Pd4Cmd Command-Line Reference

com.pd4ml.tools.Pd4Cmd is pd4ml.jar's own Main-Class -- run directly with java -jar, no classpath assembly required (see the Programmer's Manual's §4 for the fuller walkthrough this page complements). It covers four distinct jobs from one entry point: converting HTML to PDF, RTF, DOCX, or a raster image; editing an existing PDF in -tools mode; indexing TrueType/OpenType fonts; and launching the bundled GUI previewer.

Running java -jar pd4ml.jar with no arguments prints the definitive flag list of the exact build in use. The flags -noimagesplit, -smarttablesplit and -protectpud of older versions are no longer supported.

Minimum parameters

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar "https://pd4ml.com" 1200

The two required positional arguments are the source (a file:, http:, or https: URL) and htmlWidth in pixels -- the virtual browser viewport width the source is laid out against. A third, optional positional argument names the target page format (a predefined name, or explicit WIDTHxHEIGHT in points); omitted, it defaults to A4. With no -out, the result streams to stdout rather than a file.

A more complete conversion

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar "https://pd4ml.com" 1200 LETTER -bookmarks HEADINGS -pdfforms -debug 3 -out pd4ml.pdf

-debug requires a numeric verbosity level (0-5) as its own argument: a bare -debug with nothing after it is rejected (invalid parameter: log level is missing).

PDF tools mode

Passing -tools switches Pd4Cmd from HTML conversion into editing an existing PDF, given as the source in place of an HTML URL.

Extracting a page range

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -tools file:c:/docs/test.pdf -pagerange 2-3,5+ -out c:/docs/newdoc.pdf

Merging two PDFs

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -tools file:c:/docs/test.pdf -merge file:c:/docs/tomerge.pdf after -out c:/docs/newdoc.pdf

Overlaying or underlaying one PDF onto another

-overlay/-underlay composite one PDF's pages onto another's, entirely within tools mode -- no separate write-then-reread step needed:

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -tools file:c:/docs/test.pdf -overlay file:c:/docs/stamp.pdf all all 128 -out c:/docs/newdoc.pdf

srcScope and destScope each accept either the keyword all or a page range/list such as 1-3,5; opacity is 0-255. -underlay takes the identical four arguments and paints beneath the base document's content instead of on top of it. -overlaypassword supplies the overlay/underlay source's password, alongside -readpassword (the primary input) and -mergepassword (an -merge input) for the other tools-mode password slots. -merge and -overlay/-underlay can't be combined in a single invocation; chain two separate calls, writing and re-reading the intermediate file, to apply both.

Updating permissions

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -tools file:c:/docs/test.pdf -permissions 28 -out c:/docs/newdoc.pdf

Reading document metadata

java -Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -tools file:c:/docs/test.pdf -printpermissions -printauthor -printtitle -printpagenum

Indexing TTF fonts

java -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -configure.fonts <fontdir> [pd4fonts.properties location]

See the Configuring PDF Fonts page for the fuller picture of when to reach for this versus the other font-indexing options.

Launching the GUI

java -Xmx512m -jar pd4ml.jar -gui

Optionally followed by a URL to open immediately, rather than starting from the previewer's blank state.

Full parameter reference

Flag	Purpose
`<url>`	(positional, required) Source document URL -- `file:`, `http:`, or `https:`.
`<htmlWidth>`	(positional, required) Virtual browser viewport width, in pixels.
`pageFormatName\|WxH`	(positional, optional) Target page format name, or explicit width x height in points. Default: `A4`.
`-gui`	Launches the bundled GUI previewer/converter instead of converting from the command line.
`-tools`	Switches to PDF-editing mode; the source is an existing PDF, not HTML.
`-configure.fonts <dir> [loc]`	Indexes a TTF/OTF directory, writing `pd4fonts.properties` either alongside the fonts or to the given alternate location.
`-xsl <notesdefault\|url>`	Treats the source as XML and transforms it through the given XSL stylesheet first (`notesdefault` selects the bundled Domino/DXL stylesheet).
`-usetmpfiles`	Extracts Base64-encoded Notes/DXL attachments to temporary files rather than passing them through the XSL transform inline.
`-dumphtml`	Prints the post-XSL-transformation HTML to stdout, for debugging an `-xsl` conversion.
`-errorpolicy <RELAXED\|NORMAL\|PEDANTIC\|STRICT>`	Controls how strictly malformed source HTML or non-conformant output is treated; see the Programmer's Manual's §12.
`-outformat <fmt>`	Selects the output format: `pdf` (default), `pdfa`, `pdfua`, `docx`, `rtf`, `rtfwmf`, `png8`, `png24`, `tiff`, or a combined `PdfSpec` string such as `"PDF1.7ext8 PDF/A-3a PDF/UA-1"`.
`-pdfa`	Shorthand for requesting PDF/A-compliant output, equivalent to `-outformat pdfa`.
`-bookmarks <HEADINGS\|ANCHORS>`	Generates a PDF bookmark tree from `<h1>`-`<h6>` headings or from named anchors.
`-orientation <PORTRAIT\|LANDSCAPE>`	Page orientation; `LANDSCAPE` rotates the target format 90°. Default: `PORTRAIT`.
`-insets <T,L,B,R,unit>`	Page margins, `unit` being `mm` or `pt`. Default: `10,10,10,10,mm`.
`-bgcolor <#RRGGBB>`	Solid background color for every page.
`-bgimage <url>`	Background image for every page, scaled to the full page area.
`-watermark <url,x,y,w,h,opacity>`	Image watermark, positioned and sized in pixels with an opacity from 0-255.
`-pdfforms`	Converts HTML form controls into interactive PDF (AcroForm) fields.
`-multicolumn <cols,gap[mm\|pt]>`	Lays the document out in multiple columns per page, e.g. `3,10mm`.
`-adjustwidth`	Measures the source's own natural width and uses that as `htmlWidth`, instead of the given value.
`-fitapage`	Downscales the whole layout to fit a single page vertically, rather than paginating.
`-fitandcenterpage`	As `-fitapage`, additionally centering the downscaled content on the page.
`-nohyperlinks`	Suppresses conversion of HTML hyperlinks into PDF link annotations.
`-author <name>`	Sets the PDF document-info Author field.
`-title <text>`	Sets or overrides the document title (also usable as a `$[title]` placeholder value).
`-header '<html>'`	Page header content as HTML; supports `$[page]`, `$[total]`, `$[title]`.
`-footer '<html>'`	Page footer content as HTML; same placeholders as `-header`.
`-addstyle <css>`	Applies an additional stylesheet to the source document; repeatable.
`-cookie <name> <value>`	Sends the given cookie with the source HTML's HTTP request; repeatable.
`-param <name> <value>`	Defines a dynamic placeholder value (and a named parameter) for the conversion; repeatable.
`-encoding <name>`	Overrides the detected source document character encoding.
`-ttf <dir>`	TrueType/OpenType font directory to embed glyphs from.
`-ttfrefsonly`	References fonts without embedding their glyph data in the output.
`-kerning`	Applies the fonts' own kerning pairs.
`-ligatures`	Builds compound glyphs (fi, fl, ...) where the active font defines them.
`-threads <n>`	Enables asynchronous, concurrent resource loading with the given thread-pool size.
`-pagerange <scope>`	Limits which pages are written to output, e.g. `2+`, `1-2`, `even`, `odd`, `3-7,odd`.
`-permissions <number>`	PDF access permissions, as a sum of individual permission bit values.
`-password <pw>`	Protects the output document with the given (owner) password.
`-merge <path> <after\|before>`	Appends or prepends an existing PDF to the conversion result.
`-overlay <path> <srcScope\|all> <destScope\|all> <opacity>`	(tools mode) Composites another PDF's pages on top of the source's.
`-underlay <path> <srcScope\|all> <destScope\|all> <opacity>`	(tools mode) As `-overlay`, painted beneath the source's content instead.
`-readpassword <pw>`	(tools mode) Password for the primary input PDF.
`-mergepassword <pw>`	(tools mode) Password for the `-merge` input PDF.
`-overlaypassword <pw>`	(tools mode) Password for the `-overlay`/`-underlay` input PDF.
`-printpermissions`	(tools mode) Prints the input PDF's permissions (as hex) to stdout.
`-printauthor`	(tools mode) Prints the input PDF's Author field to stdout.
`-printtitle`	(tools mode) Prints the input PDF's Title field to stdout.
`-printpagenum`	(tools mode, and regular conversion) Prints the resulting page count to stdout.
`-debug <level>` (alias `-log <level>`)	Sets diagnostic verbosity, `0` (silent) through `5` (very verbose).
`-out <path>`	Output file path. Omitted, output streams to stdout instead.