NAME

Data::Comparator - recursively compare Perl datatypes

SYNOPSIS

  use Data::Comparator qw(data_comparator);
  
  $a = { 'foo' => 'bar', 'move' => 'zig' };
  $b = [ 'alpha', 'beta', 'gamma', 'vlissides' ];

  $diff = data_comparator($a, $b);

  use Data::Dumper;

  print Dumper($diff);

  if ($diff->is_empty())
  {
      print '$a and $b are alike\n';
  }
  else
  {
      print '$a and $b are not alike\n';
  }

DESCRIPTION

Compare two sets of (structured) data, report on the differences found with a differences describing data structure. Additionally a set of expected differences may be given in the form of a differences describing data structure.

Returns a differences describing data structure, which is empty if no differences are found. The type of the result is the same as the type of the second data structure given.

The algorithm used is of a subtractive kind. It subtracts the first data structure given from the second one. This means that, since it is not possible to subtract what is not given in the subtractor, not all differences are reported. To have a report of all differences between structures A and B, first subtract A from B, next subtract B from A, using this module. The two result sets are an exact description of the differences between A and B.

It is possible to add any of the methods array_comparator(), hash_comparator(), data_comparator() to an existing object, or to use these as regular subs.

NOTE

This module is used in the tests for Data::Merger(3) and Data::Transformator(3).

BUGS

Does only work with scalars, hashes and arrays. Does not work on self-referential structures.

AUTHOR

Hugo Cornelis, hugo.cornelis@gmail.com

Copyright 2007 Hugo Cornelis.

This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

SEE ALSO

Data::Merger(3), Data::Transformator(3), Data::Differences(3), Clone(3)