.com/xmltools/xmldiff/default.aspx has a nice
colored comparison between the two files, and would be terrific for my
purposes, but I can't find any source code on how they did it.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ml/xmldiff.asp

explains using the DiffPatch tool and has a link to download
Xmldiffpatch.exe which contains the source.

Note that there are a few bugs (as posted in the discussion forums). You
can also download my ComXT tool from
http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/U...D-48A81BE0298F

for an example of using the XmlDiffPatch DLLs (and contains my modified
XmlDiffPatch DLLs which correct a couple of the bugs).

--
Take care,
Ken
(to reply directly, remove the cool car. <sigh>)

[Ganesh Muthuvelu]

Steve,
If you are intertested in the structure only, then should you not use the
XML DIff tool to compare the XSD of the XML and not the XML data itself?.

"Steve Hershoff" wrote:

This looks great, Ken. Many thanks.

As an aside, I'm wondering if it's possible for me to tweak things, so that
two XML files are "different" only if they have extra or missing nodes.

As an example, if two documents had two nodes at the same point in their
trees that looked like this:

document 1:
<add key="Contact" value="jo*@myspace.com"/>
document 2:
<add key="Contact" value="da***@craigslist.org"/>
.....I'd like to consider them as not different.

.. I'm more interested in the structure, not value content, of the files.
I've browsed the source code for XML diff and it's a little daunting, so I
was wondering if anyone knew which sections I might zero in on to accomplish
this, if it's possible. Thanks again.


"Ken Arway" <ka****@jaguar.att.netwrote in message
news:uI**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

Steve Hershoff wrote:

Even if I could get a document that shows what XML Patch would do; the
new nodes added, or nodes deleted, or values changed, I'd be happy. The
XML patch demo site at
http://apps.gotdotnet.com/xmltools/xmldiff/default.aspx has a nice
colored comparison between the two files, and would be terrific for my
purposes, but I can't find any source code on how they did it.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ml/xmldiff.asp

explains using the DiffPatch tool and has a link to download
Xmldiffpatch.exe which contains the source.

Note that there are a few bugs (as posted in the discussion forums). You
can also download my ComXT tool from
http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/U...D-48A81BE0298F

for an example of using the XmlDiffPatch DLLs (and contains my modified
XmlDiffPatch DLLs which correct a couple of the bugs).

--
Take care,
Ken
(to reply directly, remove the cool car. <sigh>)

[Steve Hershoff]

Hi Ganesh,

Does the XML Diff tool output an XSD? I thought it only created a DiffGram.
"Ganesh Muthuvelu" <Ga*************@discussions.microsoft.comwrote in
message news:22**********************************@microsof t.com...

Steve,
If you are intertested in the structure only, then should you not use the
XML DIff tool to compare the XSD of the XML and not the XML data itself?.

[Sanjib Biswas]

Hi Ken,

I am also interested in similar tool but as I understand that XML
diff/patch tool does the diff/patching automatically. But I would like to
give this decision to the end user to decide which node out of the 2 XML
file they want to select in the merged XML file, just like clearcase
xmldiffmrg.exe tool for merging XML files. Do you think it can be possible
to tailored XML diff/patch tool to do this job?

Regards
Sanjib

"Ken Arway" <ka****@jaguar.att.netwrote in message
news:uI**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

Steve Hershoff wrote:

>Even if I could get a document that shows what XML Patch would do; the
new nodes added, or nodes deleted, or values changed, I'd be happy. The
XML patch demo site at
http://apps.gotdotnet.com/xmltools/xmldiff/default.aspx has a nice
colored comparison between the two files, and would be terrific for my
purposes, but I can't find any source code on how they did it.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ml/xmldiff.asp

explains using the DiffPatch tool and has a link to download
Xmldiffpatch.exe which contains the source.

Note that there are a few bugs (as posted in the discussion forums). You
can also download my ComXT tool from
http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/U...D-48A81BE0298F

for an example of using the XmlDiffPatch DLLs (and contains my modified
XmlDiffPatch DLLs which correct a couple of the bugs).

--
Take care,
Ken
(to reply directly, remove the cool car. <sigh>)

[Ken Arway]

Sanjib Biswas wrote:

I am also interested in similar tool but as I understand that XML
diff/patch tool does the diff/patching automatically. But I would like to
give this decision to the end user to decide which node out of the 2 XML
file they want to select in the merged XML file, just like clearcase
xmldiffmrg.exe tool for merging XML files. Do you think it can be possible
to tailored XML diff/patch tool to do this job?

I doubt that can be done, but the best place to ask the question is in the Extreme XML Column Discussions on GotDotNet:

http://www.gotdotnet.com/community/m...rd.aspx?id=207

--
Take care,
Ken
(to reply directly, remove the cool car. <sigh>)

[Naveen Murali]

Hi,
I am working on a functionality wherein the user can approve of reject
the changes made to an xml file (say, old.xml)and create a new xml file
(new.xml) with all the approved changes.

The only difference between my application and the xml diff/patch
application is that the diff/patch utility consideres all changes to be
approved and creates the new.xml. I would like to add one layer in
between and give the user the ability to approve or reject. Any ideas
in this regard will be very much appriciated.

Thanks
Naveen

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