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<h2 id="sec:cmdline"><a id="sec:2.4"><span class="sec-nr">2.4</span> <span class="sec-title">Command 
line options</span></a></h2>

<a id="sec:cmdline"></a>

<p>SWI-Prolog can be executed in one of the following modes:

<dl class="latex">
<dt><b><code>swipl --help</code></b></dt>
<dt><b><code>swipl --version</code></b></dt>
<dt><b><code>swipl --arch</code></b></dt>
<dt><b><code>swipl --dump-runtime-variables</code></b></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
These options must appear as only option. They cause Prolog to print an 
informational message and exit. See <a class="sec" href="cmdline.html">section 
2.4.1</a>.</dd>
<dt><b><code>swipl</code> [<var>option</var> ...] <var>script-file</var> 
[<var>arg</var> ...]</b></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
These arguments are passed on Unix systems if file that starts with <code>#!/path/to/executable</code> 
[<var>option</var> ...] is executed. Arguments after the script file are 
made available in the Prolog flag <a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:argv">argv</a>.</dd>
<dt><b><code>swipl</code> [<var>option</var> ...] <var>prolog-file</var> 
... [[<code>--</code>] <var>arg</var> ...]</b></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
This is the normal way to start Prolog. The options are described in
<a class="sec" href="cmdline.html">section 2.4.2</a>, <a class="sec" href="cmdline.html">section 
2.4.3</a> and <a class="sec" href="cmdline.html">section 2.4.4</a>. The 
Prolog flag <b>argc</b> provides access to <var>arg</var> ... If the <var>options</var> 
are followed by one or more Prolog file names (i.e., names with 
extension <code>.pl</code>, <code>.prolog</code> or (on Windows) the 
user preferred extension registered during installation), these files 
are loaded. The first file is registered in the Prolog flag
<a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:associated_file">associated_file</a>. 
In addition, <b>pl-win[.exe]</b> switches to the directory in which this 
primary source file is located using <a id="idx:workingdirectory2:13"></a><a class="pred" href="files.html#working_directory/2">working_directory/2</a>.</dd>
<dt><b><code>swipl</code> -o <var>output</var> -c <var>prolog-file</var> 
...</b></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
The <strong>-c</strong> option is used to compile a set of Prolog files 
into an executable. See <a class="sec" href="cmdline.html">section 2.4.5</a>.</dd>
<dt><b><code>swipl</code> -o <var>output</var> -b <var>bootfile</var> <var>prolog-file</var> 
...</b></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Bootstrap compilation. See <a class="sec" href="cmdline.html">section 
2.4.6</a>.
</dd>
</dl>

<p><h3 id="sec:info-options"><a id="sec:2.4.1"><span class="sec-nr">2.4.1</span> <span class="sec-title">Informational 
command line options</span></a></h3>

<a id="sec:info-options"></a>

<dl class="latex">
<dt><strong>--arch</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
When given as the only option, it prints the architecture identifier 
(see Prolog flag <a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:arch">arch</a>) 
and exits. See also
<strong>-dump-runtime-variables</strong>. Also available as
<strong>-arch</strong>.</dd>
<dt><strong>--dump-runtime-variables</strong> <var>[=format]</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
When given as the only option, it prints a sequence of variable settings 
that can be used in shell scripts to deal with Prolog parameters. This 
feature is also used by <b>swipl-ld</b> (see <a class="sec" href="plld.html">section 
9.5</a>). Below is a typical example of using this feature.

<pre class="code">
eval `swipl --dump-runtime-variables`
cc -I$PLBASE/include -L$PLBASE/lib/$PLARCH ...
</pre>

<p>The option can be followed by <code>=sh</code> to dump in POSIX shell 
format (default) or <code>cmd</code> to dump in MS-Windows <b>cmd.exe</b> 
compatible format.</dd>
<dt><strong>--help</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
When given as the only option, it summarises the most important options. 
Also available as <strong>-h</strong> and <strong>-help</strong>.</dd>
<dt><strong>--version</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
When given as the only option, it summarises the version and the 
architecture identifier. Also available as <strong>-v</strong>.
</dd>
</dl>

<p><h3 id="sec:running-options"><a id="sec:2.4.2"><span class="sec-nr">2.4.2</span> <span class="sec-title">Command 
line options for running Prolog</span></a></h3>

<a id="sec:running-options"></a>

<dl class="latex">
<dt><strong>--home=DIR</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Use DIR as home directory. See <a class="sec" href="findhome.html">section 
9.6</a> for details.</dd>
<dt><strong>--quiet</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
<a id="idx:verbose:14"></a><a id="idx:quiet:15"></a>Set the Prolog flag <a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:verbose">verbose</a> 
to <code>silent</code>, suppressing informational and banner messages. 
Also available as <strong>-q</strong>.</dd>
<dt><strong>--nodebug</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Disable debugging. See the <a id="idx:currentprologflag2:16"></a><a class="pred" href="flags.html#current_prolog_flag/2">current_prolog_flag/2</a> 
flag
<a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:generate_debug_info">generate_debug_info</a> 
for details.</dd>
<dt><strong>--nosignals</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Inhibit any signal handling by Prolog, a property that is sometimes 
desirable for embedded applications. This option sets the flag
<a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:signals">signals</a> to <code>false</code>. 
See <a class="sec" href="foreigninclude.html">section 9.4.21.1</a> for 
details.</dd>
<dt><strong>--pldoc</strong> <var>[=port]</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Start the PlDoc documentation system on a free network port and launch 
the user's browser on <a class="url" href="http://localhost:\bnfmeta{port}">http://localhost:\bnfmeta{port}</a>. 
If <var>port</var> is specified, the server is started at the given port 
and the browser is
<em>not</em> launched.</dd>
<dt><strong>-tty</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Unix only. Switches controlling the terminal for allowing 
single-character commands to the tracer and <a id="idx:getsinglechar1:17"></a><a class="pred" href="chario.html#get_single_char/1">get_single_char/1</a>. 
By default, manipulating the terminal is enabled unless the system 
detects it is not connected to a terminal or it is running as a 
GNU-Emacs inferior process. This flag is sometimes required for smooth 
interaction with other applications.</dd>
<dt><strong>--win_app</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
This option is available only in <b>swipl-win.exe</b> and is used for 
the start-menu item. If causes <b>plwin</b> to start in the folder
<code>...\My Documents\Prolog</code> or local equivalent thereof (see
<a id="idx:winfolder2:18"></a><a class="pred" href="system.html#win_folder/2">win_folder/2</a>). 
The <code>Prolog</code> subdirectory is created if it does not exist.</dd>
<dt><strong>-O</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Optimised compilation. See <a id="idx:currentprologflag2:19"></a><a class="pred" href="flags.html#current_prolog_flag/2">current_prolog_flag/2</a> 
flag
<a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:optimise">optimise</a> for 
details.</dd>
<dt><strong>-s</strong> <var>file</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Use <var>file</var> as a script file. The script file is loaded after 
the initialisation file specified with the <strong>-f</strong> <var>file</var> 
option. Unlike <strong>-f</strong> <var>file</var>, using <strong>-s</strong> 
does not stop Prolog from loading the personal initialisation file.</dd>
<dt><strong>-f</strong> <var>file</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Use <var>file</var> as initialisation file instead of the default
<code>.plrc</code> (Unix) or <code>pl.ini</code> (Windows). `<strong>-f</strong> <var>none</var>' 
stops SWI-Prolog from searching for a startup file. This option can be 
used as an alternative to <strong>-s</strong> <var>file</var> that stops 
Prolog from loading the personal initialisation file. See also
<a class="sec" href="initfile.html">section 2.2</a>.</dd>
<dt><strong>-F</strong> <var>script</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Select a startup script from the SWI-Prolog home directory. The script 
file is named <code>&lt;<var>script</var>&gt;.rc</code>. The default
<var>script</var> name is deduced from the executable, taking the 
leading alphanumerical characters (letters, digits and underscore) from 
the program name. <strong>-F</strong> <var>none</var> stops looking for 
a script. Intended for simple management of slightly different versions. 
One could, for example, write a script <code>iso.rc</code> and then 
select ISO compatibility mode using <code>pl -F iso</code> or make a 
link from <b>iso-pl</b> to
<b>pl</b>.</dd>
<dt><strong>-x</strong> <var>bootfile</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Boot from <var>bootfile</var> instead of the system's default boot file. 
A boot file is a file resulting from a Prolog compilation using the
<strong>-b</strong> or <strong>-c</strong> option or a program saved 
using
<a id="idx:qsaveprogram12:20"></a><span class="pred-ext">qsave_program/[1,2]</span>.</dd>
<dt><strong>-p</strong> <var>alias=path1[:path2 ... ]</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Define a path alias for file_search_path. <var>alias</var> is the name 
of the alias, and arg path1 ... is a list of values for the alias. On 
Windows the list separator is <code><code>;</code></code>. On other 
systems it is <code><code>:</code></code>. A value is either a term of 
the form alias(value) or pathname. The computed aliases are added to <a id="idx:filesearchpath2:21"></a><a class="pred" href="consulting.html#file_search_path/2">file_search_path/2</a> 
using <a id="idx:asserta1:22"></a><a class="pred" href="db.html#asserta/1">asserta/1</a>, 
so they precede predefined values for the alias. See <a id="idx:filesearchpath2:23"></a><a class="pred" href="consulting.html#file_search_path/2">file_search_path/2</a> 
for details on using this file location mechanism.</dd>
<dt><strong>--</strong> <var></var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
<a id="idx:commandlinearguments:24"></a>Stops scanning for more 
arguments, so you can pass arguments for your application after this 
one. See <a id="idx:currentprologflag2:25"></a><a class="pred" href="flags.html#current_prolog_flag/2">current_prolog_flag/2</a> 
using the flag <a class="flag" href="flags.html#flag:argv">argv</a> for 
obtaining the command line arguments.
</dd>
</dl>

<p><h3 id="sec:stacksizes"><a id="sec:2.4.3"><span class="sec-nr">2.4.3</span> <span class="sec-title">Controlling 
the stack sizes</span></a></h3>

<a id="sec:stacksizes"></a>

<p>The default limit for the Prolog stacks is 128&nbsp;MB on 32-bit and 
256&nbsp;MB on 64-bit hardware. The 128&nbsp;MB limit on 32-bit systems 
is the highest possible value and the command line options can thus only 
be used to lower the limit. On 64-bit systems, the limit can both be 
reduced and enlarged. See <a class="sec" href="limits.html">section 2.19</a>. 
Below are two examples, the first reducing the local stack limit to 
catch unbounded recursion quickly and the second using a big (32&nbsp;GB) 
global limit, which is only possible on 64-bit hardware. Note that 
setting the limit using the command line only sets a <em>soft</em> 
limit. Stack parameters can be changed (both reduced and enlarged) at 
any time using the predicate <a id="idx:setprologstack2:26"></a><a class="pred" href="memory.html#set_prolog_stack/2">set_prolog_stack/2</a>.

<pre class="code">
$ swipl -L8m
$ swipl -G32g
</pre>

<dl class="latex">
<dt><strong>-G</strong><var>size[kmg]</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Limit for the global stack (sometimes also called <em>term stack</em> or
<em>heap</em>). This is where compound terms and large numbers live.</dd>
<dt><strong>-L</strong><var>size[kmg]</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Limit for the local stack (sometimes also called
<em>environment stack</em>). This is where environments and choice 
points live.</dd>
<dt><strong>-T</strong><var>size[kmg]</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Limit for the trail stack. This is where we keep track of assignments, 
so we can rollback on backtracking or exceptions.
</dd>
</dl>

<p><h3 id="sec:runoptions"><a id="sec:2.4.4"><span class="sec-nr">2.4.4</span> <span class="sec-title">Running 
goals from the command line</span></a></h3>

<a id="sec:runoptions"></a>

<dl class="latex">
<dt><strong>-g</strong> <var>goal</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
<var>Goal</var> is executed just before entering the top level. Default 
is a predicate which prints the welcome message. The welcome message can 
be suppressed with <strong>--quiet</strong>, but also with
<strong>-g</strong> <var>true</var>. <var>goal</var> can be a complex 
term. In this case quotes are normally needed to protect it from being 
expanded by the shell. A safe way to run a goal non-interactively is 
here:

<pre class="code">
% swipl &lt;options&gt; -g go,halt -t 'halt(1)'
</pre>

</dd>
<dt><strong>-t</strong> <var>goal</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Use <var>goal</var> as interactive top level instead of the default goal
<a id="idx:prolog0:27"></a><a class="pred" href="toplevel.html#prolog/0">prolog/0</a>. <var>goal</var> 
can be a complex term. If the top-level goal succeeds SWI-Prolog exits 
with status 0. If it fails the exit status is 1. If the top level raises 
an exception, this is printed as an uncaught error and the top level is 
restarted. This flag also determines the goal started by <a id="idx:break0:28"></a><a class="pred" href="toplevel.html#break/0">break/0</a> 
and <a id="idx:abort0:29"></a><a class="pred" href="toplevel.html#abort/0">abort/0</a>. 
If you want to stop the user from entering interactive mode, start the 
application with `<strong>-g</strong> <var>goal</var>' and give `halt' 
as top level.
</dd>
</dl>

<p><h3 id="sec:compoptions"><a id="sec:2.4.5"><span class="sec-nr">2.4.5</span> <span class="sec-title">Compilation 
options</span></a></h3>

<a id="sec:compoptions"></a>

<dl class="latex">
<dt><strong>-c</strong> <var>file ...</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Compile files into an `intermediate code file'. See <a class="sec" href="compilation.html">section 
2.10</a>.</dd>
<dt><strong>-o</strong> <var>output</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Used in combination with <strong>-c</strong> or <strong>-b</strong> to 
determine output file for compilation.
</dd>
</dl>

<p><h3 id="sec:maintoptions"><a id="sec:2.4.6"><span class="sec-nr">2.4.6</span> <span class="sec-title">Maintenance 
options</span></a></h3>

<a id="sec:maintoptions"></a>

<p>The following options are for system maintenance. They are given for 
reference only.

<dl class="latex">
<dt><strong>-b</strong> <var>initfile ...<strong>-c</strong> file ...</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Boot compilation. <var>initfile ...</var> are compiled by the C-written 
bootstrap compiler, <var>file ...</var> by the normal Prolog compiler. 
System maintenance only.</dd>
<dt><strong>-d</strong> <var>token1,token2,...</var></dt>
<dd class="defbody">
Print debug messages for DEBUG statements tagged with one of the 
indicated tokens. Only has effect if the system is compiled with the
<code>-DO_DEBUG</code> flag. System maintenance only.
</dd>
</dl>

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