Website changes can sometimes lead to unexpected issues, making tools like SiteDiff invaluable. SiteDiff allows you to compare websites and track changes over time. Think of it as a detective for websites, sniffing out differences that could have significant impacts on your users. Below, we’ll guide you through installation, setup, usage, and troubleshooting of SiteDiff.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Installation
• Demo
• Usage
• Command Line Options
• Configuration
• Tips and Tricks
• Troubleshooting

Introduction

SiteDiff simplifies website changes detection. It can compare two websites or show how a single site has changed over time, which is great for QA during updates. When you run SiteDiff, it produces an HTML report highlighting the changes clearly, either through colorized diffs or side-by-side comparisons.

Installation

Installing SiteDiff is a breeze! Simply refer to the installation docs for detailed instructions.

Demo

After installation, you can quickly see the power of SiteDiff with these commands:

sh
git clone https://github.com/evolvingweb/sitediff
cd sitediff
bundle install
bundle exec thor fixture:serve

Once done, visit http://localhost:13080 to view the report, showing the overview of pages and their changes.

Usage

To get started, create a configuration for your site:

sitediff init http://mysite.example.com

This generates a sitediff.yaml file for you to customize. You can then crawl your site:

sitediff crawl

You can check for differences using:

sitediff diff

Now, think of SiteDiff as a pair of binoculars. When you alter your site, it allows you to zoom in on changes, so you only notice what’s worth your attention – just like a keen-eyed explorer focused on new landscapes rather than every little detail.

Command Line Options

You can specify command-line options to customize SiteDiff’s operation further. For instance:

• To find configuration files from a specific directory, use:
  sitediff init -C my_project_folder http://example.com
• To specify which pages to check, employ:
  sitediff diff --paths foo bar ...

Configuration

SiteDiff relies on a YAML configuration file. You can manage how SiteDiff behaves by customizing this file:

For example, to ignore whitespace when comparing:

ignore_whitespace: true

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tricks we’ve picked up along the way:

• Use single or double quotes around your selectors.
• To remove empty HTML elements in your diffs:

- name: remove_empty_p
    pattern: p
    substitute: 

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while using SiteDiff, consider the following:

• Ensure you are running Ruby version 3.1.2 or higher, as required by SiteDiff 1.2.0.
• Check if you have included all necessary dependencies as outlined in the installation docs.
• If your configuration file has issues, ensure that your YAML format adheres to the specifications.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

With these insights, you should be well on your way to utilizing SiteDiff effectively. Happy diffing!