Re: Finding the parent of a text in a file ( is_deeply )

[1nickt]

You can use is_deeply if you put your data into hashes. I'm making some assumptions here because your post isn't complete (eg that 'entry 1' and 'snmp ok' are keys, not key-value pairs) ... but hopefully this helps.

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use Test::More tests => 1;

my ($href1, $href2) = get_data();

is_deeply( $href2, $href1, 'Hashref comparison' );

## Sub to fetch data below; add code to read files if needed

sub get_data {
  my $href1 = {
    system => { 
      security => {
        management_ip => {
          protocol => {
            internal => {},
            shutdown => {}, 
            allow    => {},
            entry_1  => {
              snmp_ok => 'foo',
            }, 
            exit => {},
          },
        },
      },
    },
  };

  my $href2 = { 
    system => { 
      security => {
        management_ip => {
          protocol => {
            internal => {}, 
            shutdown => {}, 
            allow    => {}, 
            entry_1  => {
              snmp_ok => 'bar',
            },  
            exit => {}, 
          },  
        },  
      },  
    },  
 };

 return $href1, $href2;

}

__END__

Output:

$ perl 1140982.pl
1..1
not ok 1 - Hashref comparison
#   Failed test 'Hashref comparison'
#   at 1140982.pl line 8.
#     Structures begin differing at:
#          $got->{system}{security}{management_ip}{protocol}{entry_1}{
+snmp_ok} = 'bar'
#     $expected->{system}{security}{management_ip}{protocol}{entry_1}{
+snmp_ok} = 'foo'
# Looks like you failed 1 test of 1.
$

[stevieb]

Hey 1nickt,

I recently ran into an issue while updating a module where I needed the functionality of is_deeply(), but I didn't want any test modules in the code, and I didn't want to have to hijack the output with trickery.

I came across Data::Compare, which simply returns a true/false bool if the structs match. You may be interested to play with this module for this kind of non-test work.

-stevieb

[1nickt]

Thanks. Looks useful. I like Test::More because it's a core module, so every installation has it, and because it indicates where the data differs (begins to differ). Usually I use this type of comparison where if it fails it should be fatal, so I don't mind the output. I can see how Data::Compare would be a better choice if you wanted to continue anyway. Interestingly, the same author has Test::Differences, which goes in the other direction (is still a Test::, spits TAP to STDOUT, provides a comprehensive diff of the structures).

[ExperimentsWithPerl]

Thanks lnickt for your help.
This program indeed does work But the issue is I have 2 very huge files to compare and they can have any hierarchy apart from system/security/entry etc (thus I cannot hard code the keys/key-value in the program).
Also, In this case the difference was in the child of entry 1, similarly in my file the difference can be at the entry 229 (say) , then it would become hard for me to go back till parent and print the same.

[1nickt]

Hi ExperimentsWithPerl,

The data structures were only hard-coded in my example because it was an example. You would need to create the hashes on the fly from the files, and then compare them.

If you are wanting to know all the differences in the files, you could use Test::Differences::eq_or_diff_data(), but that still wouldn't print out just the hierarchy as you wish. For that, choroba's solution seems like it may be the way to go.

But any diff solution (Test::Differences, system diff, whatever) will specify the lines at which the structures differ, so if that's all you need to know it might not be necessary to make the fully qualified "paths" choroba suggested. (It would help if you provided a sample input file and an example of the actual output you'd like to see.)

[ExperimentsWithPerl]

Thanks 1nickt for your inputs.I have got lot to learn.
You are right...I tried Choroba's solution and it worked nicely.Thanks again.