--- title: Command line reference slug: command-line-reference docTags: createdAt: 2023-03-08T05:00:19.000Z --- ## Command line format :::BlockQuote BarcodeReaderCLI \[options] \[sources] \[@configuration\_file] ::: Where: `options` - options specified in this document. See [option rules](./#option-rules) `sources` - files, folders, or URLs identifying input files `configuration-file` - zero one or more configurations files ## Source The `source` parameter specifies the location of image files to read barcodes from. Multiple sources can be specified. Sources can be: - Local image file - Local folder - Web-based image. The source name should start with `http://`**,** `htpps://` The rules for source values are: - The value of the source should use **UTF-8** to represent non-English file names - The value containing spaces should be enclosed in double quotes (`""`) - The value containing environmental and user [macro references](docId\:LCj_sxpqwHwUR1q-9vvGz) expanded at runtime ## Options ### Option rules - Most options are specified as `-name=value`, except: - Options with a value described as a** flag** are specified as `-name` - the `-d` option is specified as `-d="macro.name=macro.value"` - If the value is described as a **list**, zero or more valid values can be set. Multiple values should be separated by a comma (,). No spaces are allowed in the list. - All options (except `-type`) are optional. - A new option value (except `-output`) replaces the previous value. An empty string value sets the option to its default value. - For options specifying file names: `-output` and `-output-text`. - If the value contains spaces, it should be enclosed in double quotes (`""`) - Environmental and user macro references are expanded at runtime :::hint{type="info"} The order of the options on the command line and in configuration files is important: - **Reader options** and **source options** should be specified before the `source` parameter. Thus different options can be applied to individual sources. - **Output options** that apply to output should be specified before the `-output` option. Thus, different options can be applied to individual outputs. ::: ### Reader options Reader options configure the barcode reader parameters to be applied to a source. | **Name** | **Value Description** | **Default** | **Valid values** | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `-type`
`-t` | **Required.** List of barcode types | `code39` `code128` `ucc128` `pdf417` `qr` `datamatrix` `drvlic` | `code39` `code128 codabar` `ucc128` `code93`
`upca` `ean8` `upce` `ean13` `i25`
`datamatrix` `pdf417` `qr` `drvlic`
`imb` `bpo` `aust` `sing` `4state` `patch` | | `-tbr` | List of [TBR Codes](docId\:KRbh-LutYaWZPHRaJ5lqS) | 0 | Valid TBR codes for a given type are displayed by the [TBR Wizard](docId\:GLmGkFKXRClppzzASNvWc) | | `-dir` | List of barcode directions | `all` | `all` `horz` `vert` | | `-max-bc`
`-m` | A maximum number of barcodes to read on a page.
0 means read all barcodes. | 0 | 0 - 100 | | `-timeout` | Barcode reading timeout in seconds.
0 means no timeout. | 0 | | | `-encoding` | Encoding to convert barcode data to UTF-8 text. See [here](docId\:N6svsSR4bWTi0m0B_m3rR) | | | ### TBR codes - Valid codes for specific barcode types are reported in the [TBR Wizard](docId\:GLmGkFKXRClppzzASNvWc) - Each TBR code set in `-tbr` option (if more than one) is applied **sequentially** to each source page. If the number of barcodes found on a page after applying a TBR code from the list is equal to or more than `-max-bc` value (if set), the rest of the TBR codes are ignored for this page. If `-tbr` option is not set, the default algorithm is used. If TBR codes are changed, to return to the default algorithm to the next source set `-tbr=0` ### Source options - Multi-page file format This option control processing of multi-page file formats: `PDF`, `TIFF`, `GIF` | **Name** | **Value Description** | **Default** | **Valid values** | | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | `-pages` | List of page selectors to limit reading to a set of pages.
`NMB` is an explicit page number (1-based)
`START` is an explicit page number or `first`
`STOP` is an explicit page number or `last`
`CNT` is the maximum number of barcodes to detect in a file
| `all` | `all` `even` `odd` `first` `last` `NMB` `START-STOP` `maxbc:CNT` | If the page range is `maxbc:CNT` and the value of `CNT` > 0, then file processing stops once `CNT` barcodes are found. :::hint{type="warning"} Setting a barcode count limit might increase overall processing time since multi-threading is disabled. ::: ### Source options - Web-based images Images from `http://`**,** `htpps://` sources are downloaded by the [curl](https://curl.haxx.se/docs/manpage.html) command-line application. - Linux version is installed with the BarcodeReaderCLI. - Windows version is available [here](https://curl.haxx.se/download.html) and should be installed in the PATH. The curl is invoked with the following default curl options: `-s -S -D -m -o -L`**** - Additional options should be set as needed based on the system requirements. - BarcodeReaderCLI reports errors returned from the `curl`. - To resolve any problems invoke `curl` from the command line to identify required curl options. | **Name** | **Value Description** | **Default** | **Valid values** | | ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | `-curl-timeout` | Total timeout in seconds to download an image with curl. A value of 0.0 disables the timeout. | 15.0 | Floating point number | | `-curl-options` | Additional `curl` options. The list of options should be enclosed in the double quotes (`""`). Use an escape character before any double quotes in the list. | | [curl command line options](https://curl.se/docs/manpage.html) | | `-curl-no-redirect` | Disable request redirect | | | ### Source options - Folder processing These options control the selection of image files when the `source`* *is a folder. | **Name** | **Value Description** | **Default** | **Valid values** | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | | `-sub`
`-subfolders` | Include subfolders of the source folder in the processing
| `true` | `true` `false` | | `-incl` | List of file name masks to be included in the processing | \*.tif,\*.tiff,\*.jpg,\*.jpeg,\*.pdf,\*.bmp,\*.png | | | `-excl` | List of file name masks to be excluded from processing | | | ### Output options These options control the [output](https://www.inliteresearch.com/help/BarcodeReaderCLI/output.htm) generated by BarcodeReaderCLI. | **Name** | **Value Description** | **Default** | **Valid values** | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `-output`
`-o` | File path - output is sent to the specified file. Zero or more output files can be specified,
each requires a separate `-output` option entry
`console` - output is sent to `stdout` using `-format` option.
| | File path
`console` | | `-format` | Console output format, `text` value requires -`-output-text` option to be specified. | `json` | `json` `csv` `text` `bin` | | `-output-text` | String with macro reference. To define text output in a file, the string should be `file://text-file-path`, where `text-file-path` is a template file path.
| | | | `-if-exists` | Action to take if the output file already exists:
`overwrite` replaces the existing file
`append` adds new data to an existing file (not allowed for `bin` output)
`unique` adds a unique file index to the filename before the extension
`error` generates a runtime error | `overwrite` | `overwrite` `append` `unique` `error` | | `-fields` | **For barcodes**
Fields to output in `json` and `csv` output. Fields values are obtained through macro expansion except:

`barcode` outputs all default fields

| `text`,`data`,
`length`,`type`

| [barcode macros](docId\:LCj_sxpqwHwUR1q-9vvGz)

`barcode` | | `-fields` | **For Driver License Barcodes:**
Fields to output in `json` and `csv` output. Fields values are obtained through macro expansion except:

`drvlic` outputs all default fields.
| `last`,`first`,`middle`,`dob`,`eyes`,`hair`,
`sex`,`height`,`weight`,
`street`,`city`,`state`,`postal,id`,`issued`,
`expires` |
[driver license macros](docId\:LCj_sxpqwHwUR1q-9vvGz)

`drvlic`
| | | | | | ### Miscellaneous options | **Name** | **Value Description** | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `-help`
`-h` | Flag to output command-line help to console. No processing is done. | | `-silent`
`-s` | Silent mode flag. Do not output the BarcodeReaderCLI version and information | | `-timeout` | Execution timeout in seconds. The default value of 0.0 disables the timeout. Error is returned if total execution time exceeds timeout. | | `-d` | Command line [use macros](docId\:LCj_sxpqwHwUR1q-9vvGz).
The format is `-d="macro.name=macro.value"` | ## Configuration file A configuration file is a convenient way to define a set of options and/or sources shared by multiple systems or sessions. For example, they can be used to: - Define macros specific to a system, such as the location of source or output files. - Define reader options applied to sources specified on a command line. Zero or more configuration files can be set on the command line. Multiple files are processed in the order of appearance. The format rules for configuration files are: - `-name` sets command line flags - `-name=value` sets command line options with values - `-d="macro.name=macro.value"` specifies a command line [use macros](docId\:LCj_sxpqwHwUR1q-9vvGz). - `source` specifies the location of image files to read barcodes from. It can be an **image file**, **a folder** containing image files, or **a URL**. Values with spaces should be enclosed in double quotes (`"some text"`) - `#` starts the comment portion of a line. If `#` is the first character, the whole line is treated as a comment. - `exit` ends the processing of a configuration file. The rest of the file is ignored. - The configuration file should be in UTF-8 to include non-English file names.