xmlhack: diffxml and patchxml: new XML-aware diff/patch utilities

Adrian Mouat has released diffxml and patchxml, new open-source Java-based utilities for diff'ing and patching XML files.

Mouat created diffxml and patchxml to meet the following list of criteria:

An output format that is good for patching changed files
A fast and accurate algorithm
The ability to handle large files
An open source license
Not strongly tied to a particular XML parser
Has an independent and fully specified output format
Support for including extra context information in diff output (necessary to produce good patches for documents other than those from which the delta was computed)

In part, Mouat seems to have created diffxml because none of that criteria is met completely by any of the other existing "XML diff" utilities:

xmldiff (Python, open source; from Logilab)
XML Diff and Merge Tool (proprietary; from IBM)
XML TreeDiff (proprietary; from IBM)
DeltaXML (proprietary; from Monsell)
diffmk (Java, open source; from Norman Walsh)
XML Diff and Merge Tool (from Dommitt)
VMTools (Java, open source; from VM Systems)
XML::SemanticDiff (Perl, open source; from Kip Hampton)

Related stories

Re: diffxml and patchxml: new XML-aware diff/patch utilities (Adrian Mouat - 23:01, 11 Jun 2002)

I should just say that diffxml and patchxml are alpha software - don't expect them to be completely stable.

Also although the diff utility is capable of producing context output the patch utility does not currently make use of it.

Anyway please try the utilities and send me any feedback.

Re: diffxml and patchxml: new XML-aware diff/patch utilities (Steve Baker - 09:55, 7 Jun 2002)