Interesting problem on perl data structure

decebel has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hi All, I recently ran into a situation where I have to check if the two hash references are similar in structure. Something like,

my $ds1 = { part => { id => 123, name => wheel} } my $ds2 = { component => {id => 123, name => stereo} }

The above two data structures look similar in structure. By this I mean, both of them are hash references with key as strings and values again as hash references

Any suggestions on how to tackle this..

Many thanks D

Comment on Interesting problem on perl data structure

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Re: Interesting problem on perl data structure by BioLion (Curate) on Oct 12, 2009 at 14:12 UTC
You can test what a reference points to with ref, and test keys with either regexes or with the functions provided by Data::Types (`is_string` etc...). Data::Schema, once you get your head round it, can be used to ensure that a datastructure conforms to a particular 'look' or schema. So if you have a general 'are they similar??' question then go for Data::Types and some kind of datastructure crawler, maybe in parallel on the two structures, but if you want to know if both conform to a particular structure then try Data::Schema. I guess it is up to you to define what you consider makes the structures 'similar'... HTH. Update: SpAG... Just a something something...	[reply] [d/l]
Re: Interesting problem on perl data structure by jettero (Monsignor) on Oct 12, 2009 at 14:02 UTC
I usually tackle this with Data::Dumper. I suspect there's a better way if you need it efficient. But in module tests, where I actually do this, it's ok. `use Data::Dumper; $Data::Dumper::Sortkeys = 1; $Data::Dumper::Indent = 0; if( Dumper($struct1) eq Dumper($struct2) ) { warn "same!" } else { warn "not same. :(" }` [download] Oh, wait, this won't help at all. I missed the word similar. Nevermind. -Paul	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: Interesting problem on perl data structure by ctilmes (Vicar) on Oct 12, 2009 at 16:53 UTC
BTW, Test::More's is_deeply() can be used to test data structure equivalence (though not, as you point out, the OP's 'similar').	[reply]
Re: Interesting problem on perl data structure by planetscape (Chancellor) on Oct 12, 2009 at 18:06 UTC
How can I visualize my complex data structure? and How do I compare/match deeply nested (complex) data structures? may also be of interest to you. HTH, planetscape	[reply]
Re: Interesting problem on perl data structure by ctilmes (Vicar) on Oct 12, 2009 at 16:51 UTC
Data::Rx is another "data structure schema validation" module that can be used to check the two data structures independently against a schema.	[reply]