How can I optimize a PHP function that calculates the difference between strings?

Solution

1. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Computing differences between strings efficiently can be tricky and easy to get wrong.

2. Use a well-tested library instead of writing your own from scratch.

One recommended option is the Text_Diff PEAR package:

1. It provides a reliable and optimized implementation for computing differences between strings or arrays.

2. It has been widely used and tested in production environments.

Example usage:


<?php
require_once 'Text/Diff.php';
require_once 'Text/Diff/Renderer/inline.php';

$old = "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.";
$new = "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.";

$diff = new Text_Diff('auto', [$old, $new]);
$renderer = new Text_Diff_Renderer_inline();
echo $renderer->render($diff);
?>