DiffXcel

DiffXcel is a lightweight web application built with Flask that allows you to easily compare two Excel files (.xlsx format) and visualize the differences. It generates a clear, interactive HTML report highlighting changes between sheets and cells.

Features

• Excel Comparison: Upload two Excel files, and DiffXcel will compare them sheet by sheet.
• Detailed HTML Reports: Generates an intuitive HTML report showing:
  • Sheets present only in the original file.
  • Sheets present only in the modified file.
  • Side-by-side differences for common sheets, highlighting added, changed, and deleted rows/cells.
• Downloadable Reports: You can download the generated HTML report for offline viewing or sharing.
• User-Friendly Interface: A simple and clean web interface for uploading files and viewing reports.
• Secure File Handling: Uses werkzeug.utils.secure_filename to prevent directory traversal vulnerabilities and enforces a file size limit.

How it Works

DiffXcel leverages the openpyxl library to read Excel files and difflib.HtmlDiff to generate the visual differences. Each sheet is converted into a list of tab-separated lines, allowing HtmlDiff to effectively compare their contents. The application then aggregates these differences into a single, comprehensive HTML report.

A visual representation of DiffXCel in action, showcasing a clear, color-coded comparison report.

Getting Started

Follow these steps to set up and run DiffXcel locally.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Python 3.x: Download from python.org.
• pip: Python's package installer (usually comes with Python).

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/sonnylaskar/DiffXcel.git
   cd DiffXcel

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended):

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `venv\Scripts\activate`

3. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

   If you don't have a requirements.txt file, you can create one with:

   pip install Flask openpyxl beautifulsoup4
   pip freeze > requirements.txt

Running the Application

Once you have installed the dependencies, you can run the Flask application:

python app.py

The application will typically run on http://127.0.0.1:5000/. Open this URL in your web browser.

Usage

1. Open the Application: Navigate to http://127.0.0.1:5000/ in your web browser.
2. Upload Files: You will see a form with two file input fields: "Original File" and "Modified File."
3. Select Excel Files: Click "Choose File" for each input and select your .xlsx files.
4. Generate Report: Click the "Compare Files" button.
5. View Report: The application will process the files and display the diff report directly on the page.
6. Download Report: You will also find a link to download the full HTML report for future reference.

Project Structure

DiffXcel/
├── app.py                  # The main Flask application file
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── uploads/                # Directory for temporarily storing uploaded Excel files
├── reports/                # Directory for storing generated HTML reports
└── templates/
    └── index.html          # The main HTML template for the web interface

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have suggestions for improvements, bug fixes, or new features, please feel free to:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name).
3. Make your changes.
4. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add new feature').
5. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature-name).
6. Open a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.