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v1.3.5 · Semantic diff and three-way merge for spreadsheet-based configuration data
SmartDiff is a zero-dependency, locally-runnable diff tool for structured configuration data maintained as Excel spreadsheets (.xml / .xlsx / .xls). It automatically filters out style, window-state, and column-width noise to show only the real data changes, with ID-based smart row matching, cell-level three-way semantic merge, and optional SVN integration.
- Parsing and diffing support
.xml(SpreadsheetML 2003),.xlsx(Office Open XML), and.xls - Cell-level three-way semantic merge currently supports
.xmlonly - Flask backend + zero-dependency frontend SPA — run with
python server.py, or package as a single.exe
Local changes — only the real data changes are highlighted: green rows added, red rows deleted, yellow cells modified (old → new).
Semantic merge — cell- and row-level three-way resolution over BASE / MINE / THEIRS, written back to the original .xml.
| Category | Capability |
|---|---|
| Diff core | Four modes: local changes (working copy vs BASE), revision compare (any two SVN revisions), browse (parsed tables), and overview (GitHub-style "Files changed" across two revisions). Auto ID-column detection matches rows by content instead of row number, so inserts/deletes don't cascade into false diffs. Comment-column filtering ignores header-less annotation data. Inline character-level highlighting inside modified cells. |
| Three-way merge | Cell-level + row-level auto merge over BASE / MINE / THEIRS (.xml only). Same-cell conflicts, delete-vs-edit, and same-ID-different-content additions can be resolved one by one and written back to the original XML. |
| SVN integration | Polls the remote repository for new revisions (top banner reminder); smart update with conflict categorization (keep mine / take latest / skip / semantic merge for .xml); auto svn resolve --accept working after merge. Revision history via the remote URL — no svn update required. |
| Format & UX | Parses .xml (SpreadsheetML 2003), .xlsx (Office Open XML), and .xls with a unified diff view. Configurable header row for tables with metadata rows (obj/type/desc/key) before the actual column headers. Multi-sheet, multi-workspace, auto-refresh on file change, batch rendering for large tables. |
- Python 3.7+
- Flask / openpyxl / xlrd (
pip install -r requirements.txt) - SVN command-line tools (optional; TortoiseSVN's
svn.exeworks too)
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Start the server
python server.pyOr just double-click start.bat (Windows).
The browser opens http://localhost:5566 automatically.
The first launch generates config.json. Edit it manually or add workspaces from the UI:
{
"workspaces": [
{"name": "Project A", "path": "D:\\svn\\project_a\\xml"},
{"name": "Project B", "path": "D:\\svn\\project_b\\xml"}
],
"active_workspace": 0
}Use the dropdown at the top of the page to switch workspaces, click + to add a new one, and × to remove the current one.
Select a file on the left to auto-compare the working copy against the SVN BASE revision. Green rows are additions, red rows are deletions, yellow cells are modifications (showing old → new).
After selecting a file, pick an old and a new revision from the dropdowns, then click Compare revisions.
No file selection needed. Pick two revision numbers and click Compare revisions to list every changed file with details. Supports a "data changes only" filter.
View file content as tables, with multi-sheet switching.
After switching to Semantic merge, the sidebar shows .xml files only. Once you pick a file, the tool reads BASE and the remote revision from SVN and performs a three-way comparison against your working copy:
- Single-side edits, both-side identical edits, and edits to different columns are resolved automatically
- The same cell changed to different values, delete-vs-edit, and both-side additions with the same ID but different content require manual resolution
- Click Apply merge & save to write the result back to the local
.xml - If entered from the SVN conflict dialog, saving automatically attempts to mark the SVN conflict as resolved
When new revisions are detected on the remote, a yellow banner appears at the top of the page. Click Update:
- If there is no conflict, it updates directly
- If there is a conflict (local edits + remote edits), a conflict panel opens. For each conflicting file you can choose:
- Keep mine — preserve local edits
- Take latest — overwrite with the server version
- Skip — exclude this file from the update
- Semantic merge —
.xmlonly; enters cell-level three-way merge
Conflict detection matches by workspace-relative path, so same-named XML files in subdirectories (e.g. configs/items.xml) are identified correctly.
From the project root:
python tests\test_merger.py
python tests\test_api_merge.pyCurrent coverage:
test_merger.py: 27 merge-engine cases covering 5 cell states, 10 row-level states, resolution validation, and XML write-back roundtriptest_api_merge.py: 15 API cases covering preview / apply / svn-mark-resolved / recursive file listing / SVN updatecheck_onlysubdirectory conflict detection
See tests/TESTING.md for the full manual test walkthrough.
Q: Why are some columns missing?
A: Columns without a header are treated as annotation data and won't appear in diff results. They also never make it into export artifacts.
Q: I edited one row but it doesn't show a lot of changes — why?
A: The tool auto-detects the ID column for smart matching. If you insert a row, only that row shows as an addition; the others are unaffected.
Q: What if SVN isn't installed?
A: The tool auto-detects the SVN CLI. If it's missing, "Local changes" and "Revision compare" are unavailable, but "Browse" mode still works.
Q: The page is slow / the table stutters?
A: Tables over 150 rows use batch rendering. If the file itself is very large (>5MB), parsing may take a few seconds.
Q: The revision list isn't up to date?
A: The tool now fetches revision history via the remote URL, so you see the latest commits without svn update. To pull file content locally, use the Update button at the top.
See CHANGELOG.md for the full version history.
- Development Guide — architecture, module internals, API list, extension guide
- Testing Guide — automated tests + manual UI walkthrough