Showing the differences between two models

Started by DaveVint, April 20, 2021, 12:06:07 PM

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DaveVint

Hi,

Is there any existing feature or script to identify the differences between two models? I'm particular interested in identifying changes in reference models and in reviewing work done in a coArchi branch.

Cheers,

Dave

Xiaoqi

Hi Dave,

If you're using coArchi and have the cloning to different branch, those commit history should tell you the step by step different to the master.

Instead of creating a new tool, actually the easier way I use is, within VS Code you can get extension (see attached) called CompareIT, and you can save your different model (say different branches) to local model file, then simply show via compareit.

Similar tool in Windows is WinMerge.

Hope that helps,
Xiaoqi

AlexL

Text diff tools aren't solving issue. This function is useful while making architecure review with many stakeholders. Generating analysis report is a pain always with current report creating tool functionality.
So Archi REALY needs a way to compare 2 models like
- compare 2 commits
- compare 2 models
- compare 2 sets of elements/relations
- compare 2 sets of canvases
etc.

Curremtly i found a way with generating and publishing HTML report into GitLab or Atlassian bitbucket with pages plugin.
Comparing commits by this means can ease a pain, but not to solve a problem.

DaveVint

If there's nothing "off-the-shelf" available, then I'll see if I can get a script written to do this.

Cheers.

lemoux

Hi,

I found this topic while searching a solution for my use case.
We aim to have several architects working on a same model.
The model is mainly divided in two folders : cartography & studies.
Cartography corresponds - somehow - to our knowledge database about the existing information system.
While studies correspond to new projects and evolutions which rely on the cartography (typically by reusing some elements).

Using coArchi plugin and a git instance, people can create a branch for their study. When time comes to merge the work back into the master branch, one needs to look for and check any change in the cartography.

Compare two versions of the cartography folder and subfolders is a tedious work that needs to be automated as much as possible.

For anyone interested, the attached script - to be used with the jArchi plugin - generates some kind of checksum file for a selected folder content.

Executing this script on both versions of the cartography or any other folder results in two files that can be compared using any diff / merge tool.

The comparison makes it possible to find :
- Any element name or documentation changes
- Element or relationship removals
- Additions to diagrams
-...

It will - however - not point out pure graphical changes (ex. an element slightly moved in a diagram).

The file content is basically an ordered list of diagrams and their elements.
Each line contains the element name, its type and a UUID.
The UUID generation is simply based on the concatenation of the element name and its documentation.

This solution is good enough to cover my need and - maybe - useful to anybody else.

Kind regards,

Laurent