CLI File Converter Tool

Included in this application is a tool for converting files from the Archive Viewer's format or StripTool's format into Trace's format. The tool can be found at trace/trace_file_converter.py and can be called directly from the command-line. This allows users to convert their files without having to open Trace.

Usage

trace_file_convert.py [-h] [--output_file OUTPUT_FILE] [--overwrite] [--clean] input_file

The file converter tool takes in a few optional arguments to give the user more control over how they use it.

Positional Arguments

Input File

The only positional argument is the file to be converted, labeled input_file. This should be provided as a path to the file, either relative or absolute. The conversion will fail if the file does not exist or does not use the .xml or .stp file extension or if it's incorrectly formatted.

Users can also provide multiple files to be converted at once. If any file(s) fail the conversion, individual error messages are provided so that users know which to look at.

Examples: trace_file_convert.py examples/xml_conversion.xml trace_file_convert.py stp_files/*.stp

Optional Arguments

Output File: -o, --output_file

Users can use this argument to pass the name and path the converted file should be saved as. If not provided, the new file will be the same as the input file. A file extension does not need to be provided in the new name. The conversion fails if the provided output file name has a file extension and it is not .trc. If converting a batch of files, the user can provide multiple output file names to use.

Example: python trace_file_convert.py examples/FormulaExample.trc -o some_file.trc

Overwrite: -w, --overwrite

The conversion will fail if a file already exists with the new file name (provided or default). Using the overwrite flag ignores the interrupt, allowing the tool to replace the existing file with the new file.

Example: python trace_file_convert.py examples/FormulaExample.trc -o some_file.trc -w

Clean: --clean

This flag results in the conversion tool removing the input file after the conversion has been made.

Example: python trace_file_convert.py examples/FormulaExample.trc --clean