The examples included here show the results of comparing tables with DeltaXML's XML Compare for two-way changes and DeltaXML's XML Merge for three-way changes. The same table processing is used for DeltaXML's other 'Compare' and 'Merge' products.

Output Format

To achieve the results shown, the product was configured to output the comparison result using the Oxygen XML Editor track-changes format, the result was then opened in Oxygen in the WYSYWIG 'Author' view to capture screenshots. Oxygen shows additions with an underline text-style and deletions with a strikethrough text-style. Other output formats are available for DeltaXML products, more details on these can be found in the product-specific documentation.

Disabled and Enabled Table Processing

The difference that table processing makes is shown in the examples below. Where table processing makes a difference (most cases), a rendering of the comparison result with table processing enabled (left) is shown alongside the comparison result with table processing enabled (right).

Differences between CALS and HTML comparison results

In all examples except specific 'Conflict' cases, the HTML and CALS comparison results have the same result structure and are therefore rendered the same in Oxygen. For these 'Conflict' cases (Examples 11 and 12), a comment is included describing the difference.

Samples of CALS tables for XML Compare

Samples are available in a Bitbucket repo for comparing these examples as CALS tables in XML Compare. See https://bitbucket.org/deltaxml/cals-tables.

Example 1: Content only changed

Result - Table Processing (Enabled or Disabled)

Example 2: Row added

Result - Table Processing (Enabled or Disabled)

Example 3: Column deleted

Result - Table Processing (Enabled or Disabled)

Note that Oxygen's track-change format cannot preserve track change information about an added or deleted column. So instead we just have each cell corresponding to the 'Email' column marked as a deleted element.

Example 4: Cell changed to span two columns (with adjacent cell deleted)

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - HTML Table Processing Enabled

Result - CALS table Processing Enabled

Example 5: Cell changed to span from two columns to three columns

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - HTML able Processing Enabled

Result - CALS table Processing Enabled

Example 6: Cell changed to span two rows (with cell in same column in following row deleted)

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - HTML Table Processing Enabled

Result - CALS table Processing Enabled

Example 7: Cell changed to span from two rows to three rows

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - HTML Table Processing Enabled

Result - CALS table Processing Enabled

Example 8: (3-Way Merge) Cell changed to span two columns and then three columns

Note: Following example only applies to Three Way Merge.

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - Table Processing Enabled

Example 9: (3-way merge) Cell changed to span two rows and then three rows

Note: Following example only applies to Three Way Merge.

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - Table Processing Enabled

Example 10: (2d Cell) Cell changed to span two rows and two columns

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - HTML Table Processing Enabled

Result - CALS table Processing Enabled

Example 11: (Conflicting Column) Added column conflicts with cell with column span of 2

Document A

Document B

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result (HTML) - Table Processing Enabled

Result - CALS table Processing Enabled

Example 12: (Conflicting Column) Added column with one cell of the new column having a column span of 2

Document A

Document B

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result (HTML) - Table Processing Enabled

Result CALS - Table Processing Enabled

With table processing disabled the result is invalid, the 'Email' and 'DOB' cells for the 'Anna' row are shown in the wrong columns.

With table processing enabled, the row for 'Anna' is shown twice: first for document A, and then for document B. The cell with value '2-2-1985' is shown in the wrong column.

Example 13: (Conflicting Cell) Cell changed to span two columns so it overlaps with cell with row span of two in the row above

Result - Table Processing Disabled

Result - Table Processing Enabled

Result CALS - Table Processing Enabled

The comparison result cannot show the overlap of the 'Chris' cell in the rendered table

Rows 2 and 3 are first shown as deletions with the row span and then repeated as additions with the column span

Example 14: Split main row group into two with second group having a monospaced font

Document A

Document B

Result - Table Processing (Enabled or Disabled)

Table processing does not affect the result. The result shows the 'Chris' and 'Dave' rows with the document A style as a deletion and then the same rows with the document B style as an addition.