How to highlighting differences between 2 html files

Question

My web application has job descriptions. These job descriptions can be modified by some users. Each modification result in a new version of the job description.

The content of the job description is edited by the users, in html, directly in the textearea using the tinymce editor.

I want to be able to show a user the modifications made to the content from one version to another. The simpler the better, for example, just a green background for added content and a blue background for removed content.

The application is a ruby on rails app and I have full access to my server (slicehost)

Answer 1

This might be helpful http://markmcb.com/2008/11/04/ruby-on-rails-diff-text-to-html-ins-and-del/

This uses the diff utility available on most systems and formatting changes would be highlighted as well.

Answer 2

You should use a simple diff program. Here are some good ones:

OSX

FileMerge - Apples own. Installed with XCode

Changes - Good little app

Araxis Merge - Commercial but featureful

*Nix

Meld - Full featured

Kompare - KDE, very nice

Gdkdiff - Simple but effective

tkdiff - Unkown

simply use the diff command line command...

Win

Winmerge - One of the best

Answer 3

You might also look at differ.