diff --git a/src/lib/diff/gen-node.cpp b/src/lib/diff/gen-node.cpp
index e3c7f28d6..8806cd1f4 100644
--- a/src/lib/diff/gen-node.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/diff/gen-node.cpp
@@ -50,8 +50,10 @@
 #include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
 
 
+using util::join;
 using boost::lexical_cast;
 using lib::time::TimeValue;
+using lib::transformIterator;
 using util::almostEqual;
 using lib::hash::LuidH;
 
@@ -290,4 +292,70 @@ namespace diff{
   }
   
   
+  
+  
+  
+  /** compact textual representation of a Record<GenNode> (»object«). */
+  string renderCompact (Rec const& rec)
+  {
+    auto renderChild  = [](diff::GenNode const& n){ return renderCompact(n); };
+    auto renderAttrib = [](diff::GenNode const& n){
+                                                    return (n.isNamed()? n.idi.getSym()+"=" : "")
+                                                         +  renderCompact(n);
+                                                  };
+    
+    return (Rec::TYPE_NIL==rec.getType()? "" : rec.getType())
+         + "{"
+         +  join (transformIterator (rec.attribs(), renderAttrib))
+         + (isnil(rec.scope())?   "" : "|")
+         +  join (transformIterator (rec.scope()  , renderChild))
+         + "}"
+         ;
+  }
+  
+  string
+  renderCompact (RecRef const& ref)
+  {
+    return "Ref->" + (ref.empty()? util::BOTTOM_INDICATOR
+                                 : renderCompact (*ref.get()));
+  }
+  
+  /** @remark presentation is oriented towards readability
+   *   - numbers are slightly rounded (see \ref util::showDouble() )
+   *   - time values are displayed timecode-like
+   *   - nested scopes are displayed recursively, enclosed in curly brackets
+   * @see text-template-gen-node-binding.hpp
+   */
+  string
+  renderCompact (GenNode const& node)
+  {
+        class Renderer
+          : public Variant<diff::DataValues>::Renderer
+          {
+    #define RENDER_CONTENT(_TY_) \
+            virtual string handle  (_TY_ const& val) override { return util::toString(val); }
+            
+            RENDER_CONTENT (int)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (int64_t)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (short)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (char)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (double)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (bool)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (time::Time)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (time::Offset)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (time::Duration)
+            RENDER_CONTENT (time::TimeSpan)
+     #undef RENDER_CONTENT
+            
+            virtual string handle (string const& val) override { return val; }
+            virtual string handle (LuidH const& val)  override { return util::showHash(val, 2);}
+            virtual string handle (RecRef const& ref) override { return renderCompact(ref); }
+            virtual string handle (Rec const& rec)    override { return renderCompact(rec); }
+          };
+    
+    Renderer visitor;
+    return node.data.accept (visitor);
+  }
+  
+  
 }} // namespace lib::diff
diff --git a/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp b/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp
index 696f988b5..649b82afd 100644
--- a/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp
@@ -501,6 +501,15 @@ namespace diff{
     };
   
   
+  /** compact textual representation of a GenNode tree */
+  string renderCompact (GenNode const&);
+  string renderCompact (RecRef const&);
+  string renderCompact (Rec const&);
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
   
   /**
    * metafunction to detect types able to be wrapped into a GenNode.
diff --git a/src/lib/diff/record.hpp b/src/lib/diff/record.hpp
index b51a4bd66..e735cdb10 100644
--- a/src/lib/diff/record.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/diff/record.hpp
@@ -683,6 +683,12 @@ namespace diff{
           return record_;
         }
       
+      operator string()  const
+        {
+          return "Ref->" + (empty()? util::BOTTOM_INDICATOR
+                                   : string(*record_));
+        }
+      
       /** @note equality of references (instance pointers), not targets */
       friend bool
       operator== (RecordRef const& r1, RecordRef const& r2)
diff --git a/src/lib/variant.hpp b/src/lib/variant.hpp
index db24b9cd3..e5ae019d0 100644
--- a/src/lib/variant.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/variant.hpp
@@ -252,6 +252,13 @@ namespace lib {
           virtual ~Predicate() { } ///< this is an interface
         };
       
+      class Renderer
+        : public VisitorConstFunc<string>
+        {
+        public:
+          virtual ~Renderer() { } ///< this is an interface
+        };                                                      ///////////////////////////////////TICKET #1361 : unable to make the Visitor fully generic
+      
       /**
        * Metafunction to pick the first of the variant's types,
        * which satisfies the given trait or predicate template
@@ -274,9 +281,10 @@ namespace lib {
           
           virtual ~Buffer() {}           ///< this is an ABC with VTable
           
-          virtual void dispatch (Visitor&)         =0;
-          virtual bool dispatch (Predicate&) const =0;
-          virtual operator string()          const =0;
+          virtual void   dispatch (Visitor&)         =0;
+          virtual bool   dispatch (Predicate&) const =0;
+          virtual string dispatch (Renderer&)  const =0;
+          virtual operator string()            const =0;
         };
       
       
@@ -379,6 +387,15 @@ namespace lib {
               return typeDispatcher.handle (this->access());
             }
           
+          string
+          dispatch (Renderer& visitor)  const
+            {
+              using Dispatcher = variant::VFunc<string>::template ValueAcceptInterface<const TY>;
+              
+              Dispatcher& typeDispatcher = visitor;
+              return typeDispatcher.handle (this->access());
+            }
+          
           /** diagnostic helper */
           operator string()  const;
         };
@@ -536,6 +553,12 @@ namespace lib {
         {
           return buffer().dispatch (visitor);
         }
+      
+      string
+      accept (Renderer& visitor)  const
+        {
+          return buffer().dispatch (visitor);
+        }
     };
   
   
diff --git a/tests/library/diff/gen-node-test.cpp b/tests/library/diff/gen-node-test.cpp
index 12d732b4a..2feeed313 100644
--- a/tests/library/diff/gen-node-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/library/diff/gen-node-test.cpp
@@ -147,6 +147,8 @@ namespace test{
           CHECK (!n3.isNamed());
           
           cout << n3 <<endl; // diagnostic spam
+          
+          CHECK (renderCompact(n3) == "spam{ham=eggs}"_expect);
         }
       
       
@@ -289,6 +291,8 @@ namespace test{
           for (auto & elm : n)
             cout << elm <<endl;
           
+          CHECK (renderCompact(n) == "{hasSpam=true|*, ★, 3.1415927, ham{|eggs, spam, spam}, 0:00:00.000≺920ms≻, 42}"_expect);
+          
           
           auto iter = n.begin();
           CHECK (!isnil (iter));