---
title: Command-Line Tools
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---

import current from '/version.js';
import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
import CodeBlock from '@theme/CodeBlock';

With the availability of JS engines and the success of server-side platforms,
it is feasible to build command-line tools for various workflows.

This demo covers a number of strategies for building standalone processors. The
goal is to generate CSV output from an arbitrary spreadsheet file.

## NodeJS

There are a few popular tools for compiling NodeJS scripts to CLI programs.

The demo script presents a friendly command line interface including flags:

```bash
$ ./xlsx-cli -h
Usage: xlsx-cli [options] <file> [sheetname]

Options:
  -V, --version            output the version number
  -f, --file <file>        use specified workbook
  -s, --sheet <sheet>      print specified sheet (default first sheet)
...
```

<details><summary><b>Tested Deployments</b> (click to show)</summary>

This demo was tested in the following deployments:

**`pkg`**

| Architecture | Version | Node Target | Date       |
|:-------------|:--------|:------------|:-----------|
| `darwin-x64` | `5.8.1` | `18.5.0`    | 2023-05-08 |
| `darwin-arm` | `5.8.1` | `18.5.0`    | 2023-09-25 |
| `win10-x64`  | `5.8.1` | `18.5.0`    | 2023-05-08 |
| `win11-arm`  | `5.8.1` | `18.5.0`    | 2023-09-25 |
| `linux-x64`  | `5.8.1` | `18.5.0`    | 2023-05-08 |
| `linux-arm`  | `5.8.1` | `18.5.0`    | 2023-09-25 |

**`nexe`**

| Architecture | Version      | Node Target | Date       |
|:-------------|:-------------|:------------|:-----------|
| `darwin-x64` | `4.0.0-rc.2` | `14.15.3`   | 2023-05-08 |
| `darwin-arm` | `4.0.0-rc.2` | `20.7.0`    | 2023-09-25 |
| `win10-x64`  | `4.0.0-rc.2` | `14.15.3`   | 2023-05-08 |
| `win11-arm`  | `4.0.0-rc.2` | `18.17.1`   | 2023-09-25 |
| `linux-x64`  | `4.0.0-rc.2` | `14.15.3`   | 2023-05-08 |
| `linux-arm`  | `4.0.0-rc.2` | `20.7.0`    | 2023-09-25 |

**`boxednode`**

| Architecture | Version | Node Target | Date       |
|:-------------|:--------|:------------|:-----------|
| `darwin-x64` | `2.0.1` | `20.1.0`    | 2023-05-08 |
| `darwin-arm` | `2.1.1` | `20.7.0`    | 2023-09-25 |
| `win10-x64`  | `2.1.1` | `16.20.2`   | 2023-08-27 |
| `linux-x64`  | `2.0.1` | `20.1.0`    | 2023-05-08 |
| `linux-arm`  | `2.1.1` | `20.7.0`    | 2023-09-25 |

</details>

0) Download the test file <https://sheetjs.com/pres.numbers>:

```bash
curl -LO https://sheetjs.com/pres.numbers
```

1) Download [`xlsx-cli.js`](pathname:///cli/xlsx-cli.js)

```bash
curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/xlsx-cli.js
```

2) Install the dependencies:

<Tabs groupId="pm">
  <TabItem value="npm" label="npm">
<CodeBlock language="bash">{`\
npm i --save https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz exit-on-epipe commander@2`}
</CodeBlock>
  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="pnpm" label="pnpm">
<CodeBlock language="bash">{`\
pnpm install https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz exit-on-epipe commander@2`}
</CodeBlock>
  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="yarn" label="Yarn" default>
<CodeBlock language="bash">{`\
yarn add https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz exit-on-epipe commander@2`}
</CodeBlock>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

3) Follow tooling steps:

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="nexe" label="Nexe">

Run `nexe` and manually specify NodeJS version 14.15.3

```bash
npx nexe -t 14.15.3 xlsx-cli.js
```

This generates `xlsx-cli` or `xlsx-cli.exe` depending on platform.

:::caution pass

When the demo was tested on ARM targets, the Nexe pre-built packages were
missing.  The package must be built from source:

```bash
npx nexe xlsx-cli.js --build --python=$(which python3) --make="-j8"
```

On Windows ARM, the target `windows-arm64-18.17.1` must be specified:

```bash
npx nexe xlsx-cli.js --build --python=$(which python3) --make="-j8" --target=windows-arm64-18.17.1
```

:::

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="pkg" label="pkg">

Run `pkg`:

```bash
npx pkg xlsx-cli.js
```

This generates `xlsx-cli-linux`, `xlsx-cli-macos`, and `xlsx-cli-win.exe` .

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="boxednode" label="boxednode">

Run `boxednode`:

<Tabs groupId="os">
  <TabItem value="unix" label="Linux/MacOS">

```bash
npx boxednode@2.1.1 -s xlsx-cli.js -t xlsx-cli
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="win" label="Windows">

```bash
npx boxednode@2.1.1 -s xlsx-cli.js -t xlsx-cli.exe -n 16.20.2
```

:::info pass

The Windows 10 build requires Visual Studio with "Desktop development with C++"
workload, Python 3, and NASM[^1].

:::

:::caution pass

When the demo was last tested on Windows, the build failed:

```
error MSB8020: The build tools for Visual Studio 2019 (Platform Toolset = 'v142') cannot be found. To build using the v142 build tools, please install Visual Studio 2019 build tools.
```

This error was fixed by installing the `v142` build tools through the Visual
Studio installer.

:::

:::caution pass

In the most recent Windows test against NodeJS `20.5.1`, the build failed due
to an issue in the OpenSSL dependency:

```
...\node-v20.5.1\deps\openssl\openssl\crypto\info.c(176,16): error C2153: integer literals must have at least one digit [...\node-v20.5.1\deps\openssl\openssl.vcxproj]
```

SheetJS libraries are compatible with NodeJS versions dating back to `v0.8`. The
workaround is to select NodeJS `v16.20.2` using the `-n` flag. This version was
was chosen since NodeJS `v18` upgraded the OpenSSL dependency.

:::

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>



  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

4) Run the generated program, passing `pres.numbers` as the argument. For
example, `nexe` generates `xlsx-cli` in macOS so the command is:

```bash
./xlsx-cli pres.numbers
```

`nexe` generates `xlsx-cli.exe` in Windows, so the command is:

```powershell
.\xlsx-cli.exe pres.numbers
```

## V8

The [V8](/docs/demos/engines/v8) demo covers standalone programs that embed the
V8 engine. This demo uses the Rust integration to generate a command line tool.

<details><summary><b>Tested Deployments</b> (click to show)</summary>

This demo was last tested in the following deployments:

| Architecture | V8 Version   | Crate    | Date       |
|:-------------|:-------------|:---------|:-----------|
| `darwin-x64` | `11.4.183.2` | `0.71.2` | 2023-05-22 |
| `darwin-arm` | `11.4.183.2` | `0.71.2` | 2023-05-22 |
| `win10-x64`  | `11.4.183.2` | `0.71.2` | 2023-05-23 |
| `win11-x64`  | `11.7.439.6` | `0.75.1` | 2023-08-31 |
| `linux-x64`  | `11.4.183.2` | `0.71.2` | 2023-05-23 |
| `linux-arm`  | `11.7.439.6` | `0.75.1` | 2023-08-30 |

:::caution pass

Using crate version `0.71.2`, the Linux AArch64 build failed with an error:

```
error[E0080]: evaluation of constant value failed

     |
1715 |   assert!(size_of::<TypeId>() == size_of::<u64>());
     |   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the evaluated program panicked at 'assertion failed: size_of::<TypeId>() == size_of::<u64>()'
```

This was fixed in version `0.75.1` of the crate.

:::


</details>

0) Make a new folder for the project:

```bash
mkdir sheetjs2csv
cd sheetjs2csv
```

1) Download the following scripts:

- [`Cargo.toml`](pathname:///cli/Cargo.toml)
- [`snapshot.rs`](pathname:///cli/snapshot.rs)
- [`sheet2csv.rs`](pathname:///cli/sheet2csv.rs)

```bash
curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/Cargo.toml
curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/snapshot.rs
curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/sheet2csv.rs
```

2) Download the SheetJS Standalone script and move to the project directory:

<ul>
<li><a href={`https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js`}>xlsx.full.min.js</a></li>
</ul>

<CodeBlock language="bash">{`\
curl -LO https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js`}
</CodeBlock>

3) Build the V8 snapshot:

```bash
cargo build --bin snapshot
cargo run --bin snapshot
```

4) Build `sheet2csv` (`sheet2csv.exe` in Windows):

```bash
cargo build --release --bin sheet2csv
```

5) Download the test file <https://sheetjs.com/pres.numbers>:

```bash
curl -LO https://sheetjs.com/pres.numbers
```

6) Test the application:

<Tabs groupId="os">
  <TabItem value="unix" label="Linux/MacOS">

```bash
mv target/release/sheet2csv .
./sheet2csv pres.numbers
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="win" label="Windows">

```bash
mv target/release/sheet2csv.exe .
.\sheet2csv.exe pres.numbers
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

## Deno

`deno compile` generates a standalone executable that includes the entire JS
runtime as well as user JS code.

When compiling, the `--allow-read` option must be specified to allow the script
to read files from the filesystem with `Deno.readFileSync`.

<https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/sheet2csv.ts> can be compiled and run from Deno.

<details><summary><b>Tested Deployments</b> (click to show)</summary>

This demo was last tested in the following deployments:

| Architecture | Version  | Date       |
|:-------------|:---------|:-----------|
| `darwin-x64` | `1.33.2` | 2023-05-08 |
| `darwin-arm` | `1.34.1` | 2023-06-05 |
| `win10-x64`  | `1.33.2` | 2023-05-08 |
| `linux-x64`  | `1.33.2` | 2023-05-08 |
| `linux-arm`  | `1.36.3` | 2023-08-30 |

</details>

0) Download the test file <https://sheetjs.com/pres.numbers>:

```bash
curl -LO https://sheetjs.com/pres.numbers
```

1) Test the script with `deno run`:

```bash
deno run -r --allow-read https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/sheet2csv.ts pres.numbers
```

If this worked, the program will print a CSV of the first worksheet.

2) Compile and run `sheet2csv`:

```bash
deno compile -r --allow-read https://docs.sheetjs.com/cli/sheet2csv.ts
./sheet2csv pres.numbers
```

## Dedicated Engines

The following demos for JS engines produce standalone programs:

- [Duktape](/docs/demos/engines/duktape)
- [ChakraCore](/docs/demos/engines/chakra)
- [QuickJS](/docs/demos/engines/quickjs)
- [Goja](/docs/demos/engines/goja)
- [JavaScriptCore](/docs/demos/engines/jsc)

[^1]: Downloads can be found [at the main NASM project website](https://www.nasm.us/)