command-line

Command-Line Barcode & QR Code Reader (C++)

This example shows how to build and run a C++ command-line app that reads barcodes/QR codes from:

• A single image/PDF/TIFF file
• A directory (processed recursively)
• Multiple paths passed in one command

The app is implemented in main.cpp and uses Dynamsoft Capture Vision Router with the PT_READ_BARCODES preset template.

Supported input formats

The sample accepts these file extensions:

• .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif
• .tif, .tiff
• .pdf

Build

From this folder (examples/command-line):

mkdir -p build
cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . --config Release

After building, the executable is generated in build/:

• Linux/macOS: ./main
• Windows: ./Release/main.exe (or ./main.exe depending on generator)

During post-build steps, required Dynamsoft libraries, Templates/, and Models/ are copied next to the executable automatically.

Run

1) Process a single file

./main ../single_page.tif

2) Process a directory recursively

./main ../../images

3) Process multiple paths in one command

./main ../single_page.tif ../multi_page.tif ../../images

4) Interactive mode

If no arguments are provided, the app enters interactive mode:

./main

Then type a full file or directory path. Enter q to quit.

Output behavior

• Single file: prints detailed results (format, text, and quadrilateral points per barcode).
• Directory: prints per-file summary and directory statistics.
• Multiple inputs: prints per-input results and an overall summary.

License key

The demo initializes a trial license in source code. For production use, replace it with your own key in main.cpp:

CLicenseManager::InitLicense("LICENSE-KEY", szErrorMsg, 256);

Get a trial license here:

• https://www.dynamsoft.com/customer/license/trialLicense/?product=dcv&package=cross-platform

Sample files in this folder

• single_page.tif
• multi_page.tif
• multi_page.pdf
• test.pdf

You can use these files to quickly validate decoding.

Blog

Building a Cross-platform Command-line Barcode and QR Code Reader in C++