String Difference Finder

Overview

String Difference Finder is a web-based tool that allows you to compare two strings and visualize their differences. It highlights deletions in red and insertions in green, providing an intuitive way to understand changes between two versions of text. The tool leverages parallel processing to optimize the performance of the Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) algorithm, making it efficient for large inputs.

Features

Token-based Diffing: Splits strings into meaningful tokens for more accurate and readable diffs.
Parallel Processing: Utilizes parallel processing in LCS calculations to improve performance.
Visual Highlighting: Highlights deletions and insertions in red and green, respectively.
Performance Metrics: Displays the time taken to compute the differences.
User-friendly Interface: Simple and intuitive web interface for comparing strings.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Java Development Kit (JDK) 17 or later
A web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
A web server to host the HTML and JavaScript files (optional for local usage)

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/krkarma777/string-difference-finder.git
cd string-difference-finder

Build and run the Spring Boot application:
```
./gradlew bootRun
```
Open your web browser and navigate to:
```
http://localhost:8090/
```

Usage

Enter the first string in the "First String" textarea.
Enter the second string in the "Second String" textarea.
Click the "Show Difference" button to see the highlighted differences.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>String Difference Finder</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/stylesheet/diff.css"/>
</head>
<body>
<h1>String Difference Finder</h1>
<label for="string1">First String:</label>
<textarea id="string1" placeholder="Enter first string">
committer_list_per_month[date + '-' + log[i].author] = 1;
</textarea>
<br>
<label for="string2">Second String:</label>
<textarea id="string2" placeholder="Enter second string">
var date_author = date + '-' + log[i].author;
</textarea>
<br>
<button onclick="findDifference()">Show Difference</button>
<div id="result" class="difference"></div>
<script src="/js/diff.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Configuration

The application can be configured using the application.properties file:

spring.application.name=TextDiffTool
server.port=8090

References

Myer's Diff Algorithm:
- A technique for isolating differences between files
- An Algorithm for Differential File Comparison
Diff-match-patch:
- Google's diff-match-patch library
Pre-diff speedups and post-diff cleanups:
- Neil Fraser's writing on diff
Hirschberg Algorithm:
- Algorithms for the Longest Common Subsequence Problem
- Optimal Sequence Alignment Algorithm Using Space Division Technique

Contributing

Welcome contributions to improve this tool! Here are some ways you can help:

Reporting issues
Adding new features
Improving documentation

To contribute:

Fork the repository
Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature)
Create a new Pull Request

Contact

For any inquiries, please contact krkarma777@gmail.com or open an issue on GitHub.

krkarma777 / string-difference-finder