Table of Contents
This appendix outlines the command line tools and advanced programming tools that come with PaperCut NG. Using these tools has been discussed throughout this manual, however this provides a reference guide to these tools and their use.
The advanced tools provided with PaperCut NG are very powerful and offer opportunities for all manner of customizations and enhancements. However, if used incorrectly, these tools could lead to unexpected results. Many of the advanced tools are written for software and script developers. It is expected that readers intending to use advanced tools are comfortable with using the command-prompt, and developing system management and server monitoring programs.
The server-command tool provides access to dozens of server operations
ranging from user management, system maintenance, account manipulation and printer control.
The server-command tool is ideal for controlling the PaperCut NG
Application Server via the command-line or automating via scripts.
Some examples of how an Administrator may choose to use the
server-command tool:
Scheduling of online backups and data snapshots.
Scheduling user and/or group synchronization tasks.
Automating the addition of new users after the accounts are added to the network.
Performing account transactions such as adding funds/quota to user accounts.
Automating user account creation using custom scripts.
Disabling/Enabling printers.
Disabling/Enabling printing for users.
Controlling user restriction levels.
Managing shared accounts.
The server-command program is a command-line tool. It accepts the commands as
arguments and outputs the results of the command on the console (standard-out). For security reasons
only users with read access to the server.properties (normally only the
Administrators group) have rights to execute the commands.
Typical use on a Windows system:
Add $10.00 to a user named 'testuser':
C:\> cd [app-path]\server\bin\win
C:\> server-command adjust-user-account-balance "testuser" 10.00 \
"Added $10.00 to your account"
Note: backslash indicates text should be on the same line.
Server commands can also be called remotely using standard remote command tools.
Use PsExec - a remote command program provided by the Sysinternals team at Microsoft. For example (all on one line):
psexec.exe \\remoteserver \
"C:\Program Files\PaperCut NG\server\bin\win\server-command.exe" \
disable-printer printsrv1 labprinter -1
Use SSH - a secure remote command/shell program. SSH can be run non-interactively in scripts with the use of an authorized public key added under the papercut account's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys list. For example (all on one line):
ssh papercut@remoteserver \
"/home/papercut/server/bin/linux-[x64|i686]/server-command \
disable-printer printsrv1 labprinter -1"
A full list of commands is available via server-command --help.
Usage: server-command COMMAND [ARGS...]
COMMAND : The server command name.
ARGS : A list of arguments to supply to the command.
COMMANDS:
user-exists <username>
Test to see if a user exists.
<username> - the username to test.
get-user-account-balance <username> [<account>]
Get a user's current account balance.
<username> - the user's username.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled. Leave blank to get total balance.
get-user-property <username> <property>
Gets a user property.
<username> - the name of the user.
<property> - the name of the property to get. Valid properties include:
balance - the user's current account balance
card-number - the user's card number
card-pin - the user's card pin number
default-shared-account - the user's default shared account name
department - the user's department
disabled-net - whether or not the user's internet access is
currently disabled
disabled-print - whether or not the user's printing is currently
disabled
email - the user's email
full-name - the user's full name
notes - notes for the user
office - the user's office
print-stats.job-count - the total print job count for the user
print-stats.page-count - the total printed page count for the user
net-stats.data-mb - the internet data used by the user (in MB)
net-stats.time-hours - the internet time used by the user (in hours)
restricted - whether or not the user is currently restricted
set-user-property <username> <property> <value>
Sets a user property.
<username> - the name of the user.
<property> - the name of the property to set. Valid properties and
values include:
balance - the user's current account balance (a decimal number)
card-number - the user's card number (any text)
card-pin - the user's card pin number (any text)
department - the user's department (any text)
disabled-net - whether or not the user's internet access is
currently disabled (TRUE or FALSE)
disabled-print - whether or not the user's printing is currently
disabled (TRUE or FALSE)
email - the user's email (an email address, or any text)
full-name - the user's full name (any text)
notes - notes for the user (any text)
office - the user's office (any text)
password - the user's password (for internal users only) (any text)
restricted - whether or not the user is currently restricted
(TRUE or FALSE)
<value> - the value to set (see <property> for valid values).
adjust-user-account-balance <username> <adjustment> <comment> [<account>]
Adjust a user's account balance.
<username> - the user's username.
<adjustment> - the adjustment amount as a number. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
adjust-user-account-balance-if-available \
<username> <adjustment> <comment> [<account>]
Adjust a user's account balance if there is enough credit available.
<username> - the user's username.
<adjustment> - the adjustment amount as a number. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
adjust-user-account-balance-if-available-leave-remaining <username> \
<adjustment> <leave-remaining> <comment> [<account>]
Adjust a user's account balance if there is enough credit available
to leave the given amount available in the account.
<username> - the user's username.
<adjustment> - the adjustment amount as a number. +ve or -ve.
<leave-remaining> - the amount to leave in the account.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
adjust-user-account-balance-by-group <group> <adjustment> \
<group> <adjustment> <comment> [<account>]
Adjust the account balance for all users in a group. This process
happens in the background.
<group> - the group for which all users' accounts are to be adjusted.
<adjustment> - the adjustment amount as a number. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
adjust-user-account-balance-by-group-up-to <group> <adjustment> <limit>
<comment> [<account>]
Adjust the account balance for all users in a group, but don't increase
user balance beyond the given limit. This process happens in the
background.
<group> - the group for which all users' accounts are to be adjusted.
<adjustment> - the adjustment amount as a number. +ve or -ve.
<limit> - don't increase user balance beyond this limit.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
set-user-account-balance <username> <balance> <comment> [<account>]
Set a user's account balance to a set value.
<username> - the user's username.
<balance> - set the account to this value. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
set-user-account-balance-by-group <group> <balance> <comment> [<account>]
Set the balance for each member of a group to the given value. This
process happens in the background.
<group> - the group for which all users' balance is to be set.
<balance> - the value to set all users' balance to. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
[<account>] - Optional personal account name. Only used when multiple
personal accounts are enabled.
reset-user-counts <username> <reset_by>
Reset the page and job counts associated with a user.
<username> - the user's username.
<reset_by> - name of the user/script/process resetting the counts.
re-apply-initial-user-settings <username>
Re-applies initial settings on the user. Initial user settings are based
on group membership.
<username> - the user's username.
disable-printing-for-user <username> <minutes_disabled>
Disable printing for a user for a set period of time.
<username> - the name of the user to disable printing for.
<minutes_disabled> - the time in minutes to disable. -1 indicates
forever.
add-new-user <username>
Trigger the process of adding a new user account. Assuming the user
exists in the OS/Network/Domain user directory, the account will be
created with the correct initial settings as defined by the rules
set up in the admin interface under the Groups section.
<username> - the user's system username.
rename-user <current_username> <new_username>
Rename the given existing user. Use this method with care. Renaming a
user should be performed in conjunction with renaming the user in the
OS/Network/Domain.
<current_username> - the name of the user to rename.
<new_username> - the user's new name.
delete-existing-user <username>
Delete a user account from the system. Use this method with care.
Calling this will perminantly delete the user account from the user
list (print history records remain).
<username> - the user's system username.
add-new-internal-user <username> <password> <full_name> <email> <card-id>
<pin>
Create a new internal user. Username and password are required. Other
properties may be omitted. Properties may be changed after creation
using 'set-user-property'. For more information about internal users
See the user manual chapter 'Managing Guests and Internal Users'.
<username> - (required) the username of the new internal user.
<password> - (required) user's password.
<full_name> - (optional) user's full name.
<email> - (optional) user's email address.
<card-id> - the user's card or identity number.
<pin> - the user's card/id PIN.
look-up-user-name-by-id-no <id-no>
Looks up the user with the given user id number and prints out their
user name. If no match was found an empty line is printed out.
<id-no> - The user id number to look up.
look-up-user-name-by-card-no <card-no>
Looks up the user with the given user card number and prints out their
user name. If no match was found an empty line is printed out.
<card-no> - The user card number to look up.
add-user-to-group <username> <group>
Add a user to the specified group. It changes the group
membership within the application not in the OS/Network/Domain user
directory.
<username> - the name of the user.
<group> - the name of the group to which the user needs to be added.
remove-user-from-group <username> <group>
Remove a user from the specified group. It changes the group
membership within the application not in the OS/Network/Domain user
directory.
<username> - the name of the user.
<group> - the name of the group from which the user needs to be removed.
add-admin-access-user <username>
Add a user as an admin with default admin rights.
<username> - the name of the user.
remove-admin-access-user <username>
Remove an admin user from the list of admins.
<username> - the name of the user.
add-admin-access-group <groupname>
Add a group as an admin group with default admin rights.
<groupname> - the name of the group.
remove-admin-access-group <groupname>
Remove a group from the list of admin groups.
<groupname> - the name of the group.
set-user-account-selection-auto-select-shared-account <username>
<account_name>
<charge_personal>
Sets a user's account selection to charge to a single shared account.
<username> - the name of the user.
<account_name> - Full name of the shared account to charge to.
<charge_personal> - whether or not personal account should be charged.
(TRUE or FALSE)
set-user-account-selection-auto-charge-personal <username>
Sets a user's account selection to automatically charge to personal.
account.
<username> - the name of the user.
set-user-account-selection-standard-popup <username> <allow_personal>
<allow_list_selection>
<allow_pin_code>
<allow_printing_as_another_user>
<charge_to_personal>
Sets a user's account selection to standard account selection popup.
<username> - the name of the user.
<allow_personal> - allow user to charge to personal account.
<allow_list_selection> - allow user to select a shared account from
list. (TRUE or FALSE)
<allow_pin_code> - allow user to select a shared account using pin.
<allow_printing_as_another_user> - allow user to print as another user.
<charge_to_personal> - when shared account is selected charge to
personal account. (TRUE or FALSE)
list-user-accounts
List the names of all the user accounts in the system, sorted by
username, one per line.
list-shared-accounts
List the names of all the shared accounts in the system, sorted by
shared account name, one per line.
list-user-shared-accounts <username>
List the names of all the shared accounts accessible by the given user
sorted by account name, one per line.
shared-account-exists <account_name>
Test to see if a shared account exists.
<account_name> - the shared account name to test.
get-shared-account-account-balance <account_name>
Get shared account's current account balance.
<account_name> - the shared account's full name.
get-shared-account-property <account_name> <property>
Gets a shared account property.
<account_name> - the name of the user.
<property> - the name of the property to get. Valid properties include:
access-groups - the shared account's access groups
(a comma separated list)
Use blank to clear all groups
access-users - the shared account's access users
(a comma separated list)
Use blank to clear all users
balance - the shared account's current balance
comment-option - the shared account's commenting option
disabled - whether or not the shared account is currently disabled
invoice-option - the shared account's invoicing option
notes - notes for the shared account
pin - the shared account's PIN
restricted - whether or not the shared account is currently
restricted
set-shared-account-property <account_name> <property> <value>
Sets a shared account property.
<account_name> - the name of the shared account.
<property> - the name of the property to set. Valid properties and
values include:
access-groups - the shared account's access groups)
(a comma separated list)
access-users - the shared account's access users
(a comma separated list)
balance - the shared account's current balance (a decimal number)
comment-option - the shared account's commenting option. One of:
NO_COMMENT - no comment may be entered
COMMENT_REQUIRED - a comment must be entered
COMMENT_OPTIONAL - the user may enter a comment or not
disabled - whether or not the shared account is currently disabled
(TRUE or FALSE)
invoice-option - the shared account's invoicing option. One of:
ALWAYS_INVOICE - print jobs will always be invoiced
NEVER_INVOICE - print jobs will never be invoiced
USER_CHOICE_ON - the user can choose (default on/yes)
USER_CHOICE_OFF - the user can choose (default off/no)
notes - notes for the shared account (any text)
pin - the shared account's PIN (any text, must be unique)
restricted - whether or not the shared account is currently
restricted (TRUE or FALSE)
<value> - the value to set (see <property> for valid values).
adjust-shared-account-account-balance <account_name> <adjustment> <comment>
Adjust a shared account's account balance.
<account_name> - the shared account's full name.
<adjustment> - the adjustment amount as a number. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
set-shared-account-account-balance <account_name> <balance> <comment>
Set a shared account's balance to a set value.
<account_name> - the shared account's full name.
<balance> - set the account to this value. +ve or -ve.
<comment> - a comment to be associated with the transaction.
add-new-shared-account <shared_account_name>
Add a new shared account.
<shared_account_name> - the name of the shared account.
rename-shared-account <curr_shared_account_name> <new_shared_account_name>
Rename an existing shared account.
<curr_shared_account_name> - Current shared account name. Use a '\' to
denote a subaccount e.g.: 'parent\sub'
<new_shared_account_name> - New shared account name.
delete-existing-shared-account <shared_account_name>
Delete a shared account from the system. Use this method with care.
Calling this will permanently delete it from the shared account list
(print history records will remain).
<shared_account_name> - the name of the shared account to delete.
add-shared-account-access-user <shared_account_name> <username>
Allow the given user access to the given shared account without using
a pin.
<shared_account_name> - the name of the shared account to allow access
to.
<username> - the name of the user to give access to.
add-shared-account-access-group <shared_account_name> <group_name>
Allow the given group access to the given shared account without using
a pin.
<shared_account_name> - the name of the shared account to allow access
to.
<group_name> - the name of the group to give access to.
remove-shared-account-access-user <shared_account_name> <username>
Revoke the given user'- access to the given shared account.
<shared_account_name> - the name of the shared account to revoke access
to.
<username> - the name of the user to revoke access for.
remove-shared-account-access-group <shared_account_name> <group_name>
Revoke the given group's access to the given shared account.
<shared_account_name> - the name of the shared account to revoke access
to.
<group_name> - the name of the group to revoke access for.
get-printer-property <server_name> <printer_name> <property>
Gets a printer property.
<server_name> - the name of the server the printer is hosted on.
<printer_name> - the name of the printer.
<property> - the name of the property to get. Valid properties include:
disabled - whether or not the printer is currently disabled
print-stats.job-count - the total print job count for this printer
print-stats.page-count - the total printed page count for this
printer
cost-model - the cost model used by the printer (e.g. SIMPLE)
custom-field-1 - the value for custom field 1 if set.
custom-field-2 - the value for custom field 2 if set.
custom-field-3 - the value for custom field 3 if set.
custom-field-4 - the value for custom field 4 if set.
custom-field-5 - the value for custom field 5 if set.
custom-field-6 - the value for custom field 6 if set.
set-printer-property <server_name> <printer_name> <property> <value>
Sets a printer property.
<server_name> - the name of the server the printer is hosted on.
<printer_name> - the name of the printer.
<property> - the name of the property to set. Valid properties and
values include:
disabled - whether or not the printer is currently disabled
(TRUE or FALSE)
custom-field-1 - the value for custom field 1
custom-field-2 - the value for custom field 2
custom-field-3 - the value for custom field 3
custom-field-4 - the value for custom field 4
custom-field-5 - the value for custom field 5
custom-field-6 - the value for custom field 6
override-user-level-settings - whether or not printer should
override user level settings.
(TRUE or FALSE)
override-user-level-settings-charge-to - the name of the shared
account. Use "[personal]" for personal
account. Use blank to disable charge to
settings.
<value> - the value to set (see <property> for valid values).
list-printers
List the names of all the printers in the system, sorted by
printer name, one per line.
set-printer-cost-simple <server_name> <printer_name> <cost_per_page>
Sets the printer's page cost (using SIMPLE charging model).
<server_name> - the name of the server the printer is hosted on.
<printer_name> - the name of the printer.
<cost_per_page> - the cost per page (simple charging model)
get-printer-cost-simple <server_name> <printer_name>
Get the printer's page cost (using SIMPLE charging model).
<server_name> - the name of the server the printer is hosted on.
<printer_name> - the name of the printer.
reset-printer-counts <server_name> <printer_name> <reset_by>
Reset the page and job counts associated with a printer.
<server_name> - the name of the server hosting the printer.
<printer_name> - the printer's name.
<reset_by> - name of the user/script/process resetting the counts.
add-printer-group <server_name> <printer_name> <printer_group_name>
Add a printer to a single printer group in addition to existing printer
group membership.
<server_name> - the name of the server hosting the printer.
<printer_name> - the printer's name.
<printer_group_name> - name of a printer group.
set-printer-groups <server_name> <printer_name> <printer_group_names>
Set the printer groups a printer belongs to, overwriting any existing
group membership.
<server_name> - the name of the server hosting the printer.
<printer_name> - the printer's name.
<printer_group_names> - a comma separated list of printer group names.
To clear all group association set to "".
enable-printer <server_name> <printer_name>
Enable a printer.
<server_name> - the name of the server hosting the printer.
<printer_name> - the printer's name.
disable-printer <server_name> <printer_name> <minutes_disabled>
Disable a printer for a set period of time.
<server_name> - the name of the server hosting the printer.
<printer_name> - the printer's name.
<minutes_disabled> - the time in minutes to disable. -1 indicates
forever.
delete-printer <server_name> <printer_name>
Delete a printer.
<server_name> - the name of the server hosting the printer.
<printer_name> - the printer's name. Use "[All Printers]" to delete
all printers on the specified server.
rename-printer <server_name> <printer_name> <new_server_name>
<new_printer_name>
Rename a printer. This can be useful after migrating a print queue or
print server (i.e. the printer retains its history and settings under
the new name). Note that in some cases case sensitivity is important, so
care should be taken to enter the name exactly as it appears in the OS.
<server_name> - the existing printer's server name
<printer_name> - the existing printer's queue name
<new_server_name> - the new printer's server name
<new_printer_name> - the new printer's queue name
add-printer-access-group <server_name> <printer_name> <group_name>
Adds the user group to the printer's access group list.
<server_name> - the printer's server name
<printer_name> - the printer's queue name
<group_name> - the name of the user group that needs to be added.
remove-printer-access-group <server_name> <printer_name> <group_name>
Removes the user group from the printer's access group list.
<server_name> - the printer's server name
<printer_name> - the printer's queue name
<group_name> - the name of the user group that needs to be removed.
add-new-group <group_name>
Add a new group to the system's group list. The group should already
exist in network directory.
<group_name> - The name of the group to add.
remove-group <group_name>
Removes the group.
<group_name> - The name of the group to remove.
list-user-groups
List the names of all the user groups in the system, sorted by
groupname, one per line.
group-exists <group_name>
Test to see if a group exists.
<group_name> - the group name to test.
set-group-quota <group_name> <quota_amount> <period> <quota_max_accum>
<group_name> - the name of the group to set.
<quota_amount> - the quota amount.
<period> - the schedule period (i.e. DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY).
<quota_max_accum> - the quota maximum accumulation amount. Set to
0.0 to have no limit.
use-card <user_name> <card_number>
Redeem a card and place the credit on the user's account.
<user_name> - the name of the user with the account to credit.
<card_number> - the number of the card to use.
perform-online-backup
Start an online backup. The back file is written to
~/server/data/backups. as a dated, zipped XML file. This process
happens in the background.
perform-group-sync
Start the process of synchronizing the system's group membership with
the OS/Network/Domain's group membership. A call to this method will
commence the sync process and the operation will complete in the
background.
perform-user-and-group-sync
Start a full user and group synchronization. This is equivalent to
pressing the "Synchronize Now" button in the admin interface. No
existing users will be removed. Whether or not full details for existing
users will be updated depends on the current user/group sync settings as
defined in the admin interface. A call to this method will commence the
sync process and the operation will complete in the background.
perform-user-and-group-sync-advanced <delete_old_users> <update_details>
An advanced version of the user and group synchronization process
providing control over the sync settings. A call to this method will
commence the sync process and the operation will complete in the
background.
<delete_old_users> - set to TRUE remove old users, else FALSE.
<update_details> - set to TRUE if existing users details (e.g. email,
full-name, etc. ) are to be updated.
add-new-users
Calling this method will start a specialized user and group
synchronization process optimized for tracking down adding any new
users that exist in the OS/Network/Domain user directory and not in
the system. Any existing user accounts will not be modified. A group
synchronization will only be performed if new users are actually added
to the system.
is-task-complete
Returns TRUE if a long running task such as perform-group-sync,
perform-user-and-group-sync, or add-new-users has completed.
get-task-status
Returns status information such as progress, completion status and,
error messages, on the current or last run long running task such as
perform-group-sync, perform-user-and-group-sync, or add-new-users.
batch-import-shared-accounts <import_file> <test>
<delete_non_existent_accounts>
Import the shared accounts contained in the given tab-delimited import
file.
<import_file> - the import file location.
<test> - (TRUE or FALSE) If TRUE, perform a test only. The printed
statistics will show what would have occurred if testing
wasn't enabled. No accounts will be modified.
<delete_non_existent_accounts> - (TRUE or FALSE) If TRUE, accounts that
do not exist in the import file but exist in the
system will be deleted. If FALSE, they will be
ignored.
batch-import-users <import_file> <create_new_users>
Import the users contained in the given tab-delimited import
file. See the user manual chapter 'Batch User Data Import and Update'
for a description of the file format.
<import_file> - the import file location.
<create_new_users>
If TRUE, users only existing in the import file will be newly
created, otherwise ignored.
batch-import-internal-users <import_file> <overwrite_existing_passwords>
<overwrite_existing_pins>
Import the internal users contained in the given tab-delimited import
file. See the user manual chapter 'Managing Guests and Internal Users'
for a description of the file format.
<import_file> - the import file location.
<overwrite_existing_passwords> (optional, default TRUE) - (TRUE or
FALSE) If TRUE, passwords from the import file will overwrite
existing passwords where a user already has a has a password set.
If FALSE, existing passwords will not be changed.
<overwrite_existing_pins> (optional, default TRUE) - (TRUE or FALSE) If
TRUE, PINs from the import file will overwrite existing PINs where
a user already has a has a PIN set. If FALSE, existing PINs will
not be changed.
batch-import-user-card-id-numbers <import_file> <overwrite_existing_pins>
Import the user card/ID numbers and PINs contained in the given
tab-delimited import file. See the user manual chapter 'Advanced User
Management' for a description of the file format).
<import_file> - the import file location.
<overwrite_existing_pins> (optional, default TRUE) - (TRUE or FALSE) If
TRUE, PINs from the import file will overwrite existing PINs where
a user already has a has a PIN set. If FALSE, existing PINs will
not be changed.
create-user-client-accounts-file
Saves a file containing shared accounts data for the user client.
See the manual for more information on how this feature can be used.
The file will be saved on the server to the location:
[app-path]\server\data\client\client-accounts.dat
If this file already exists it will be over-written.
get-config <config-name>
Gets the value of the given config value printing the result.
If the config value does not exist, a blank string is displayed.
<config-name> - the name of the config value to get.
set-config <config-name> <config-value>
Sets the value of the give config item.
NOTE: Take care updating config values. You may cause serious
problems which can only be fixed by reinstallation of
the application. Use the set-config command at your own risk.
<config-name> - the name of the config value to set.
<config-value> - the value to set.
process-job <job-details>
Takes the details of a job and logs and charges as if it were a "real"
job. Jobs processed via this method are not susceptible to filters,
pop-ups, hold/release queues etc., they are simply logged. See the user
manual section "Importing Job Details" for more information and the
format of <job-details>.
<job-details> - the details of the job to log.
run-command command-name [command args]
Runs a custom command on the server. By default the server does not
include any custom commands. The command arguments depend on the custom
command being run.
server-command is ideal for scripting via batch files or shell scripts.
Some example scripts can be found at [app-path]/server/examples/scripting/.
Administrators wishing to control PaperCut NG using a programming language such as C#, Java,
Visual Basic, Perl, Ruby or Python should consider the XML Web Services APIs. All commands
available via the server-command tool are also accessible via calls to the
Web Services layer.
More information on the XML Web Services API is available in the section called “The XML Web Services API”.
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