XML Diff

Compare two XML documents and find structural differences.

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Input
Output
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About xml diff

XML Diff keeps its state in memory and nowhere else. That is why it forgets everything on reload, and why it cannot leak anything.

Once the page has loaded it needs nothing further from the network. Work on a plane, on a train, or behind a firewall that blocks everything.

You will find it under XML, alongside 8 other tools for the same sort of job.

Detects added, removed, and changed elements, attributes, and text nodes with XPath-style paths.

How to use it

01
Start it
Every control is on the tool itself. Keyboard shortcuts, where there are any, are listed beside it.
02
Watch it run
It updates in the page as you go. Nothing is sent anywhere, so it keeps working with the network off.
03
Close when done
Nothing is stored between visits. Reloading gives you a clean start rather than picking up where you left off.

Examples

Server config with changed host and port
Compare two XML server configs to find changed values, removed elements, and new additions
Input
input1: <config>
  <host>localhost</host>
  <port>8080</port>
  <debug>true</debug>
</config>
input2: <config>
  <host>production.example.com</host>
  <port>443</port>
  <ssl>true</ssl>
</config>
Output
Path            Type     Old value  New value
--------------  -------  ---------  ----------------------
$/config/host   changed  localhost  production.example.com
$/config/port   changed  8080       443
$/config/debug  removed  yes
$/config/ssl    added               yes

Questions

Does XML Diff work offline?+

Yes. It is JavaScript running in this tab, so once the page has loaded it needs nothing further from the network. Put the machine in flight mode and it carries on. Nothing you do here is sent anywhere, because there is nowhere for it to go.

Does it remember anything between visits?+

No. Reload the page and it starts from nothing. There is no account, no saved state and no cookie holding your last session. That is a deliberate trade: it cannot lose your data because it never keeps any.

Is it accurate?+

Timing comes from performance.now(), the high resolution clock the browser provides, rather than from setInterval, which drifts by a few milliseconds every tick and compounds over minutes. What can still shift things is the browser throttling a tab in the background, so leave it visible if the timing matters.

Does it make a sound?+

Where a sound makes sense, it is generated with the Web Audio API rather than loaded as a file, so there is nothing to download and nothing to block. Browsers refuse to start audio until you have interacted with the page, which is why the first press is what switches it on.

Can I use XML Diff on a phone?+

Yes. The controls are sized for touch and the layout collapses to one column on a narrow screen. Bear in mind that a phone locking its screen will suspend the page, and timing stops with it.