Nokogiri XML Diff - CSS

Introduction

Nokogiri XML Diff with CSS is a powerful tool for comparing and highlighting differences between two XML documents using CSS selectors. It is particularly useful for programmers working with XML data who need to quickly identify changes or modifications made to the XML files.

Features

1. XML Diff: Nokogiri XML Diff with CSS allows you to compare two XML documents and generate a diff result, highlighting the changes between them. This makes it easy to identify additions, deletions, and modifications in the XML structure.

2. CSS Selector Support: By using CSS selectors, you can specify the elements or attributes you want to highlight or focus on during the diff process. This allows for more granular control and better visualization of the changes.

3. Flexible Output Formats: The Nokogiri XML Diff with CSS tool supports various output formats, including Markdown. This makes it easy to generate a diff report in a readable and shareable format for other programmers or team members.

4. Customization: You can customize the tool's behavior and output by specifying options such as ignoring specific elements or attributes, setting a maximum depth for the diff, or choosing different color schemes for highlighting changes.

Usage

To use Nokogiri XML Diff with CSS, follow these steps:

1. Install the Nokogiri library and its dependencies.

2. Import the necessary modules in your Ruby script:

   require 'nokogiri'
   require 'nokogiri-xml-diff-css'
   

3. Load the XML documents you want to compare:

   doc1 = Nokogiri::XML(File.open('document1.xml'))
   doc2 = Nokogiri::XML(File.open('document2.xml'))
   

4. Configure the diff options:

   options = { css: 'styles.css' }
   

   Here, styles.css is a CSS file containing selectors for highlighting the XML elements.

5. Generate the diff result:

   diff = Nokogiri::XML::Diff.new(doc1, doc2, options)
   

6. Obtain the diff report in Markdown format:

   markdown = diff.to_markdown
   

   The to_markdown method returns the diff report as a Markdown string.

7. Save or display the Markdown output as needed.

Example Output

Below is an example of the Markdown output generated by Nokogiri XML Diff with CSS:

## XML Diff Report

### Changes

1. Added element: `example_element` - `<example_element>New element</example_element>`
2. Modified element: `example_element` - Before: `<example_element>Old value</example_element>`, After: `<example_element>New value</example_element>`
3. Deleted element: `example_element` - `<example_element>Deleted element</example_element>`

### CSS Selectors

- `.added { background-color: green; }`
- `.modified { background-color: yellow; }`
- `.deleted { background-color: red; }`

Conclusion

Nokogiri XML Diff with CSS is a handy tool for programmers working with XML data. Its ability to generate diff reports using CSS selectors and output in Markdown format makes it easy to identify and share changes in XML documents. By customizing the tool's options and CSS styles, you can tailor the diff output to suit your specific needs.