The Text Report Comparator ctcdiff

With the tool ctcdiff, two text reports from different test runs can be compared.

ctcdiff compares two ctcpost-generated text reports (Execution Profile Listings). The comparison result is a copy of the second report. Within this copy the coverage differences for structural coverage are marked. Here a "difference" means
  • improved coverage: counter value changed from zero to a value greater than zero in the second listing, or
  • declined coverage: counter value changed form a value greater than zero to zero in the second listing.
The intended use of ctcdiff is the following:
  • Comparing two different test suites with regard to code coverage: Easily find out the code locations where the first testing showed coverage but the second did not, or the other way round, or where the test suites were equally good (both showed coverage or both did not).
  • When additional tests have been done, the full set of test cases can be compared to the previous smaller set of test cases.

ctcdiff decides on function level if the code of the two versions compared is the same. If the source file changed, a function that did not change is compared even if it is located on a different line.

Functions that have been changed, added or deleted are not compared. They appear in the report as they are shown in the second listing.

With ctc2html, an HTML report can be generated showing the resulting coverage difference in combination with the original source code.
Note: A comparison of statement coverage is not provided by ctcdiff.