ceric

Reference for the ceric command-line tool.

Syntax

ceric [OPTIONS]

Options

Required Parameters

Parameter	Description
--pathXml <file>	Input XML file without TransferHeader
--dataType <type>	Data type for ERiC processing

Optional Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
--usecase <mode>	draft	Operation mode: draft, send, or transmit
--pathVendor <dir>	bin/eric/plugins	ERiC plugins directory path
--pathStorage <dir>	.	Directory to store output files
--timestamp <value>		Timestamp for PDF footer and filename

Help and Version

Parameter	Description
--help, -h	Display help information
--version, -v	Display version information

Use Cases

Draft (Default)

Validates XML and generates PDF preview without transmission.

ceric --pathXml <file> --dataType <type> [OPTIONS]

Example:

ceric --pathXml info.xml \
  --dataType Kontoinformation

Send

Validates XML, transmits data to ELSTER server, and generates a PDF on success.

ceric --usecase send --pathXml <file> --dataType <type> [OPTIONS]

Example:

ceric --usecase send \
  --pathXml info.xml \
  --dataType Kontoinformation

Transmit

Validates XML and transmits to ELSTER server without PDF generation.

ceric --usecase transmit --pathXml <file> --dataType <type> [OPTIONS]

Example:

ceric --usecase transmit \
  --pathXml info.xml \
  --dataType Kontoinformation

Data Types

See Data Types

Timestamp Format

The --timestamp parameter accepts:

• 18 digits (YYYYMMDDHHMMSSzzmm): Formatted as ISO-like timestamp in PDF footer

• Other values: Used verbatim as footer text (max. 30 characters)

Examples:

# 18-digit format (recommended)
--timestamp 202501011200450100

# Custom text (max 30 charachters)
--timestamp "Generated on 2025-01-01"

Environment Variables

For a complete list of environment variables and configuration instructions, see Environment Variables.

Variable	Default	Description
PATH_CERTIFICATE	bin/eric/test-softorg-pse.pfx	Path to certificate file for send/transmit operations
CERTIFICATE_PIN	123456	PIN for certificate access

Output Format

ceric outputs a single JSON object to stdout with the following structure, which follows the Responseschema:

{
  "$schema": "ceric-response.json",
  "exitCode": "0",
  "message": "OK",
  "pathStorage": "/path/to/storage",
  "pathXmlWithHeader": "/path/to/storage/file-with-header.xml",
  "pathOutputFile": "/path/to/storage/eric-202501011230450100.pdf",
  "timestamp": "202501011230450100",
  "ericCode": "0",
  "ericMessage": "Verarbeitung fehlerfrei.",
  "processResult": "<?xml ...",
  "serverResponse": "<?xml ...",
  "otherOutput": "Additional (eventually) unformatted output text"
}

JSON Fields

Field	Type	Description
$schema	string	Fixed value: "ceric-response.json"
exitCode	string	Numeric application exit code (stringified)
message	string	Human-readable status message
pathStorage	string	Provided path for storage
pathXmlWithHeader	string|null	Absolute path to enhanced XML with Transfer Header
pathOutputFile	string|null	Absolute path to output file (generated PDF)
timestamp	string|null	Timestamp used in PDF filename and footer
ericCode	string|null	ERiC native error code (when available)
ericMessage	string|null	ERiC native error message (when available)
processResult	string|null	Process result as XML string
serverResponse	string|null	ELSTER server response as XML string
otherOutput	string|null	Additional (eventually) unformatted output

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	OK - Operation completed successfully
1	Unknown or incomplete argument - Invalid command line argument
2	Help displayed - --help or -h was used
3	Version displayed - --version or -v was used
10	Missing required argument - --pathXml <file> not provided
11	Missing required argument - --dataType <dataType> not provided
12	Unsupported data type - Data type not supported or configuration failed
13	Invalid usecase - --usecase must be 'draft', 'send', or 'transmit'
14	Data type print not supported - Data type doesn't support print operations
15	Storage directory creation failed - Could not create storage directory
16	Storage path not a directory - Storage path exists but is not a directory
17	Storage directory not writable - Storage directory is not writable
18	Storage directory error - Other storage directory related error
20	Could not open input XML file - File access error
100	Could not initialize ERiC instance - Check eric.log for details
101	Could not load certificate - Certificate access error for send/transmit
110	Error while creating header - Check eric.log for details
120	Content of XML after adding header incorrect - Header validation failed
130	Could not create output file for XML with header - File write error
140	Error while processing XML - Check eric.log for details
150	Process buffer content is empty - Unexpected empty result
151	Server response content is empty - Unexpected empty result
160	Server response contains errors - Server response contains error information
190	Internal error: no exit code determined - Unexpected internal state

Examples

Basic Draft Operation

ceric --pathXml examples/info.xml \
  --dataType Kontoinformation \
  --pathStorage /storage/ \
  --timestamp 202501011200450100

Send with Custom Paths

ceric --usecase send \
  --pathXml examples/info.xml \
  --dataType Kontoinformation \
  --pathVendor /custom/eric/plugins/ \
  --pathStorage /custom/storage/ \
  --timestamp 202501011200450100

Transmit without PDF

ceric --usecase transmit \
  --pathXml examples/info.xml \
  --dataType Kontoinformation \
  --pathStorage /storage/

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Binary not found: Ensure ceric binary exists and is executable

2. ERiC libraries missing: Check that ERiC libraries and plugins are in the correct directories

3. Certificate issues: Verify certificate path and PIN are correct

4. Permission errors: Ensure storage directory is writable

Debug Information

Check the following log files for detailed error information:

• eric.log - ERiC processing logs

Related Topics

• Use Cases - Detailed use case examples

• Error Codes - Complete error code reference

• Examples - Usage examples

• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions