5.12. Test Two Files for Equality
Problem
You need to quickly compare the content of two files and determine whether it matches exactly.
Solution
Calculate the hash code of each file using the System.Security.Cryptography.HashAlgorithm class, and then compare the hash codes.
How It Works
You might compare file content in a number of ways. For example, you could examine a portion of the file for similar data, or you could read through each file byte by byte, comparing each byte as you go. Both of these approaches are valid, but in some cases, it's more convenient to use a hash code algorithm.
A hash code algorithm generates a small (typically about 20 bytes) binary fingerprint for a file. While it's possible for different files to generate the ...
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