Building Targets Using the Command Line

• To create a batch file (recommended): Open Notepad. For example, in Windows XP, you can open it by clicking the Start button and selecting All Programs>Accessories>Notepad.

  OR

• To generate immediately from the command line: Open your command prompt. For example, in Windows XP, you can open it by clicking the Start button and then selecting All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt.

Type the path to the Flare.app folder where you installed Flare, and press Enter.

example

If you installed Flare at the default location, you would type the following and press Enter on your keyboard:

cd\Program Files\MadCap Software\Madcap Flare V7\Flare.app 

Type the following and press Enter on your keyboard (entering the path to your project in place of the section in angle brackets):

madbuild -project <project>

Note: If there are spaces anywhere in your path or project name, you need to use quotation marks around it.

Tip: If you are using the command prompt (as opposed to a Notepad file) and you have Microsoft XP, you can drag a file from the Windows location to the Command Prompt window. This will add the path of the file within quotation marks for you.

example

If you have a Flare project called "DoohickeyPro" that you have stored in a folder of the same name at the root level of the C: drive, you can type this:

madbuild -project c:\doohickeypro\doohickeypro.flprj

example

If you have a project called "DoohickeyPro" that you have stored in a folder named "My Projects" (with a space) at the root level of the C: drive, you would type this:

madbuild -project "c:\my projects\doohickeypro.flprj"

If you are using the command prompt window, the targets in that project generate immediately, and the output files are copied to the Output subfolder in your main project folder.

If you are creating a batch file in Notepad, it might look something like this:

• To create a batch file (recommended): Open Notepad. For example, in Windows XP, you can open it by clicking the Start button and selecting All Programs>Accessories>Notepad.

  OR

• To generate immediately from the command line: Open your command prompt. For example, in Windows XP, you can open it by clicking the Start button and then selecting All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt.

Type the path to the Flare.app folder where you installed Flare, and press Enter.

example

If you installed Flare at the default location, you would type the following and press Enter on your keyboard:

cd\Program Files\MadCap Software\Madcap Flare V7\Flare.app 

Type the following and press Enter on your keyboard (entering the path to your project and the name of the target in place of the sections in angle brackets):

madbuild -project <project> -target <target name>

Note: If there are spaces anywhere in your path, project name, or target name, you need to use quotation marks around it.

Tip: If you are using the command prompt (as opposed to a Notepad file) and you have Microsoft XP, you can drag a file from the Windows location to the Command Prompt window. This will add the path of the file within quotation marks for you.

example

Let's say you have a project called "DoohickeyPro" that you have stored in a folder of the same name at the root level of the C: drive. If you want to build only the target named "Beginner" in that project, you can type this:

madbuild -project c:\doohickeypro\doohickeypro.flprj   -target Beginner

example

If the project is located in a folder called "My Projects" (with a space), you would type this:

madbuild -project "c:\my projects\doohickeypro.flprj" -target Beginner

example

If the target is named "Beginner Online Help" (with spaces between words), you would type this:

madbuild -project "c:\my projects\doohickeypro.flprj" -target "Beginner Online Help"

If you are using the command prompt window, the targets in that project generate immediately, and the output files are copied to the Output subfolder in your main project folder.

If you are creating a batch file in Notepad, it might look something like this:

For example, complete the following steps if using the Windows XP Scheduled Tasks utility:

1. In Windows, click the Start button.
2. Select All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks.
3. In the window, double-click Add Scheduled Task.
4. In the Scheduled Task Wizard, click Next.
5. Click Browse. Then find and double-click the batch file you created.
6. If necessary, change the name of the scheduled task, which by default is named after your batch file.
7. Select an option for the frequency of running the batch file (e.g., daily) and click Next.
8. Enter a start time and date, and click Next.
9. If necessary, enter your username and password (consult your system administrator if you do not know what it is). Then click Next.
10. Click Finish.

• To create a batch file (recommended): Open Notepad. For example, in Windows XP, you can open it by clicking the Start button and selecting All Programs>Accessories>Notepad.

  OR

• To generate immediately from the command line: Open your command prompt. For example, in Windows XP, you can open it by clicking the Start button and then selecting All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt.

Type the path to the Flare.app folder where you installed Flare, and press Enter.

example

If you installed Flare at the default location, you would type the following and press Enter on your keyboard:

cd\Program Files\MadCap Software\Madcap Flare V7\Flare.app 

Type the following and press Enter on your keyboard (entering the path to your project and the name of the target in place of the sections in angle brackets):

madbuild -project <project> -batch <batch target name>

Note: If there are spaces anywhere in your path, project name, or target name, you need to use quotation marks around it.

Tip: If you are using the command prompt (as opposed to a Notepad file) and you have Microsoft XP, you can drag a file from the Windows location to the Command Prompt window. This will add the path of the file within quotation marks for you.

example

Let's say you have a project called "DoohickeyPro" that you have stored in a folder of the same name at the root level of the C: drive. If you want to build the batch target named "MyBatchTarget" in that project, you can type this:

madbuild -project c:\doohickeypro\doohickeypro.flprj   -batch MyBatchTarget

example

If the project is located in a folder called "My Projects" (with a space), you would type this:

madbuild -project "c:\my projects\doohickeypro.flprj" -batch MyBatchTarget

example

If the batch target is named "My Batch Target" (with spaces between words), you would type this:

madbuild -project "c:\my projects\doohickeypro.flprj" -batch "My Batch Target"

If you are using the command prompt window, the targets in that project generate immediately, and the output files are copied to the Output subfolder in your main project folder.

If you are creating a batch file in Notepad, it might look something like this:

For example, complete the following steps if using the Windows XP Scheduled Tasks utility:

1. In Windows, click the Start button.
2. Select All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks.
3. In the window, double-click Add Scheduled Task.
4. In the Scheduled Task Wizard, click Next.
5. Click Browse. Then find and double-click the batch file you created.
6. If necessary, change the name of the scheduled task, which by default is named after your batch file.
7. Select an option for the frequency of running the batch file (e.g., daily) and click Next.
8. Enter a start time and date, and click Next.
9. If necessary, enter your username and password (consult your system administrator if you do not know what it is). Then click Next.
10. Click Finish.