# 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](pd4ml-manual) 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. {% hint style="info" %} This reference was checked directly against the current `com.pd4ml.tools.Pd4Cmd` source and the usage banner it prints when run with no arguments, rather than transcribed from older documentation as-is. Three flags documented on earlier versions of this page -- `-noimagesplit`, `-smarttablesplit`, and `-protectpud` -- no longer exist in the current build and have been dropped below; several flags that do exist weren't previously documented at all and have been added (`-errorpolicy`, `-ligatures`, `-fitandcenterpage`, `-overlay`/`-underlay`/`-overlaypassword`, the `-log` alias for `-debug`, and DOCX/raster/`PdfSpec`-string support in `-outformat`). Always prefer running `java -jar pd4ml.jar` with no arguments over any static reference, including this one, for the definitive, always-current flag list for the exact build in use. {% endhint %} ## 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 ``` One correction versus older documentation of this same example: `-debug` now requires a numeric verbosity level (`0`-`5`) as its own argument -- a bare `-debug` with nothing after it is rejected outright (`invalid parameter: log level is missing`), rather than behaving as an on/off switch. ## 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 Not previously documented on this page: `-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 [pd4fonts.properties location] ``` See the [Configuring PDF Fonts](https://app.gitbook.com/s/cjbNvevStmXi1uYduM7U/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 | | ------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `` | _(positional, required)_ Source document URL -- `file:`, `http:`, or `https:`. | | `` | _(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 [loc]` | Indexes a TTF/OTF directory, writing `pd4fonts.properties` either alongside the fonts or to the given alternate location. | | `-xsl ` | 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 ` | Controls how strictly malformed source HTML or non-conformant output is treated; see the Programmer's Manual's [§12](pd4ml-manual). | | `-outformat ` | 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 ` | Generates a PDF bookmark tree from `

`-`

` headings or from named anchors. | | `-orientation ` | Page orientation; `LANDSCAPE` rotates the target format 90°. Default: `PORTRAIT`. | | `-insets ` | Page margins, `unit` being `mm` or `pt`. Default: `10,10,10,10,mm`. | | `-bgcolor <#RRGGBB>` | Solid background color for every page. | | `-bgimage ` | Background image for every page, scaled to the full page area. | | `-watermark ` | Image watermark, positioned and sized in pixels with an opacity from 0-255. | | `-pdfforms` | Converts HTML form controls into interactive PDF (AcroForm) fields. | | `-multicolumn ` | 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 ` | Sets the PDF document-info Author field. | | `-title ` | Sets or overrides the document title (also usable as a `$[title]` placeholder value). | | `-header ''` | Page header content as HTML; supports `$[page]`, `$[total]`, `$[title]`. | | `-footer ''` | Page footer content as HTML; same placeholders as `-header`. | | `-addstyle ` | Applies an additional stylesheet to the source document; repeatable. | | `-cookie ` | Sends the given cookie with the source HTML's HTTP request; repeatable. | | `-param ` | Defines a dynamic placeholder value (and a named parameter) for the conversion; repeatable. | | `-encoding ` | Overrides the detected source document character encoding. | | `-ttf ` | 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 ` | Enables asynchronous, concurrent resource loading with the given thread-pool size. | | `-pagerange ` | Limits which pages are written to output, e.g. `2+`, `1-2`, `even`, `odd`, `3-7,odd`. | | `-permissions ` | PDF access permissions, as a sum of individual permission bit values. | | `-password ` | Protects the output document with the given (owner) password. | | `-merge ` | Appends or prepends an existing PDF to the conversion result. | | `-overlay ` | _(tools mode)_ Composites another PDF's pages on top of the source's. | | `-underlay ` | _(tools mode)_ As `-overlay`, painted beneath the source's content instead. | | `-readpassword ` | _(tools mode)_ Password for the primary input PDF. | | `-mergepassword ` | _(tools mode)_ Password for the `-merge` input PDF. | | `-overlaypassword ` | _(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 ` (alias `-log `) | Sets diagnostic verbosity, `0` (silent) through `5` (very verbose). | | `-out ` | Output file path. Omitted, output streams to stdout instead. | ## See also * [PD4ML Programmer's Manual](pd4ml-manual) -- §4 introduces `Pd4Cmd` alongside the Java API and JSP taglib as the three ways to drive a conversion. * [Configuring PDF Fonts](https://app.gitbook.com/s/cjbNvevStmXi1uYduM7U/configuring-pdf-fonts) -- more on `-configure.fonts`/`-ttf` and the other ways to build a font mapping.