How to use the command "inkscape" (with examples)

Inkscape is an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) editing program that is commonly used for creating and editing vector graphics. It provides a graphical user interface (GUI) and various command line options for performing specific tasks.

Use case 1: Open an SVG file in the Inkscape GUI

Code:

inkscape filename.svg

Motivation: This use case allows you to open an existing SVG file in the Inkscape GUI for further editing or viewing.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to open.

Example output: The Inkscape GUI will open with the specified SVG file loaded.

Use case 2: Export an SVG file into a bitmap with the default format (PNG) and the default resolution (96 DPI)

Code:

inkscape filename.svg -o filename.png

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to convert an SVG file into a bitmap image with the default settings.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to export.
• -o filename.png: This option specifies the output file name and format. Here, the output file will be a PNG image with the same name as the SVG file.

Example output: The SVG file will be exported as a PNG image with the same name.

Use case 3: Export an SVG file into a bitmap of a specific size

Code:

inkscape filename.svg -o filename.png -w 600 -h 400

Motivation: Sometimes you may need to export an SVG file into a bitmap image of a specific size to meet certain requirements.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to export.
• -o filename.png: This option specifies the output file name and format. Here, the output file will be a PNG image with the same name.
• -w 600: This option specifies the width of the output image in pixels.
• -h 400: This option specifies the height of the output image in pixels.

Example output: The SVG file will be exported as a PNG image with dimensions of 600x400 pixels.

Use case 4: Export the drawing (bounding box of all objects) of an SVG file into a bitmap

Code:

inkscape filename.svg -o filename.png -D

Motivation: This use case allows you to export the drawing area, which is determined by the bounding box of all objects in the SVG file, into a bitmap image.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to export.
• -o filename.png: This option specifies the output file name and format. Here, the output file will be a PNG image with the same name.
• -D: This option tells Inkscape to export the drawing area (bounding box of all objects) rather than the entire document including unused space.

Example output: The drawing area of the SVG file will be exported as a PNG image.

Use case 5: Export a single object, given its ID, into a bitmap

Code:

inkscape filename.svg -i id -o object.png

Motivation: Sometimes you may only need to export a specific object from an SVG file rather than the entire document. This use case allows you to do that by specifying the ID of the object.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to export.
• -i id: This option specifies the ID of the object you want to export.
• -o object.png: This option specifies the output file name and format for the exported object.

Example output: The object specified by its ID will be exported as a PNG image.

Use case 6: Export an SVG document to PDF, converting all texts to paths

Code:

inkscape filename.svg -o filename.pdf --export-text-to-path

Motivation: When exporting an SVG document to PDF, converting all texts to paths ensures that the text appears correctly in the PDF even if the required fonts are not available.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to export.
• -o filename.pdf: This option specifies the output file name and format. Here, the output file will be a PDF with the same name.
• --export-text-to-path: This option tells Inkscape to convert all texts to outlines (paths) to ensure correct rendering in the exported PDF.

Example output: The SVG document will be exported as a PDF with all texts converted to paths.

Use case 7: Duplicate an object, rotate the duplicate, save the file, and quit Inkscape

Code:

inkscape filename.svg --select=path123 --verb="EditDuplicate;ObjectRotate90;FileSave;FileQuit"

Motivation: This use case allows you to perform multiple operations on an SVG file, such as duplicating an object and rotating it, saving the file, and then quitting Inkscape, all in one command.

Explanation:

• inkscape: This is the command line executable for Inkscape.
• filename.svg: This is the name of the SVG file you want to edit.
• --select=path123: This option selects the object with the specified ID (path123 in this example).
• --verb="EditDuplicate;ObjectRotate90;FileSave;FileQuit": This option executes a series of actions separated by semicolons. In this example, the actions are: duplicate the selected object, rotate the duplicate by 90 degrees, save the file, and then quit Inkscape.

Example output: The SVG file will be edited by duplicating the specified object, rotating the duplicate, and then saving the file before Inkscape quits.