Re: [oiic-formation-discuss] Deliverable: odf-diff?

["Dave Pawson" <dave.pawson@gmail.com>]

2008/6/20 Sander Marechal <sander.marechal@tribal-im.com>:

> At one point we were also discussing various interop issues and possible
> testing tools. One of the things that came out of there is that we'd really
> like a tool that can compare/diff two ODF documents. Unzipping the ODF file
> and using an XML diff tool is insufficient.

In which case your interpretation of 'different' needs clarity Sander?


 For example: I could change the
> name of a style on a paragraph and also change that name in the styles.xml
> and functionally, the two documents should still be the same even though an
> XML diff tool says they're different.

<chuckles/> Are you talking about 'visually' different?


You could probably reorganise large
> parts of the styles.xml and still have the same document.

Yes, but then again styles aren't exactly 'firm' in the standard, are they.
xml id idref pairs can point to the same thing, which has changed.
metadata changes will show up in xml diff, not in the visual rendition.

Namespace prefixes can change, xml diff shows that, the ... {you name it}
xml model hasn't changed. How were you comparing the two instances
to judge them 'the same'?




>
> You could even do basic application testing with such a tool. Load an ODF in
> some application. Save it. Compare the original with the saved version. They
> should be functionally identical.

metadata? Date last edited?
What does 'functionally identical' mean?


>
> Could such a tool be put on the list of deliverables? Or is such a thing way
> too specific to put in there?

Probably, if you can define it.


regards




-- 
Dave Pawson
XSLT XSL-FO FAQ.
http://www.dpawson.co.uk