Command-Line Reference
Every GUI setting can be controlled from the command line. When arguments are provided, they override the persisted settings file.
Usage
aaLogGUITester.exe [options]
With no arguments, the GUI opens with the last-saved settings.
Options
Connection
| Flag |
Argument |
Default |
Description |
--host |
<hostname> |
localhost |
Syslog server hostname or IP |
--port |
<1-65535> |
514 |
Syslog server port |
--protocol |
<TCP\|UDP> |
TCP |
Transport protocol |
--format |
<fmt> |
RFC5424 |
RFC5424, RFC3164, or KVP |
--facility |
<0-23> |
16 |
Syslog facility code |
Security
| Flag |
Argument |
Default |
Description |
--tls |
(none) |
off |
Enable TLS 1.2/1.3 encryption (TCP only) |
--no-verify |
(none) |
verify on |
Skip TLS certificate validation |
Behavior
| Flag |
Argument |
Default |
Description |
--interval |
<ms> |
1000 |
Polling interval in milliseconds (500-60000) |
--send-all |
(none) |
off |
Send all existing logs on first poll |
--flatten |
(none) |
off |
Replace newlines with \| in messages |
--max-length |
<chars> |
0 |
Max message length; 0 = unlimited |
--no-forward |
(none) |
forward on |
Read logs without sending (dry run) |
Execution
| Flag |
Argument |
Default |
Description |
--start |
(none) |
off |
Auto-start forwarding when the window opens |
--help |
(none) |
-- |
Print usage information and exit |
-h |
(none) |
-- |
Alias for --help |
-? |
(none) |
-- |
Alias for --help |
Examples
Forward to a remote server over TLS
aaLogGUITester.exe --host syslog.corp.local --port 6514 --tls --start
Bulk-export all historical logs, then stream new
aaLogGUITester.exe --host 10.0.0.50 --port 1514 --send-all --start
aaLogGUITester.exe --host 192.168.1.100 --protocol UDP --format RFC3164 --start
Dry run -- read logs without forwarding
aaLogGUITester.exe --no-forward --send-all --start
Pre-fill GUI settings without auto-starting
aaLogGUITester.exe --host syslog.corp.local --port 6514 --tls --format RFC5424
The window opens with these settings applied. Click Start manually.
Show help
aaLogGUITester.exe --help
How CLI and GUI Interact
- If no arguments are given, settings are loaded from
%LOCALAPPDATA%\aaLogForwarder\settings.json.
- If arguments are given, they override the persisted settings. The GUI opens with the CLI values applied.
- If
--start is included, forwarding begins automatically when the window loads.
- When the window closes, the current settings (including any CLI overrides) are saved to disk.
Exit Codes
| Code |
Meaning |
| 0 |
Normal exit or --help |
| 1 |
Unknown command-line argument |