properties-tools

properties-tools is a collection of command line tools to work with properties files: comparing like wdiff, updating like patch...

The idea is to work with the content (key/value pairs) instead of the text, to ignore order or format and deal with the data.

• properties-diff can compare and print differences between 2 properties files, with fancy colors as if you were using wdiff or diff tools. It does not compare the text files.
• properties-patch can update a properties file using values from others, you can choose to add new keys and/or update existing and/or remove others.

Install

Install the latest release from PyPI

$ pip3 install properties-diff
$ properties-diff --help

Install from the sources

$ pip3 install poetry
$ pip3 install git+https://github.com/essembeh/properties-tools
$ properties-diff --help

properties-diff

Usage

$ properties-diff --help 
usage: properties-diff [-h] [--version] [-q] [--quote] [--color | --nocolor] [--sep SEP] [-m {simple,diff,wdiff} | --diff | --wdiff | --simple] [-A] [-D] [-U] left.properties right.properties

positional arguments:
  left.properties       left file to compare
  right.properties      right file to compare

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --version             show program's version number and exit
  -q, --quiet           print less information
  --quote               use double quotes for values, example: foo="bar"
  --color               force colors
  --nocolor             disable colors
  --sep SEP             key/value separator, default is '='
  -m {simple,diff,wdiff}, --mode {simple,diff,wdiff}
                        select a format to show differences: using colors only (simple), using diff-like format (diff) or wdiff-like (wdiff) format. Default is 'wdiff'
  --diff                use diff-like format to show differences
  --wdiff               use wdiff-like format to show differences
  --simple              use simple format to show differences
  -A, --added           print added properties
  -D, --deleted         print deleted properties
  -U, --updated         print updated properties

Examples

Comparing properties files like wdiff

$ properties-diff tests/sample1.properties tests/sample2.properties
--- tests/sample1.properties (left)    2022-04-07 12:48:44
+++ tests/sample2.properties (right)    2022-04-07 12:49:02
# Only in tests/sample1.properties (left)
[-database.host=localhost-]
# Only in tests/sample2.properties (right)
{+database.version=12+}
# Updated from tests/sample1.properties (left) to tests/sample2.properties (right)
database.type=[-postgresql-]{+mysql+}
database.user=[-test-]{+dbuser+}

Comparing properties files like diff

$ properties-diff tests/sample1.properties tests/sample2.properties --diff
--- tests/sample1.properties (left)    2022-04-07 12:48:44
+++ tests/sample2.properties (right)    2022-04-07 12:49:02
# Only in tests/sample1.properties (left)
- database.host=localhost
# Only in tests/sample2.properties (right)
+ database.version=12
# Updated from tests/sample1.properties (left) to tests/sample2.properties (right)
- database.type=postgresql
+ database.type=mysql
- database.user=test
+ database.user=dbuser

Compare files, but only show updateed and added values

$ properties-diff tests/sample1.properties tests/sample2.properties --add --update
--- tests/sample1.properties (left)    2022-04-07 12:48:44
+++ tests/sample2.properties (right)    2022-04-07 12:49:02
# Only in tests/sample2.properties (right)
{+database.version=12+}
# Updated from tests/sample1.properties (left) to tests/sample2.properties (right)
database.type=[-postgresql-]{+mysql+}
database.user=[-test-]{+dbuser+}

Viewing modes

You can see differences between the properties files using 3 modes using --mode <MODE> or -m <MODE>

• wdiff, prints the changes like wdiff tool would do (this is the default mode)
• diff, prints the changes like diff tool would do
• simple, based on colors, red for removed lines, green for added lines

properties-patch

Usage

$ properties-patch --help                                                                       
usage: properties-patch [-h] [--version] [--color | --nocolor] [-c] [-i] [--quote] [--sep SEP] [-A] [-D] [-U] -p patch.properties [-o output.properties | -w] [-f] source.properties

positional arguments:
  source.properties     file to modify

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --version             show program's version number and exit
  --color               force colors
  --nocolor             disable colors
  -c, --comments        insert comment when property is added, updated or deleted
  -i, --interactive     ask for confirmation to add, update or delete a property
  --quote               use double quotes for values, example: foo="bar"
  --sep SEP             key/value separator, default is '='
  -p patch.properties, --patch patch.properties
                        patch file
  -o output.properties, --output output.properties
                        modified file
  -w, --overwrite       update input properties file in place
  -f, --force           force output file (--output) overwrite if it already exists

  -A, --add             add new properties from patches
  -D, --delete          delete properties not in patches
  -U, --update          update properties from patches

Examples

Build a properties file from tests/sample1.properties and add missing keys from tests/sample2.properties

$ properties-patch tests/sample1.properties --patch tests/sample2.properties --add     
# just a comment
database.type=postgresql
database.host=localhost
database.port=5432
# and another comment
database.user=test
database.password=foobar
database.version=12

You can use multiple patch files, if a value is present in multiple patch files, the latest value will be used.

$ properties-patch tests/sample1.properties --patch tests/sample2.properties --patch tests/sample3.properties -A    
# just a comment
database.type=postgresql
database.host=localhost
database.port=5432
# and another comment
database.user=test
database.password=foobar
database.version=42

You can choose to add missing values and update values that are different in the patch files

$ properties-patch tests/sample1.properties --patch tests/sample2.properties -AU
# just a comment
database.type=mysql
database.host=localhost
database.port=5432
# and another comment
database.user=dbuser
database.password=foobar
database.version=12

There is an interactive mode, which ask for confirmation before every change (usefull to take only some changes, equivalent to git add --interactive)

$ properties-patch tests/sample1.properties --patch tests/sample2.properties -AU --interactive
# just a comment
💬  Update database.type=postgresql,mysql ? [Y/n] 
database.type=mysql
database.host=localhost
database.port=5432
# and another comment
💬  Update database.user=test,dbuser ? [Y/n] 
database.user=dbuser
database.password=foobar
💬  Add database.version=12 ? [Y/n] 
database.version=12

To track changes, you can add comments for every change applied

$ properties-patch tests/sample1.properties --patch tests/sample2.properties -ADU --comments
# just a comment
# 2022-04-07 23:12:11  update: database.type=postgresql
database.type=mysql
# 2022-04-07 23:12:11  remove: database.host=localhost
database.port=5432
# and another comment
# 2022-04-07 23:12:11  update: database.user=test
database.user=dbuser
database.password=foobar
# 2022-04-07 23:12:11  add: database.version
database.version=12