Comparing epubs after using Regex

Gregg Bell · 08-01-2013, 10:43 PM

Hi Guys,

Been learning Regex in Sigil and it's absolutely awesome--but also scary as hell. Scary as in with the "greedy" versions and "Dot" selections etc. I'm really not quite sure what I'm doing yet. So, is there any free software out there that would let me compare what actual changes have been made.

I have found stuff like Diffnow which is good for doing copying and pasting and individual files, but that gets laborious, and something that would let me compare the ENTIRE epubs would be priceless.

Thanks much!

st_albert · 08-02-2013, 12:08 AM

Yes, me too. Diff was what I thought of, and I think that (some versions) of it can work on directories. But that would mean saving both the old and new versions, extracting them into separate directories, etc....

Which is not exactly what you want. Too much manual interaction.

Let me know if you find an answer.

Albert

GrannyGrump · 08-02-2013, 01:35 AM

You might try WinMerge. I use the portable version from PortableApps.com
http://portableapps.com/apps/utiliti...merge_portable

I've never used it before with epub, but did a fast run-through for testing.

It won't recognize files with the epub file extension, but if you re-name the extension to .ZIP, WinMerge can compare each of the files in the two zips.
If all the (x)html files are named the same in both archives, WinMerge can compare them in a split-pane window, line by line.
If the (x)html files are named differently, WinMerge can open the two files you select to compare in two Notepad windows.

The Help file is quite straight-forward and easy to follow.

Like I said, a fast run-through, there might be glitches and gotchas that I didn't encounter.

Edited to Add: Yes, you would have to save an old version and a new version of the epub to compare. Is that a deal-breaker?

Gregg Bell · 08-02-2013, 10:22 PM

Thanks Albert. Yes, will let you know if I find anything. And thanks, Granny, the winMerge sounds very promising. I've passed on it before but with your suggestions I'm going to give it another look. And thanks for the link.

08-01-2013, 10:43 PM	#1
Gregg Bell Gregg Bell Posts: 2,266 Karma: 3917598 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Itasca, Illinois Device: Kindle Touch 7, Sony PRS300, Fire HD8 Tablet	Comparing epubs after using Regex Hi Guys, Been learning Regex in Sigil and it's absolutely awesome--but also scary as hell. Scary as in with the "greedy" versions and "Dot" selections etc. I'm really not quite sure what I'm doing yet. So, is there any free software out there that would let me compare what actual changes have been made. I have found stuff like Diffnow which is good for doing copying and pasting and individual files, but that gets laborious, and something that would let me compare the ENTIRE epubs would be priceless. Thanks much!

08-02-2013, 01:35 AM	#3
GrannyGrump Obsessively Dedicated... Posts: 3,202 Karma: 34984330 Join Date: May 2011 Location: JAPAN (US expatriate) Device: Sony PRS-T2, ADE on PC	You might try WinMerge. I use the portable version from PortableApps.com http://portableapps.com/apps/utiliti...merge_portable I've never used it before with epub, but did a fast run-through for testing. It won't recognize files with the epub file extension, but if you re-name the extension to .ZIP, WinMerge can compare each of the files in the two zips. If all the (x)html files are named the same in both archives, WinMerge can compare them in a split-pane window, line by line. If the (x)html files are named differently, WinMerge can open the two files you select to compare in two Notepad windows. The Help file is quite straight-forward and easy to follow. Like I said, a fast run-through, there might be glitches and gotchas that I didn't encounter. Edited to Add: Yes, you would have to save an old version and a new version of the epub to compare. Is that a deal-breaker? Last edited by GrannyGrump; 10-22-2017 at 11:16 PM.

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08-02-2013, 12:08 AM	#2
st_albert Guru Posts: 697 Karma: 150000 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: none	Yes, me too. Diff was what I thought of, and I think that (some versions) of it can work on directories. But that would mean saving both the old and new versions, extracting them into separate directories, etc.... Which is not exactly what you want. Too much manual interaction. Let me know if you find an answer. Albert

08-02-2013, 10:22 PM	#4
Gregg Bell Gregg Bell Posts: 2,266 Karma: 3917598 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Itasca, Illinois Device: Kindle Touch 7, Sony PRS300, Fire HD8 Tablet	Thanks Albert. Yes, will let you know if I find anything. And thanks, Granny, the winMerge sounds very promising. I've passed on it before but with your suggestions I'm going to give it another look. And thanks for the link.