A command-line interface (CLI), also known as command-line user interface, console user interface, is a means of interacting with a computer program where the user issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text types into a console or Command Terminal. Command line tools are programs or applications that are run from the command line.
The CLI was the only means of interaction with most computer systems in the early days of computing, and was the primary means of interaction with most computer systems until the introduction of the video display terminal or monitor, almost all of today’s operating systems can be accessed using a command-line interface. The interface is usually implemented with a command line shell, which is a program that accepts commands as text input and converts commands to perform the appropriate functions and returns a result in the form of text in the same command line shell.
Command-line interfaces to computer operating systems are less widely used by casual computer users, who favor graphical user interfaces.
Command-line interfaces are often preferred by more advanced computer users, as they often provide a more concise and powerful means to control a program or operating system.
Programs with command-line interfaces are generally easier to automate via scripting.
Why does ImgArchive run from the command line.
ImgArchive for the sake of simplicity and uses command line tools that can be accessed in the most basic of ways that is pretty much uniform across all operating systems. The core features of ImgArchive are in a simple command line command iaarc.exe or iaarc on Mac and Linux. The administration of the archive comes from a simple command line command siaadmin.exe or iaadmin on Mac or Linux.
graphical user interfaces
These commands can be called by wrapper applications that use graphical user interfaces. The command line arguments are simple to interface from other applications and will change infrequently. As graphical user interfaces come and go over time, the humble command-line interfaces will always be around.
Using ImgArchive command-line tools.
The ImgArchive command-line tools can be as simple as this:
iaarc add –source-path=C:\MyPictures