Tool or library for comparing xml files

Question

I am looking for an XML comparing tool that understands xml. It cannot be a line by line comparision like WinMerge or Beyond Compare.

An ideal solution would be one that shows changes similar to the way Word 2007 shows track changes. DeltaXML does this, but does not come with a real GUI 'out of the box' and is $500 per user!:

ExamXml works out of the box but displays the differences in a confusing manner. It does not have a concept of before and after, it just shows the differences:

_{(source: a7soft.com)}

The tool should have the concept of using attributes as a key, so that it does not think that a reordered list of elements has changed. DeltaXML does this but I failed to set it up correctly for the screen shot.

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UPDATE:

So far ExamlXML is the best out of the box solution. But it lacks the change management concepts of DeltaXML. Resulting in some usability problems.

DeltaXML is pretty much the solution I need, but something with more functionality out of the box would be better. DeltaXML requires writing java code to call the api, along with writing XSL to transform the xml into the expected input.

Solution 1

If I understand your problem, you likely have an application that uses XML files as the data storage and the GUI abstracts the "technical" tag names into "user friendly" labels - again, I am assuming. So it would be a natural extension to view differences in a similar way. I am also assuming your application doesn't have a diff facility that follows the "abstraction" concept.

I did some searching and found one app (ExamXML) that seems to come close with highlighting features. I downloaded the eval version and tested your files against it:

http://www.programmedintheusa.com/images/stack547399.png

It does a pretty good job of highlighting the differences. It seems pretty interactive and pops up with how many differences. It looks like you can change the colors it uses, so maybe you can use grays and whites to de-emphasize the tags. It also seems to have a lot of options that you can pre-set for your users as well.

I want to note that you will be hard pressed to find an XML comparison tool that will not show the tag names, as the tags are what give the content context. If you take away context, it becomes difficult to understand the data being displayed. Anyhow, maybe this tool might be helpful. Have you also tried to show your users some of these tools and see what they are willing to tolerate, sometimes they may surprise you. Hope this helps!

Solution 2

I am very surprised nobody mentioned Microsoft's XML NotePad

It's free and it can create a pretty good comparison, telling which elements/attributes have changed, moved, been deleted, etc.:

(Sorry if the screenshots are a little wide).

You can also apply XLSes to the XML file and do various editing operations. Well worth a try.

Solution 3

SourceGear's DiffMerge is free for a single-user:

http://www.sourcegear.com/diffmerge/

Solution 4

Altova diffDog XML Spy and diffDog are exceptional tools. Pry them from my cold dead hands, kinda stuff.

Solution 5

I might try DeltaXML + an XSLT transform to get the specific result that you want. One problem with using plain-text compare tools with XML is that the physical form of an XML document (its indenting, etc.) can change even if the content itself doesn't, which could lead to a lot of false positives. DeltaXML is a very good tool for comparing document-based XML.

Also, depending on the editor your users use, it may have XML differencing built-in. For example, Arbortext Editor has a good tool that shows the text (not the tags) with changes highlighted / struck-through.

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Comments

[BobbyShaftoe]

Who is downvoting all the answers to this question? Pretty childish.

[Diuter]

I upvoted a number of them myself, as I feel that all the utilities mentioned are quality applications that nontechnical people could handle with some training.

[CodingWithSpike]

I have 1/2 of a solution to this implemented already in .NET (currently merges XML files, but part of that is diffing them to see what to merge). I could 1-off a copy that does what you want, if you want to better define the output: Graphical or text only? command line or win? *nix, win or mac?

[VichitraVij]

First off Jeff, you are the man! Anyway, its a little late but I will elaborate. My client has users that author content (write books) in a GUI app that looks like Word, but saves content in XML format. But the app does not have a diff or track change tool. So they went with ExamXML for this. :)

[VichitraVij]

Thanks for the link. I ran the utility on some files that the user would of, and the compare output was a nice format. Unfortunately it inaccurately marked some of the xml as different when it was not.

[Peter T. LaComb Jr.]

Be sure to set the preferences to show differences only.

[VichitraVij]

Thanks John, this is the best answer so far.

[VichitraVij]

This looks like a good solution, although on the expensive end ($500 per user).

[VichitraVij]

I have tested this and it simple outputs incorrect results.

[VichitraVij]

Can you tell me how to get to the compare feature? Thanks.

[Sylverdrag]

Sure. You open a xml file, then you go to the "view" menu and click on "compare XML files"

[bortzmeyer]

Is it XML sensitive? I do not think so, I believe it just treats them as plain text files and so spot diffs that do not exist in the XML infoset (such as a change of encoding).

[mspoerr]

you are right - its only text comparison.

[paradisonoir]

I just tried XMLNotepad and I found it very interesting. Thanks for suggesting that.

[Somesh Rao]

Just tried XML Notepad, and it seemed to have some bugs. Line from the xml file (read using vi) was <COVARIANCE factor-ref="VALUE" value="0.000729"/> but the diff in XML Notepad showed it as <COVARIANCE COVARIANCE="VALUE" COVARIANCE="0.000729"/>. The number 0.000729 is unique in the file, so I am positive I am seeing the same element.

[Jirka Hanika]

What was on the picture before it was removed? A screenshot?

[John Virgolino]

@JirkaHanika Yes. Not sure why it went away like that.

[gravity]

I would agree, XML Notepad is no longer updated, and is riddled with bugs, particularly when expanding or closing the hierarchy. If I had to use it, I could, but there's more robust and better designed tools out there.