CLIFp (pronounced "Cliff-P", or just "Cliff") is an alternative launcher for Flashpoint Archive that focuses on speed and simplicity while providing access to a Flashpoint's vast library via a ripe command-line interface. This greatly increases the flexibility of Flashpoint by allowing for more direct integration with other software, such as Steam, LaunchBox, or any arbitrary application/script. The functionality of CLIFp should be near identical to the standard launcher for the facilities it implements.
Other than a few pop-up dialogs used for alerts and errors, CLIFp runs completely in the background so that the only windows seen during use are the same ones present while running standard Flashpoint. It automatically terminates once the target application has exited, requiring no manual tasks or clean-up by the user.
Download the latest release that's appropriate for your system (see Release Builds for guidance on that) and place it in the root of your Flashpoint directory.
Play a game:
# By title
CLIFp play -t "Simple, Tasty Buttons"
# By UUID
CLIFp play -i 37e5c215-9c39-4a3d-9912-b4343a17027e
# Random
CLIFp play -r any
Play an additional app:
CLIFp play -t "Railroad Rampage" -s "Unlimited Health / Ammo Hack"
Create a desktop shortcut:
CLIFp link -t "Skill Archer"
Create a share link for other users
# Enable CLIFp to open share links (only needs to be done once)
CLIFp share -c
# Create link to game
CLIFp share -t "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny"
Update:
CLIFp update
Most flashpoint features are supported. The regular launcher still must be used for the following:
- Changing user configuration, like preferences, playlists, etc.
- Updating the launcher and downloading game updates
See the All Commands/Options section for more information.
While constantly testing for complete compatibility is infeasible given the size of Flashpoint, CLIFp was designed with full compatibility in mind and theoretically is 100% compatible with the Flashpoint collection.
Each release of this application targets a specific version series of Flashpoint Archive, which are composed of a major and minor version number, and are designed to work with all Flashpoint updates within that series. For example, a FIL release that targets Flashpoint 10.1 is intended to be used with any version of Flashpoint that fits the scheme 10.1.x.x, such as 10.1, 10.1.0.3, 10.1.2, etc, but not 10.2.
Using a version of CLIFp with a version of Flashpoint different than its target version is discouraged as some features may not work correctly or at all and in some cases the utility may fail to function entirely; however, given its design, CLIFp is likely to continue working with newer versions of FP that are released without requiring an update, unless that new version contains significant technical changes.
The title of each release will indicate which version of Flashpoint it targets.
Updates will always be set to target the latest Flashpoint release, even if they were not created explicitly for compatibility reasons.
CLIFp was originally created for use with its sister project FIL (Flashpoint Importer for Launchers) to facilitate the inclusion of Flashpoint in to LaunchBox and other frontend collections. The operation of CLIFp is completely automated when used in this manner.
It was later refined to also be used directly with the Flashpoint project to allow users to create shortcuts and leverage other benefits of a CLI.
That being said, it is perfectly possible to use CLIFp in any manner one sees fit.
Note
In most cases you should use the 'static' builds of CLIFp on Windows or Linux.
It is recommended to place CLIFp in the root directory of Flashpoint (next to its shortcut), but CLIFp will search all parent directories in order for the root Flashpoint structure and therefore will work correctly in any Flashpoint sub-folder. However, this obviously won't work if CLIFp is behind a symlink/junction.
Important
Before using CLIFp, be sure to have ran Flashpoint through its regular launcher at least once. If using Infinity, it's also best to make sure your install is fully updated as well.
Do not run CLIFp as an administrator/root as some titles may not work correctly or run at all.
CLIFp uses the following syntax scheme:
CLIFp <global options> *command* <command options>
The order of switches within each options section does not matter.
Primary Usage: The most common use case is the play command with a Title Command switch. For this example -i is used to indicate a title is being referenced by its UUID
CLIFp play -i 37e5c215-9c39-4a3d-9912-b4343a17027e
This is the most straightforward and hassle free approach, as it will start that title exactly as if it had been launched from the Flashpoint GUI (including download/mounting of data packs, autorun before additional apps, etc.).
A title's ID can be found by right clicking on an entry in Flashpoint and selecting "Copy Game UUID". This command also supports starting additional apps, though getting their UUID is more tricky as I currently know of no other way than opening [FP Install Dir]\Data\flashpoint.sqlite in a database browser and searching for the ID manually.
Alternatively, the -t switch can be used, followed by the exact title of an entry:
CLIFp play -t "Interactive Buddy"
Or if feeling spontaneous, use the -r switch, followed by a library filter to select a title randomly:
CLIFp play -r game
See the All Commands/Options section for more information.
Direct Execution: The legacy approach is to use the run command with the --app and --param switches. This will start Flashpoint's services and then start the application specified with the provided parameters:
CLIFp run --app="FPSoftware\Flash\flashplayer_32_sa.exe" --param="http://www.mowa.org/work/buttons/buttons_art/basic.swf"
If the application needs to use files from a Data Pack that pack will need to be downloaded/mounted first using prepare or else it won't work.
The applications and arguments that are used for each game/animation can be found within the Flashpoint database ([FP Install Dir]\Data\flashpoint.sqlite)
CLIFp supports the "flashpoint" protocol, which means it can launch titles through URL with a custom scheme, followed by a title's UUID, like this:
flashpoint://37e5c215-9c39-4a3d-9912-b4343a17027e
This makes it fast and easy to share games that you think your friends should try out.
To register CLIFp as the handler for these URLs, simply run:
CLIFp share -c
To easily create a share link if you don't already know the UUID of a game, you can use the share command with the -t switch followed by a title:
CLIFp share -t "Simple, Tasty Buttons"
This will create a share link for that title which will be displayed via a message box and automatically copied to the system clipboard.
If for whatever reason the service through which you wish to share a link does not support links with custom schemes, you can use the -u switch to generate a standard "https" link that utilizes a GitHub-hosted redirect page, enabling share links to be provided everywhere.
Important
You will want to disable the "Register As Protocol Handler" option in the default launcher or else it will replace CLIFp as the "flashpoint" protocol handler every time it's started.
It is recommended to only use CLIFp when the regular launcher isn't running as it allows fully independent operation since it can start and stop required services on its own; however, CLIFp can be started while the standard launcher is running, in which case it will run in "Companion Mode" and utilize the launcher's services instead.
The catch with this mode is that CLIFp will be required to shutdown if at any point the standard launcher is closed.
Most options have short and long forms, which are interchangeable. For options that take a value, a space or = can be used between the option and its value, i.e.
-i 95b149c2-7f57-4894-b980-6ef03192f79d
or
--msg="I am a message"
- -h | --help | -?: Prints usage information
- -v | --version: Prints the current version of the tool
- -q | --quiet: Silences all non-critical messages
- -s | --silent: Silences all messages (takes precedence over quiet mode)
Every command also has a corresponding help switch for command specific usage information.
Many of CLIFp's commands require a game/animation to be specified, which can be done in several ways. These commands, are known as title commands and are noted as such below. The explanation for these common options are shown here instead of being repeated under each individually.
Title Comamnd Shared Options:
- -i | --id: UUID of a game
- -t | --title: The title of a game.
- -T | --title-strict: Same as -t, but only exact matches are considered
- -s | --subtitle: Name of an additional-app under a game. Must be used with -t/-T
- -S | --subtitle-strict: Same as -s, but only exact matches are considered
- -r | --random: Selects a random title from the database. Must be followed by a library filter:
all/any,game/arcade, oranimation/theatre
The -title and -subtitle options are case-insensitive and will match any title that contains the value provided; however, the provided title should match as closely as possible to how it appears within Flashpoint, as checks for close matches are limited due to technical restrictions. If more than one entry is found, a dialog window with more information will be displayed so that the intended title can be selected, though there is a limit to the number of matches.
The -title-strict and -subtitle-strict options only consider exact matches and are performed slightly faster than their more flexible counterparts.
Tip: You can use -subtitle with an empty string (i.e. -s "") to see all of the additional-apps for a given title.
download - Downloads data packs for games that require them in bulk
Options:
- -p | --playlist Name of the playlist to download games for.
link - Creates a shortcut to a Flashpoint title
Options:
- Title Command options
- -p | --path: Path to directory in which to place the shortcut. Prompts if not provided.
- -n | --name: Name of the shortcut. Defaults to the name of the title
Notes:
- On some Linux desktop environments (i.e. GNOME) the shortcut might need to manually be set to "trusted" in order to be used and displayed correctly after it is created. This option is usually available in the file's right-click context menu.
play - Launch a game/animation. The bread and butter of this application.
Options:
- Title Command options
Notes:
-
You can use
--to pass arguments directly to the title's underlying executable/script, which can be useful for testing or customizing your experience:CLIFp play -t "One Stick Man!" -- -monitor 2
prepare - Initializes Flashpoint for playing the provided Data Pack based title by UUID. If the title does not use a Data Pack this command has no effect.
Options:
- Title Command options
run - Start Flashpoint's services and then execute the provided application
Options:
- -a | --app: Relative (to Flashpoint Directory) path of application to launch
- -p | --param: Command-line parameters to use when starting the application
Requires: -a
Notes:
When using the --exe and --param switches all quotes that are part of the input itself must be escaped for the command to be passed correctly. For example, the launch command
"http://website.com" -switch "value"
must be specified as
--param="\"http://website.com\" -switch \"value\""
Additionally, any characters with special meaning to the Windows shell that are not within at least one level of quote pairs must also be escaped (this can be avoided as long as you wrap the entire value of the switch in quotes as shown above):
http://website.com/foo&bar => --param=http://website.com/foo^&bar
See http://www.robvanderwoude.com/escapechars.php for more information.
share - Generates a URL for starting a Flashpoint title that can be shared to other users.
Options:
- Title Command options
- -u | --universal: Creates a standard HTTPS link that utilizes a redirect page. May be easier to share on some platforms.
- -c | --configure: Registers CLIFp as the default handler for "flashpoint" protocol links.
- -C | --unconfigure: Removes CLIFp as the default handler for "flashpoint" protocol links.
Notes:
- No title is required when using the --configure* option
- By default, the standard Flashpoint launcher is registered to handle share links; therefore, its "Register As Protocol Handler" option should likely be disabled if you intend to use CLIFp instead.
show - Display a message or extra folder
Options:
- -m | --msg: Displays an pop-up dialog with the supplied message. Used primarily for some additional apps
- -e | --extra: Opens an explorer window to the specified extra. Used primarily for some additional apps
- -h | --help | -?: Prints command specific usage information
Requires: -m or -e
update - Check for and optional apply the latest update
CLIFp displays a system tray icon so that one can be sure it is still running. This icon also will display basic status messages when clicked on and features a context menu with an option to exit at any time.
The functionality of the tray icon may be expanded upon in future releases.
- Although general compatibility is quite high, compatibility with every single title cannot be assured. Issues with a title or group of titles will be fixed as they are discovered
- C++20
- CMake 3.24.0
- Targets:
- Windows 10+
- Linux
The source for this project is managed by a sensible CMake configuration that allows for straightforward compilation and consumption of its target(s), either as a sub-project or as an imported package. All required dependencies except for Qt6 are automatically acquired via CMake's FetchContent mechanism.
For guidance on which release build is likely best for your system, compare your system to the table below and try whichever is most comparable to yours in the order shown. The compiler used is somewhat arbitrary, so equivalent compilers are combined in the table. If one build type with a given compiler does not work for you it's unlikely the other listed as part of the same line will, but you can try it if you want.
| System | Builds |
|---|---|
| Windows | 1) Windows Static 2) Windows Shared |
| Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.02, Arch, SteamOS | 1) Linux Static Clang++14/GCC++12 2) Linux Shared Clang++14/GCC++12 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 | 1) Linux Static Clang++12 2) Linux Shared Clang++12 |
Note that for shared builds, you must place the entire directory structure of the release in your Flashpoint folder and run CLIFp from within it's bin directory, like so:
Flashpoint/
├── CLIFp/
│ ├── bin/
│ │ └── clifp.exe
│ ├── cmake
│ ├── LICENSE
│ ├── README.md
│ └── ...
├── version.txt
├── preferences.json
└── ...
For static builds you can simply take the CLIFp executable out of the bin directory and place it directly in your Flashpoint folder.
Remember these are just guidelines. Ultimately use whichever build you like, or build CLIFp yourself.