Re: XML Zebra, a path-based tool for generating diff fingerprints for XML Schemas

Version 1.0-pre-3 of XML Zebra is now available.  It adds the ability to  
select which global elements are used as root elements.  See

https://launchpad.net/xmlzebra/+announcement/5454

Cheers, Tony.

On Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:31:04 -0000, Anthony B. Coates (W3C Lists)  
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Version 1.0-pre-2 of XML Zebra is now available.  It adds support for  
> substitution groups, and you can now set namespace prefixes via the  
> command line.
>
> https://launchpad.net/xmlzebra/+announcement/5072
>
> Cheers, Tony.
>
> On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:01:38 -0000, Anthony B. Coates (W3C Lists)  
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I have written a tool (in Scala) that can be used to check the  
>> differences
>> between versions of a set of W3C XML Schemas.  The tool can be run with
>> Scala, Java, or Apache Ant.  The idea is that for each version, you  
>> create
>> a fingerprint file that contains paths (like XPaths, but with an  
>> extended
>> syntax).  By comparing the two fingerprint files for two versions, you  
>> can
>> see what has changed between the versions of the Schemas.  The tools  
>> makes
>> use of the XMLBeans API for examining the structure of W3C XML Schemas.
>>
>> How does this differ from just doing diffs of the individual Schema  
>> files
>> themselves?  The difference is that the path-based approach shows you  
>> not
>> only what has changed, but also shows all of the places that are  
>> directly
>> or indirectly impacted by the change.  Also, the path-based approach
>> ignores restructurings that don't impact users, like renaming of Schema
>> types or moving of definitions to a different Schema file.  Put another
>> way, the path-based approach allows you to evaluate how the Schemas have
>> changed from a user-impact perspective, rather than from a simple
>> file-change perspective.
>>
>> The software is open source, released under the Apache licence.  For  
>> more
>> details, and to download it, see
>>
>> http://www.xmlzebra.com/
>>
>> There will be a presentation about this software at the XML Prague 2010
>> conference, 13-14 March.
>>
>> http://www.xmlprague.cz/2010/index.html
>>
>> Feedback would be very welcome.  Thanks,
>>
>> Cheers, Tony.
>


-- 
Anthony B. Coates
Director and CTO
Londata Ltd
[email protected]
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