# Diff for 2 Text Files **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [October 16, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025 "2008-10-16T01:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/1 "2008-10-16T01:04:03Z")
Is there an easy way available in Ruby to compare two text files and report the differences? thanks jack ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/2 "2008-10-16T01:45:54Z")
jackster the jackle wrote: > Is there an easy way available in Ruby to compare two text files and > report the differences? [http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/diff-lcs/](http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/diff-lcs/) a ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/3 "2008-10-16T06:47:46Z")
On Oct 15, 2008, at 16:44 , Alex F. wrote: > jackster the jackle wrote: > > > Is there an easy way available in Ruby to compare two text files and > > report the differences? > > [http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/diff-lcs/](http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/diff-lcs/) he said “easy” ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 12:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/4 "2008-10-16T12:15:44Z")
Ryan D. wrote: > he said “easy” DOAH! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/5 "2008-10-17T00:23:47Z")
Josef ‘Jupp’ Schugt wrote: > On Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:04:31 +0200, jackster the jackle > [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > Is there an easy way available in Ruby to compare two text files and > > report the differences? > > %x(diff file1 file2) # Unix/Linux > > Josef ‘Jupp’ Schugt now that’s what I call “easy” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/6 "2008-10-16T13:46:14Z")
On Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:04:31 +0200, jackster the jackle [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Is there an easy way available in Ruby to compare two text files and > report the differences? %x(diff file1 file2) # Unix/Linux Josef ‘Jupp’ Schugt ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/7 "2008-11-05T07:18:24Z")
You can expand on this approach if you’re outputting to an html view too: > **[Ruby on Rails Diff Text to HTML and | MarkMcB](https://markmcb.com/2008/11/04/ruby-on-rails-diff-text-to-html-ins-and-del/)** > > Compare their differences your HTML views. ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/8 "2009-05-31T22:23:46Z")
how about visual diff like the image [http://tiny.cc/fnbiz](http://tiny.cc/fnbiz) ---
**Author:** ![jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jackster](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jackster)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/diff-for-2-text-files/151025/9 "2009-08-20T00:30:35Z")
On 2008-11-05 01:16:43 -0500, Mark M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) said: > You can expand on this approach if you’re outputting to an html view > too: > [Ruby on Rails Diff Text to HTML \ and \ | MarkMcB](http://markmcb.com/2008/11/04/ruby-on-rails-diff-text-to-html-ins-and-del/) I found a good module for this a long time ago. I keep it on my github, hoping some day to discover where it actually came from. > **[GitHub - myobie/htmldiff: A diff library that uses html tags to show differences](https://github.com/myobie/htmldiff/)** > > A diff library that uses html tags to show differences - GitHub - myobie/htmldiff: A diff library that uses html tags to show differences