System and method for comparing hashed XML files

• US 20030177442A1
• Filed: 03/18/2002
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lou, Edmund G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/194 Calculation of difference between files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A system and method of comparing a first XML document and a second XML document includes hashing the first and the second XML documents. The first hashed XML document is compared to the second hashed XML document and a difference report is output.

Claims

1. A method of comparing a first XML document and a second XML document comprising:

hashing a first XML document;

hashing a second XML document;

comparing the first hashed XML document and the second hashed XML document; and

outputting a difference report.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein outputting the difference report includes:

outputting a corresponding difference result as each one of a plurality of tags from the second XML document are hashed.

3. A method of comparing a first XML document and a second XML document comprising:

hashing a first XML document using a first hashing function;

storing the hashed first XML document in a hash table;

selecting a first tag from a second XML document, wherein the selected tag includes a corresponding description tag and a corresponding results tag, wherein the corresponding description tag includes a corresponding description value and wherein the corresponding results tag includes a corresponding results value; and

hashing the selected tag.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein hashing the selected tag includes hashing the corresponding description value wherein the hashed description value identifies a location in the hash table.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein hashing the description value further includes:

determining if the identified location in the hash table includes a stored value, wherein if the identified location in the hash table includes a stored value, then;

comparing the stored value to the corresponding results value;

outputting the selected tag as a changed tag, if the stored value is not equal to the corresponding results value; and

deleting the stored value from the hash table; and

wherein if the identified location in the hash table does not include a stored value, then outputting the selected tag as a new tag.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the changed tag and the new tag are output in a difference report.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the difference report includes an XML document.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying a tag as a previous tag if the tag corresponds to a stored value that remains in the hash table; and

outputting the previous tag into the difference report.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein outputting a tag includes outputting a corresponding results value of the tag.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining if any subsequent tags are available in the second XML document, wherein if any subsequent tags are available in the second XML document then;

selecting the subsequent tag; and

hashing the selected tag.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the first XML document is a baseline XML test report.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the first XML document is a XML test report of a first version of a software application under test and wherein the second XML document is a XML test report of a subsequent version of the software application under test.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein first XML document is a XML test report output from a first test suite testing a first version of a software application under test and wherein the second XML document is a XML test report output from a second test suite testing the first version of the software application under test.

14. A XML comparator comprising:

a processor; and

a memory system coupled to the processor, wherein the memory system includes instructions executable by the processor to;

hash a first XML document using a first hashing function;

store the hashed first XML document in a hash table;

select a first tag from a second XML document, wherein the selected tag includes a corresponding description tag and a corresponding results tag, wherein the corresponding description tag includes a corresponding description value and wherein the corresponding results tag includes a corresponding results value; and

hash the selected tag.

15. The XML comparator of claim 14, wherein the instruction to hash the selected tag includes instructions executable to:

hash the corresponding description value wherein the hashed description value identifies a location in the hash table

16. The XML comparator of claim 15, wherein the instruction to hash the selected tag further includes instructions executable to:

determine if the identified location in the hash table includes a stored value, wherein if the identified location in the hash table includes a stored value, then;

compare the stored value to the corresponding results value;

output the selected tag as a changed tag, if the stored value is not equal to the corresponding results value; and

delete the stored value from the hash table; and

wherein if the identified location in the hash table does not include a stored value, then outputting the selected tag as a new tag.

17. The XML comparator of claim 14, wherein the XML comparator is coupled to a test bench.

18. The XML comparator of claim 17, wherein the test bench includes:

a software application; and

a test suite including at least one test case.

19. The XML comparator of claim 18, wherein the software application includes a Java™

software application.

20. The XML comparator of claim 15, wherein the test bench is coupled to an XML reporter.