Introducing DiffShot: Effortless Visual Diffs for Your Code Changes
In the world of software development, understanding how code modifications impact the user interface is crucial—but often tedious. Manual testing and taking screenshots can slow down your workflow and add overhead, especially when reviewers struggle to visualize the effects. To address this challenge, I’ve developed a tool that provides instant, visual feedback on UI changes without any setup or configuration.
What Is DiffShot?
DiffShot is an intelligent utility that automatically detects the components affected by your recent code changes. It then takes screenshots across various device viewports, providing a clear visual summary of what has changed. The best part? It requires zero configuration—just run a simple command after your edits, and it takes care of the rest.
How Does It Work?
Using DiffShot is straightforward:
bash
diffshot --compare main
Here’s what happens behind the scenes:
- Component Analysis: It identifies which parts of your interface your recent code modifies.
- Server Automation: It automatically starts your development server.
- Automated Screenshots: It captures images of the affected UI segments across multiple viewports.
- Organized Output: Screenshots are saved neatly under
.diffshot/screenshots/. - Markdown Summaries: It generates a Markdown report that you can embed directly into your pull request comments.
Standout Features
- No Configuration Needed: Simply point DiffShot at your project; no extra setup required.
- No Need for E2E Tests: Avoid writing and maintaining end-to-end tests just to visualize changes.
- Automatic Dev Server Detection: It intelligently figures out your startup command.
- Supported Authentication Flows: Handles login processes seamlessly.
- Framework Agnostic: Compatible with React, Vue, Laravel, and many other frameworks.
Ideal Use Cases
- Quick visual validation before committing code
- Sharing UI change snapshots during code reviews
- Confirming responsive design or aesthetic modifications across devices
Looking Ahead
Built with TypeScript, Playwright, and git integration, DiffShot aims to streamline your development process. I plan to release it as an open-source project shortly but am first seeking around 20 enthusiastic developers to test it out. Your feedback will help identify edge cases and improve overall functionality before the official launch.
Interested?
If you’re eager to instantly visualize what your code changes look like without manual screenshots or writing tests, leave a comment below.
