Table of Contents

• 1. Choose Your Interface
• 2. Quick Examples
  • 2.1. Ruby API
  • 2.2. Command Line
  • 2.3. RSpec
• 3. Next Steps
• 4. See Also

1. Choose Your Interface

Canon provides three ways to work with document comparisons:

• Ruby API - Using Canon from Ruby code

• Command-line Interface - Terminal commands and options

• RSpec Matchers - Testing with Canon in RSpec

2. Quick Examples

2.1. Ruby API

require 'canon'

# Compare two XML files
result = Canon.compare(
  File.read('expected.xml'),
  File.read('actual.xml'),
  format: :xml
)

puts result ? "✅ Equivalent" : "❌ Different"

2.2. Command Line

# Compare two files (shows diff if they differ)
canon diff expected.xml actual.xml

# With detailed configuration info
canon diff expected.xml actual.xml --verbose

# With advanced options
canon diff expected.xml actual.xml \
  --diff-algorithm semantic \
  --match-profile strict \
  --verbose

2.3. RSpec

RSpec.describe "My XML" do
  it "matches expected output" do
    expect(actual_xml).to match_xml(expected_xml)
  end
end

3. Next Steps

• Explore all interfaces in detail

• Understand how Canon works

• Learn about Canon’s features

• Read practical guides

4. See Also

• CLI Options Reference

• Options Across Interfaces

• Choosing Configuration