defmodule MapDiff do @moduledoc """ Calculates the difference between two (nested) maps. The idea is very simple: One of four things can happen to each key in a map: - It remains the same: `:equal` - It was not in the original map, but it is in the new one: `:added` - It was in the original map, but is no longer in the new one: `:removed` - It is in both maps, but its value changed. For the fourth variant, MapDiff.diff/2 returns `:primitive_change` if the value under the key was 'simply changed', and `:map_change` if in both arguments this value itself is a map, which means that `MapDiff.diff/2` was called on it recursively. """ @doc """ This is the single function that MapDiff currently exports. It returns a 'patch', which is a map describing the changes between `map_a` and `map_b`. ## Examples If the (nested) map is still the same, it is considered `:equal`: ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%{my: 1}, %{my: 1}) %{changed: :equal, value: %{my: 1}} ``` When a key disappears, it is considered `:removed`: ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%{a: 1}, %{}) %{changed: :map_change, value: %{a: %{changed: :removed, value: 1}}} ``` When a key appears, it is considered `:added`: ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%{}, %{b: 2}) %{changed: :map_change, value: %{b: %{changed: :added, value: 2}}} ``` When the value of a key changes (and the old nor the new value was a map), then this is considered a `:primitive_change`. ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%{b: 3}, %{b: 2}) %{changed: :map_change, value: %{b: %{added: 2, changed: :primitive_change, removed: 3}}} ``` ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%{val: 3}, %{val: %{}}) %{changed: :map_change, value: %{val: %{changed: :primitive_change, added: %{}, removed: 3}}} ``` When the value of a key changes, and the old and new values are both maps, then this is considered a `:map_change` that can be parsed recursively. ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%{a: %{}}, %{a: %{b: 1}}) %{changed: :map_change, value: %{a: %{changed: :map_change, value: %{b: %{changed: :added, value: 1}}}}} ``` A more complex example, to see what happens with nested maps: ```elixir iex> foo = %{a: 1, b: 2, c: %{d: 3, e: 4, f: 5}} iex> bar = %{a: 1, b: 42, c: %{d: %{something_else: "entirely"}, f: 10}} iex> MapDiff.diff(foo, bar) %{changed: :map_change, value: %{a: %{changed: :equal, value: 1}, b: %{added: 42, changed: :primitive_change, removed: 2}, c: %{changed: :map_change, value: %{d: %{added: %{something_else: "entirely"}, changed: :primitive_change, removed: 3}, e: %{changed: :removed, value: 4}, f: %{added: 10, changed: :primitive_change, removed: 5}}}}} ``` It is also possible to compare two structs of the same kind. `MapDiff.diff/2` will add a `struct_name` field to the output, so you are reminded of the kind of struct whose fields were changed. For example, suppose you define the following structs: ```elixir defmodule Foo do defstruct a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 end defmodule Baz do defstruct a: "foo", b: "bar", z: "baz" end ``` Then the fields of one `Foo` struct can be compared to another: ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%Foo{}, %Foo{a: 3}) %{changed: :map_change, struct_name: Foo, value: %{a: %{added: 3, changed: :primitive_change, removed: 1}, b: %{changed: :equal, value: 2}, c: %{changed: :equal, value: 3}}} ``` When comparing two different kinds of structs, this of course results in a :primitive_change, as they are simply considered primitive data types. ```elixir iex> MapDiff.diff(%Foo{}, %Bar{}) %{added: %Bar{a: "foo", b: "bar", z: "baz"}, changed: :primitive_change, removed: %Foo{a: 1, b: 2, c: 3}} ``` """ def diff(map_a, map_b) def diff(a, a), do: %{changed: :equal, value: a} # two structs of the same kind: # compare fields, # keep track of struct name. def diff(a = %struct_name{}, b = %struct_name{}) do diff(a |> Map.delete(:__struct__), b |> Map.delete(:__struct__)) |> Map.put(:struct_name, struct_name) end # two different structs. def diff(a = %_one{}, b = %_other{}) do %{changed: :primitive_change, removed: a, added: b} end # two non-struct maps. def diff(a = %{}, b = %{}) do {changes, equal?} = Enum.reduce(a, {%{}, true}, &compare(&1, &2, b)) {changes, equal?} = additions(a, b, changes, equal?) equal? && %{changed: :equal, value: a} || %{changed: :map_change, value: changes} end defp compare(el = {key, _}, acc, b) do compare(el, acc, b[key], Map.has_key?(b, key)) end defp compare({key, val}, {changes, equal?}, val, true) do {Map.put(changes, key, %{changed: :equal, value: val}), equal?} end defp compare({key, vala}, {changes, equal?}, valb, true) when is_map(vala) and is_map(valb) do valueDiff = diff(vala, valb) case valueDiff.changed do :equal -> {Map.put(changes, key, %{changed: :equal, value: vala}), equal?} _ -> {Map.put(changes, key, valueDiff), false} end end defp compare({key, vala}, {changes, _}, valb, true) do {Map.put(changes, key, %{changed: :primitive_change, removed: vala, added: valb}), false} end defp compare({key, vala}, {changes, _}, _, false) do {Map.put(changes, key, %{changed: :removed, value: vala}), false} end # Iterates over all new keys in `b` that were not in `a`, and returns their values # in the proper format. defp additions(a, b, changes, equal?) do Enum.reduce(Map.keys(b) -- Map.keys(a), {changes, equal?}, fn key, {changes, _equal?} -> {Map.put(changes, key, %{changed: :added, value: b[key]}), false} end) end end