File Content Extraction 26.2
XML Export SDK C Programming Guide

# tstxtract

The `tstxtract` sample program demonstrates the File Extraction API. It opens a file, extracts subfiles from the file, and repeats the extraction process until all subfiles are extracted. It also demonstrates how to extract the default set of metadata and pass integer or string names to extract specific metadata. After the files are extracted, you can convert the files by using one of the conversion sample programs.

The source code for the `tstxtract` sample program is the same for the Filter and Export SDKs. A flag in the makefile specifies whether the program is compiled for Filter, HTML Export, or XML Export.

To run `tstxtract`, type the following at the command line:

`tstxtract [options] input_file output_directory bin_directory`

where:

- `input_file` is the full path and file name of the source document.
- `output_directory` is the directory to which the files are extracted.
- `bin_directory` is the path to the Export `bin` directory. This is required if you do not run the program from the `bin` directory.
- `options` is one or more of the following:

Option | Description
--- | ---
`-c` `charset` | Specify the target character set, for example `KVCS_SJIS`. See Coded Character Sets for a full list of supported character sets.
`-cf` `keyfile1, keyfile2,...` | Specify one or more credential files (private keys) to use to decrypt encrypted .EML, .MBX, .PST, or .MSG files.
`-l` `logfile` | Specify the path and file name of the log file in which metadata is written.
`-lm` | Retrieve metadata and write the data to the log file.
`-lms` `metaname1,` `metaname2,...` | Retrieve metadata with string metanames and write the data to the log file for .MSG, .EML, .MBX, and .NSF files.
`-lmi` `metaint1,` `metaint2,...` | Retrieve metadata with integer (hexadecimal) metanames and write the data to the log file for .PST files.
`-lma` | Retrieve all metadata from an .NSF file and write the data to the log file.
`-r` | Recursively extract second-level subfiles to the specified output directory. For example, if a .ZIP file contains a Microsoft Word file and the Word file contains an embedded Microsoft Excel file, set the `-r` option to extract both the Word and Excel files. If this option is not set, only first-level subfiles are extracted. In this case, only the Word file would be extracted.
`-msg` | Extract mail messages in a .PST file as an .MSG file, including all of its attachments. If this flag is not set, the mail message is extracted as text. This option sets the KVExtractionFlag_SaveAsMSG flag in the KVExtractSubFileArg structure.
`-f` | Extract the formatted version of the message body (HTML or RTF) from mail files when possible. If neither an HTML nor RTF version of the message body exists in the mail file, it is extracted as plain text. If you do not set this flag, the message body is extracted as plain text when possible.
`-t` | Preserve the timestamp of embedded files when possible.
`-h` | Extract hidden text.

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Version 26.2 | Last updated April 2026

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Product: File Content Extraction 26.2

Topic Title: tstxtract