View source for Analytica Command Line

 [[category:File Commands]]
[[Category:Analytica User Guide]]

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The desktop Analytica.exe process is launched with a command line having the format:

 Analytica.exe [options] [filename]

The brackets mean that these are optional. When ''filename'' has one or more spaces, you need to put double quotes around the filename. Or, you can put double quotes around the ''filename'' even if it doesn't have spaces.  The ''filename'' will usually have the extension *.ana.  When no filename is specified, Analytica launches to the intro screen.  When a filename is specified, it loads that model file.

== Options ==

Each option can be prefixed either with a forward slash, <code>/</code>, or with a minus, <code>-</code>. Option values appear after a colon. There can be no spaces within the option or its value. When an option value contains a space, the option value must be quoted using double quotes. 

{{Release|1=7.2|2=|3=As of [[Analytica 7.2]], an option may also be prefixed with a double minus, <code>--</code>, and an option value may be introduced by an equal sign, <code>=</code>, in place of the colon. So <code>/nosplash</code>, <code>-nosplash</code> and <code>--nosplash</code> are all the same option, and <code>/mcp:8080</code> and <code>--mcp=8080</code> are the same option with the same value. This makes the spellings that are conventional for Chromium and for command lines on other operating systems work as expected.}}

* <code>/rlmDiag:''filename''</code>: Writes diagnostic information about licenses to ''filename''. This is very useful if you are encountering problems with a license that you believe has been activated, but is not working.  After launching Analytica with this option, exit Analytica and either review the log file in a text editor, or email the diagnostic file to support@lumina.com for assistance. The diagnostic file logs the information about licenses that it finds on your computer, and hence is very useful for debugging license problems. 
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /rlmDiag:"c:\Temp\rlmDiag.log"</code>

* <code>/roam:''days''</code>: Specifies the number of days to roam a floating license.  Or, if ''days'' is -1, it releases a roamed license. See [[License Roaming]].
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /roam:7</code>

* <code>/lic:''licenseName''</code>: Uses the specified license name without changing which license is selected by default. The license must already be activated (i.e., the license must be in your <code>C:\ProgramData\Lumina\Licenses</code> folder).
*:Example: <code>Analytica.exe /lic:analytica_optimizer_761_2</code>

* <code>/rlm:''server''</code>: Specifies the server name (or port@serverName) that is running a Reprise License Manager with the desired centrally managed (e.g., floating) license.

* <code>/eval:''expression''</code>: (new to [[Analytica 6.0]]). Specifies an Analytica expression that is evaluated immediately after the model file that is specified on the command line finishes loading. The evaluating occurs after any proactively evaluated variables or buttons in the model. It does not dirty the model. The expression can include global variable assignments, and button identifiers. You will almost certainly want to include double quotes around the expression, and you need to escape any interior quotes by proceeding the quote with a backslash. The parameter is ignored if ''filename'' is not specified on the command line.  See [[Running a model in a command line workflow]].

*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /eval:"Claimant=\"JDoe\";Run_Batch;Exit" "Claim analysis.ana"</code>
*: In this example, <code>Claimant</code> is the identifier of an input variable in the model and <code>Run_batch</code> and <code>Exit</code> are names of a buttons in the model.

* <code>/comment:''text''</code>: (new to [[Analytica 6.0]]) The ''text'' is a comment that is ignored by Analytica. In one example usage, ACP3 adds a comment to each spawned processes to differentiate them in task manager.

* <code>/NoSplash</code>: (new to [[Analytica 6.0]]) Don't show the splash screen at startup (which normally displays for 3 seconds). 

* <code>/mcp:«port»</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.0]]) Enable Analytica as [[MCP server in Analytica|an MCP server]] (a protocol that allows A.I. language models to call functions in your model). [[UDF]]s that contain <code>@mcpTool</code> in their description are exposed as functions that the external A.I. client can call.

* <code>/lang:«code»</code> (new to [[Analytica 7.1]]) Specifies the User Interface language for Analytica (for menus, dialogs, error messages, built-in function descriptions, etc.). «code» is a language code such as <code>'en'</code> (for English), <code>'es'</code> (for Spanish), etc. The language is only used when the resource files exist for that language in 
*:<code>«Analytica install folder»\Resources\«code»\</code>
*: The command line overrides the registry setting <code>Language</code> (if present) in the hive
*:<code>HKCU\Software\Lumina Decision Systems\Analytica</code>
*:As of [[Analytica 7.1]], non-English UI options is an experimental feature and not complete. 

The remaining options exist for internal purposes and aren't generally used by end-users:
* <code>/embedding</code>: The Windows operating system uses this parameter when launching Analytica as a OLE-link server. Not used by end-users. Causes Analytica to launch quietly (without a GUI), load an indicated model, and exposes key OLE interfaces to Windows enabling an external application to complete the link to the model's data.

* <code>/solverDevLic</code>: This parameter is sometimes used by Analytica developers, but not generally by end-users. It indicates that the licenses from [https://solver.com Frontline Systems] found in the <code>Solver.lic</code> file are developer licenses rather than runtime licenses. 

* <code>/forcerelease</code>: This parameter is used by Analytica quality assurance engineers during beta testing periods. It causes a beta release to behave like a final release build with regard to licensing.

*<code>/config:''filename''</code>: This is an option used by ACP3 (by Suan.exe) and not in Desktop Analytica.  The specified config file contains settings that define the ACP3 server configuration.

{{Release|1=7.2|2=|3=
* <code>/remote-debugging-port:«port»</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) Exposes the Chrome DevTools protocol (remote debugging) endpoint of Analytica's embedded Chromium (CEF) browser windows on <code>127.0.0.1:«port»</code>, so that an external tool — a benchmark driver, Claude Code, Puppeteer, or Chrome's <code>chrome://inspect</code> page — can inspect and drive HTML-based windows such as the Assista chat window, HTML dialogs, and windows created with the <code>CefWindow</code> function. The Chromium spelling <code>--remote-debugging-port=«port»</code> is also accepted. Use a «port» of 0 to have a free (ephemeral) port picked automatically. Valid values are 0 or 1024 through 65535. The endpoint listens only on 127.0.0.1, and enabling it is per-process (all CEF windows of the process share one endpoint, with one DevTools target per window).
*: After launch, the process reports the outcome in <code>%LOCALAPPDATA%\Lumina\Analytica\CEF\«pid»\RemoteDebug.json</code>, where «pid» is the process id of the launched Analytica.exe. On success this contains <code>"status":"listening"</code> and the actual port; when the requested port is already in use by another process, or CEF fails to initialize, it contains <code>"status":"failed"</code> with a reason, and a warning dialog is also shown. A tool that launches Analytica.exe with this option should read this file rather than connecting blindly, so that it cannot be fooled into talking to some other process that owns the port.
*: While remote debugging is enabled, each page in a CEF window exposes the JavaScript global <code>window.anaCefWindow</code> with fields <code>pid</code>, <code>handle</code>, <code>kind</code> and <code>title</code>, identifying which window a DevTools target belongs to. The <code>handle</code> matches the handle of the corresponding <code>CefWindow</code> object in the model.

* <code>/remote-allow-origins:«origins»</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) A comma-separated list of origins (or <code>*</code>) allowed to connect to the remote-debugging endpoint from a web page. This is only needed when the DevTools client is itself a web page, which sends an HTTP Origin header that Chromium rejects by default. Ordinary clients (Python or Node scripts, Puppeteer, <code>chrome://inspect</code>) send no Origin header and connect without this option. The Chromium spelling <code>--remote-allow-origins=«origins»</code> is also accepted.
}}
{{Release|1=7.2|2=|3=
* <code>/lib:''filename''</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) Loads the Analytica library in ''filename'' into the <code>SysLib_Customizations</code> system module, before the model named on the command line is opened. The library is then present no matter which model is loaded, and it stays loaded as models are closed and opened during the session. The option can be repeated to load several libraries. They load in the order given, all of them before the model.
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /lib:"W:\Analytica\Libraries\Multivariate Distributions.ana" MyModel.ana</code>
*: A relative ''filename'' is looked for first in the directory that the process was launched from, then in the directories on the <code>AddLibraryDir</code> library search path, then in the Analytica installation folder, and finally in the preferences folder. Path substitutions such as <code>%appdata%</code> and <code>%installdir%</code> are expanded.
*: Each library loaded this way is its own namespace. Since <code>SysLib_Customizations</code> is a private namespace, the library is not in namespace scope for the user's model. A model that wants to use one of these libraries must name it in its [[NamespaceImports]] attribute.
*: When the file is not found, or when it fails to load, a warning dialog names the file and Analytica continues to start up without it.
*: Uses for this include loading an [[MCP server in Analytica]] that works with whatever model is subsequently loaded, a benchmark driver, or a library that adds toolbar buttons or menu items.
}}

{{Release|1=7.2|2=|3=
* <code>/Automation</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) Runs Analytica in ''automation mode'', in which every modal dialog that would otherwise block is answered automatically, so that an unattended run never stops waiting for a person. Each dialog is answered either by a built-in default, or by a handler function that the model or a library registers with [[RegisterAutomationModalHandler]]. This is intended for unattended and agent-driven runs, such as a benchmark driver, an automated QA run, or a session driven by an AI coding agent through the [[MCP server in Analytica]].
*: This is '''not''' a headless mode. The user interface, diagram windows, HTML dialogs, and Assista all remain fully alive and usable; only the blocking dialogs are answered for you. The splash screen is suppressed, as with <code>/nosplash</code>.
*: Some built-in defaults are deliberately conservative so that an unattended run cannot damage the model it is testing. In particular, "Save changes?" is answered '''No''', so the model file on disk is never written when the process exits. File open and save prompts fail rather than choosing a file, unless a registered handler supplies a path.
*: For the full list of defaults, how to write and register a handler, and worked examples of driving Analytica this way, see '''[[Analytica Command Line/Automation]]'''.
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /Automation /lib:BenchmarkDriver.ana MyModel.ana</code>

* <code>/AutomationTrace:''filename''</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) Writes a log of every modal dialog to ''filename'', in JSON Lines format (one JSON object per line). Each dialog record names the kind of dialog, its caption and body text, the buttons it offered, the answer that was given, and where that answer came from. Records are appended, so a driver can pre-create the file and tail it while the run proceeds, and each record carries the process id so that concurrent runs remain distinguishable.
*: Used together with <code>/Automation</code>, this records what automation answered. Used '''without''' <code>/Automation</code>, it is an ''observe mode'': dialogs appear and behave completely normally, and the log records what the user actually chose. This is a convenient way to inventory which dialogs a scenario poses before you automate it.
*: A relative ''filename'' is resolved against the directory the process was launched from. If the file cannot be opened, Analytica starts normally and simply produces no log.
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /Automation /AutomationTrace:C:\Temp\run1.jsonl MyModel.ana</code>
}}

{{Release|1=7.2|2=|3=
These two options place the main Analytica application window explicitly, instead of using the size and position that Analytica saved when it last exited. They are intended for benchmark automation and automated QA, where the window needs to be the same from one run to the next, or needs to be somewhere predictable.

* <code>/WindowSize:«width»,«height»</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) Sets the size of the main application window, in screen pixels.
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /WindowSize:1000,600</code>

* <code>/WindowXY:«x»,«y»</code>: (new to [[Analytica 7.2]]) Sets the position of the top left corner of the main application window, in screen coordinates. On a computer with more than one monitor, these coordinates can be negative, or larger than the size of the primary monitor, to place the window on another monitor.
*: Example usage: <code>Analytica.exe /WindowSize:1000,600 /WindowXY:-1000,100</code>

Either option can be used without the other. The one you leave out keeps the value that was saved when Analytica last exited.

The window is placed exactly where you ask for it. Unlike a position restored from a previous session, it is not nudged back onto a monitor, so a window that falls partly or entirely off screen stays where you put it. These options also take precedence over a maximized state saved from the previous session, and over the ''Run: Maximized'' setting of a Windows shortcut, so that the size you ask for is never ignored.

The geometry given on the command line is '''not''' saved back to the registry when Analytica exits. An automated run that uses these options therefore leaves the window size and position of your own interactive sessions undisturbed.

The size is that of the visible window frame. Windows surrounds that frame with an invisible drop shadow, so a script that measures the window using <code>GetWindowRect</code> sees a few extra pixels on each side, while <code>DwmGetWindowAttribute</code> with <code>DWMWA_EXTENDED_FRAME_BOUNDS</code> reports exactly the size that was requested.

A value that is not two whole numbers, or a width or height that is not positive, produces the ''Unrecognized command line parameter'' warning and that option is ignored.
}}

{{Release|1=7.2|2=|3=
== Command line options for libraries ==

''new in [[Analytica 7.2]]''

An option that begins with a double minus, <code>--</code>, and that is not one of the options listed above, does '''not''' produce the ''Unrecognized command line parameter'' warning. Analytica ignores it and passes it through, so that a library or a model can read it. This lets a library define command line options of its own without having to be built into Analytica. For example:

:<code>Analytica.exe --AssistaURL:<nowiki>"https://aaia.analytica.com/staging"</nowiki> --OpenAssista MyModel.ana</code>

A library reads them with [[GetProcessInfo]]:

:<code>GetProcessInfo("Command line:--AssistaURL") &rarr; 'https://aaia.analytica.com/staging'</code>
:<code>GetProcessInfo("Command line:--OpenAssista") &rarr; True</code>
:<code>GetProcessInfo("Command line:--NotGiven") &rarr; Null</code>
:<code>GetProcessInfo("Command line parameters") &rarr; ['--AssistaURL', '--OpenAssista']</code>

The value of such an option is the text that follows its colon or equal sign, and it must be quoted when it contains a space. An option that appears with no value reads as <code>True</code>, and an option that is not on the command line at all reads as <code>Null</code>, so a library can tell those two apart. A value always comes back as text, even when it looks like a number, so use [[ParseNumber]] when you want a number. When the same option appears more than once, the last occurrence is the one reported.

Because Analytica accepts any unrecognized <code>--</code> option silently, a misspelled one is simply ignored rather than reported. <code>GetProcessInfo("Command line parameters")</code> returns the list of <code>--</code> options that actually arrived, which is how a driver or library can check that it was passed what it expected.

The <code>--</code> options are not copied into the file names that Analytica opens, and they are not case-sensitive. When reading one, the leading dashes are optional, so <code>GetProcessInfo("Command line:AssistaURL")</code> finds it as well.

This mechanism is available in Analytica.exe, in ACP (Suan.exe) and in [[ADE]]. In ADE the command line is the one belonging to the host process that loaded ADE, which is the same command line that <code>GetProcessInfo("Command line")</code> reports.
}}

== Accessing the Command line from a model ==

The expression <code>[[GetProcessInfo]]('Command line')</code> returns the command line used to launch the process.