xmldiffmrg
Parses, compares, and merges XML file versions
Applicability
Product |
Command type |
|---|---|
VersionVault |
command |
Platform |
|---|
Windows |
Synopsis
- Start the GUI without specifying an
operation:
- xmldiffmrg
- Parse one file:
- xmldiffmrg [ –xview ] [ –visible_blank ] [ pname1 ]
- Compare files:
- xmldiffmrg –xcompare [ –blank_ignore –visible_blank ]
- [ –hstack |–vstack ] [ pname1 ... pname7 ]
- Merge files:
- xmldiffmrg –xmerge [ –out pname | –to to-version ] [ –query | –abort
- | –qall ] [ –encoding { utf-16 | utf-8 | iso-8859-1 | ascii } ]
[ –hstack |–vstack ] [ –visible_blank ] [ –base base_contributor ]
[ pname1 ... pname7 ]
Description
The xmldiffmrg command starts a GUI in which you compare and merge versions of XML elements. xmldiffmrg parses XML, which enables you to do the following:
- Compare and merge XML structure and content without understanding XML markup.
- Expand, collapse, browse, and filter the data tree resulting from a comparison or merge operation.
For general information about comparing and merging element versions, see Developing Software.
Restrictions
Identities
For all operations except creating a merge arrow, no special identity is required. To create a merge arrow, you must have one of the following identities:
- Element owner
- Element group member
- VOB owner
- Member of the VersionVault administrators group (VersionVault)
Locks
An error occurs if one or more of these objects are locked: VOB, element type, element, branch type, branch, hyperlink type.
Mastership
(Replicated VOBs only) No mastership restrictions.
Options and arguments
Specifying the operation to be performed
- Default
- For a single pname argument, –xview; for multiple contributors, none.
- –xview
- Parses a single contributor.
- –xcompare
- Compares contributors.
- –xmerge
- Merges contributors.
Treatment of white space
- Default
- The default behavior differs according to whether the nodes contain white
space only, or both white space and other characters, as follows:
- In white-space-only nodes, white space is ignored unless there's a difference in the nodes being compared or merged.
- In nodes that contain white space and other characters, a white-space character is treated the same as any other character.
- –visible_blank
- White-space characters are made visible by alternate glyphs representing the white space.
- –blank_ignore
- Ignores white-space characters in white-space-only nodes. This option does not affect the comparison of nodes that contain both white space and other characters.
Contributor pane stacking
- Default
- –hstack.
- –hstack
- Each contributor being compared or merged is displayed in a separate contributor pane that is stacked horizontally (side by side), with the base contributor on the left.
- –vstack
- Specifies contributor panes are to be stacked vertically, with the base contributor on top.
Destination of the merge output
- Default
- None; the GUI prompts for a destination if none is specified in the command line.
- –out pname
- Specifies the pathname to which the merge output is written after all conflicts are resolved. Use this option to perform a merge that does not overwrite any of its contributors.
- –to to-version
- Specifies the file that is to be the merge target. to-version is both a contributor to the merge and the destination of the merged output.
Controlling user interaction
- Default
- Performs merges as automatically as possible, prompting you to make a choice only when two or more contributors differ from the base contributor.
- –query
- Changes in the to-version are accepted unless a conflict exists. Turns off automatic merging for nontrivial merges and prompts you to proceed with every change in the other contributors.
- –abort
- Cancels the command instead of engaging in a user interaction; a merge takes place only if it is completely automatic. If two or more contributors differ from the base contributor, a warning is issued and the command is canceled. This command is useful in shell scripts that batch many merges (for example, all file elements in a directory) into a single procedure.
- –qall
- Turns off automated merging. You are prompted to make a choice every time a contributor differs from the base contributor. This option is turned on when xmldiffmrg cannot determine a common ancestor (or other base contributor), and you do not use –base.
Character encoding
- Default
- None.
- –encoding { utf-16 | utf-8 | iso-8859-1 | ascii}
- If an output file is generated, use the specified (case-insensitive) encoding
type. The generated output contains an XML Declaration statement containing
the specified encoding attribute if required. If a character code cannot be
represented in the specified encoding, it is written out as an XML character
reference in the form
&xnnnn;
where nnnn is a hexadecimal character index.
Specifying the base contributor
- Default
- pname1.
- –base base_contributor
- Specifies the base contributor; typically, but not always, this is the closest common ancestor of the contributors.
Specifying the contributors
- Default
- None; if no contributor is specified on the command line, a dialog box prompts for contributors.
- pname1 ... pname7
- Specifies the contributors. A maximum of seven contributors may be specified, inclusive of a contributor specified by –base.