diff --git a/src/test-dogtail/validator.py b/src/test-dogtail/validator.py
index e59c992f13..1397565578 100644
--- a/src/test-dogtail/validator.py
+++ b/src/test-dogtail/validator.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ EXIT_SUCCESS  = 0
 EXIT_FAILURE  = 1
 EXIT_TROUBLE  = 2
 
-def validate_node (node, testname, ref_filename=None, act_filename=None):
+def validate_node (node, testname, ref_filename=None, act_filename=None, filter_command=None):
     """
         brows the children and out the result to file hold the same method name concatenated with _act to be diffed with the testcase name concatenated with _ref
         if i have a testcase called test1
@@ -41,8 +41,26 @@ def validate_node (node, testname, ref_filename=None, act_filename=None):
     act_file = open(act_filename, 'w')
     generate_act_file (node, act_file)
     act_file.close()
-    # get divided 265 to get the exact system status
-    error_code = os.system("diff %s %s" % (act_filename, ref_filename))/256
+    # divided by 265 to get the exact system status
+    if filter_command != None:
+        os.system("sed -n %s < %s >%s" % (filter_command, act_filename, act_filename+"_filtered"))
+        os.system("sed -n %s < %s >%s" % (filter_command, ref_filename, ref_filename+"_filtered"))
+        error_code = os.system("diff %s %s" % (act_filename+"_filtered", ref_filename+"_filtered"))/256
+    else:
+        error_code = os.system("diff %s %s" % (act_filename, ref_filename))/256
+    return error_code
+
+def validate_files(testname, ref_filename=None, act_filename=None, filter_command=None):
+    if act_filename == None:
+        act_filename = 'act/%s_act' % (testname)
+    if ref_filename == None:
+        ref_filename = 'ref/%s_ref' % (testname)
+    if filter_command != None:
+        os.system("sed -n %s < %s > %s" % (filter_command, act_filename, act_filename+"_filtered"))
+        os.system("sed -n %s < %s > %s" % (filter_command, ref_filename, ref_filename+"_filtered"))
+        error_code = os.system("diff %s %s" % (act_filename+"_filtered", ref_filename+"_filtered"))/256
+    else:
+        error_code = os.system("diff %s %s" % (act_filename, ref_filename))/256
     return error_code
 
 def generate_act_file (node, file, depth = 0):
@@ -54,3 +72,5 @@ def generate_act_file (node, file, depth = 0):
     except AttributeError:
             pass
 
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    validate_files('/home/ahmed/act', '/home/ahmed/ref', "\'/TABLE/,/\/TABLE/p\'")