MultiFormat Validator CLI

Professional multi-format syntax validation tool. Supports 63 file formats and 5 interface languages.

View Changelog

This project is now fully open-source! We have received inquiries from schools interested in adopting this tool for educational purposes. To deliver a better experience, we are actively developing and working on adding more exciting features. Stay tuned! For questions, please contact the author through the official GitHub repository or submit a request via Google Forms: https://forms.gle/1ZdqCtdPerYrzuzM7

License

Copyright (c) 2026 MultiFormat Validator CLI - Kerby Chow. All rights reserved.

• Allowed: Personal, non-commercial, educational use; modifications and derivative works for personal use
• Prohibited: Commercial use, redistribution, selling
• Share: Official GitHub link only

Full license terms: LICENSE

Why Use This Tool?

Developers often need to check syntax across different file formats. MultiFormat Validator CLI lets you:

• Validate 63 formats including JSON, Python, HTML, XML, BAT/CMD
• Use a familiar terminal interface
• Export professional HTML diagnostic reports

Features

Feature	Description
Multi-language UI	Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean
63 Formats	JSON, Python, HTML, XML, PHP, CSS, Markdown, and more
Batch Scan	Recursively scan entire folders with streaming generator
Export Reports	HTML, JSON, CSV, TXT report formats with custom save path
Smart Encoding	Auto-detect UTF-8, GBK, Big5, and more
History	Auto-save last validated file path
Auto Fix	Basic syntax auto-repair with Diff preview
Custom Rules	Define validation rules with regex (ReDoS protected)
Plugin System	Load third-party validators (with path validation & hash verification)
Right-click Menu	Validate files directly from Windows Explorer
Theme Support	Dark and Light theme with instant switching
File Browser	Interactive browser with direct path input
Error Detection	Clear messages for empty files, missing files, encoding errors
Security	Sandboxed validators, XXE protection, path protection, thread-safe
Log Rotation	Automatic log file rotation (5MB max, 3 backups)
Config Validation	Automatic config value type/range validation

Requirements

Requirement	Version
Python	3.12 or above
colorama	>= 0.4.6
pyyaml	(optional) For YAML validation

Installation

Easiest Way (Recommended for Beginners)

1. Download this project
2. Open the folder
3. Double-click install.bat
4. Select [1] Install and wait for completion
5. Done! Type check-cli in terminal to start

Method 2: Manual Installation

# 1. Clone the project
git clone <repo-url>
cd "CLI Making"

# 2. Install package
pip install -e .

# 3. Verify installation
check-cli --version

Method 3: Without Modifying PATH

# Run directly from project directory
check-cli.bat

# Or use Python module
python -m multiformat_validator

Usage

Interactive Mode

check-cli

After starting, select language (1-5), then use the main menu:

Option	Function	Description
[0]	Quick retry	Re-validate the last file you checked
[1]	Check single file	Enter a file path to validate
[2]	Batch scan	Scan all files in a folder recursively
[3]	File browser	Browse folders and select files interactively
[4]	Compare files	Compare validation results of two files
[5]	Batch export	Export scan results to JSON/CSV/TXT/HTML
[6]	Templates	Save/load/delete validation templates
[7]	Statistics	Count lines, comments, and blank lines
[8]	History	View and manage validation history
[9]	Custom validators	Create/delete custom validation rules
[R]	Custom rules	Define regex-based validation rules
[P]	Plugins	Load/unload third-party validator plugins
[Q]	Quick validate	Install right-click context menu (Windows)
[S]	Settings	Change language, theme, logging, etc.
[H]	Help	Show help and usage information
[X]	Exit	Exit the program

Option 1: Validate Single File

1. Select [1] from main menu
2. Paste the file path (right-click to paste in terminal)
3. View the validation report
4. If errors found, option to auto-fix or export HTML report

Option 2: Batch Scan Folder

1. Select [2] from main menu
2. Enter the folder path
3. View all file results at once
4. Option to export JSON/CSV/TXT/HTML report with custom save path

Option 3: File Browser

1. Select [3] from main menu
2. Navigate directories by entering numbers, or enter a full path to jump directly
3. Select a file to validate

Option 8: History

1. Select [8] from main menu
2. View recent validation records
3. Option to export or clear history

CLI Arguments

check-cli <file>                     # Validate file
check-cli <folder> -r                # Recursive scan
check-cli -l zh_TW <file>           # Set language
check-cli -f json -o out.json       # Export JSON report
check-cli -f csv -o out.csv         # Export CSV report
check-cli -f txt -o out.txt         # Export TXT report
check-cli -f html -o out.html       # Export HTML report
check-cli --list-formats             # List all supported formats
check-cli --version                  # Show version

Interactive Mode - Batch Export

When using batch scan (option [2]), you can choose to export results:

Export format (JSON/CSV/TXT/HTML)：JSON

Enter output file path (leave empty for default location):
> C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\my_report.json

  Saved to: C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\my_report.json

• Leave the path empty to save in current directory as batch_report.<format>
• Enter a full path to save anywhere you want

CLI Arguments Reference

Argument	Options	Description
path	—	File or folder path
-l, --lang	zh_TW, zh_CN, en, ja, ko	Interface language (default: en)
-f, --format	text, json, csv, txt, html	Output format (default: text)
-o, --output	file path	Output file path
-r, --recursive	—	Scan folder recursively
--list-formats	—	List all supported formats
--version	—	Show version

Configuration

Config file location: ~/.multiformat_validator/preferences.json

{
  "language": "en",
  "output_format": "text",
  "theme": "dark",
  "exclude_patterns": ["node_modules", ".git", "__pycache__", ".venv"],
  "max_file_size_mb": 10,
  "logging_enabled": false,
  "parallel_scanning": false,
  "parallel_workers": 4
}

Setting	Default	Description
language	"en"	Interface language
output_format	"text"	Output format
theme	"dark"	Theme style
exclude_patterns	["node_modules", ...]	Folders to exclude
max_file_size_mb	10	Max file size (MB)
logging_enabled	false	Enable logging
parallel_scanning	false	Enable parallel scanning
parallel_workers	4	Number of parallel threads

Project Structure

The codebase is organized into modular components for maintainability:

multiformat_validator/
├── cli.py                    # Entry point (<100 lines)
├── commands/                 # Command modules
│   ├── __init__.py          # Command routing
│   ├── validate.py          # Single file validation
│   ├── batch_scan.py        # Batch folder scanning
│   ├── compare.py           # File comparison
│   └── export.py            # Batch export
├── ui/                       # User interface
│   ├── menus.py             # Interactive menu system
│   ├── display.py           # Display functions
│   └── prompts.py           # User input handling
├── config/                   # Configuration management
│   ├── settings.py          # Settings menu
│   └── templates.py         # Template management
├── i18n/                     # Internationalization (5 languages)
├── validators/               # 25 format-specific validators
└── ...                       # Other modules (scanner, exporter, etc.)

Supported Formats

Configuration Files

Format	Extensions
JSON	.json .ipynb .jsonl .topojson .geojson
YAML	.yaml .yml
INI	.ini .properties .conf .cfg .prefs .inf
XML	.xml .xsd .rss .svg .plist .config .wsdl

Programming Languages

Format	Extensions
Python	.py .pyw .pyi .pyx
JavaScript	.js .jsx
TypeScript	.ts .tsx
Java	.java
C#	.cs
Go	.go
Ruby	.rb
Rust	.rs
Kotlin	.kt
Swift	.swift
Perl	.pl .pm
Lua	.lua
Scala	.scala

Web

Format	Extensions
HTML	.html .htm .xhtml .phtml .jsp .asp .aspx
CSS	.css .wxss
PHP	.php .php3 .php4 .php5 .phps

Markup Languages

Format	Extensions
Markdown	.md .markdown .mdown .mdwn .mkd .mkdn

Scripts & Databases

Format	Extensions
BAT/CMD	.bat .cmd .nt
SQL	.sql

Total: 63 extensions

Security

MultiFormat Validator CLI includes the following security measures:

Feature	Description
Sandboxed Validators	Custom validators run in restricted environment with limited builtins
Static Code Analysis	AST parsing blocks dangerous operations (import, exec, eval, open)
Plugin Path Validation	Plugins must reside in ~/.multiformat_validator/plugins/
Plugin Hash Verification	SHA-256 checksums detect plugin tampering
Path Traversal Protection	All file paths are normalized; system directories are protected
XML XXE Protection	SAX parser with external entity loading disabled
ReDoS Protection	Regex matching limited to 1000 chars per line
Auto-fix Backup	Creates .bak file before applying fixes
Thread Safety	File operations use locks to prevent race conditions
Graceful Error Handling	PermissionError, FileNotFoundError handled without crashes

For detailed security information, see SECURITY.md.

Troubleshooting

Installation Issues

Q: check-cli command not recognized?

The check-cli command is installed to Python's Scripts folder, which may not be in your PATH.

Solution 1: Reinstall and add to PATH

pip install -e .

Solution 2: Use the batch file directly

check-cli.bat

Solution 3: Add Scripts folder to PATH (PowerShell)

$old = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path','User')
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', $old + ';C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Python\pythoncore-3.14-64\Scripts','User')

Then restart your terminal.

Q: pip command not found?

Make sure Python is installed and added to PATH:

python --version

If not found, download Python from https://www.python.org/downloads/ and check "Add Python to PATH" during installation.

Q: install.bat opens and closes immediately?

This usually means Python is not installed. Install Python 3.12+ first, then run install.bat again.

Usage Issues

Q: Path contains spaces?

Paste it directly, quotes are handled automatically:

> "C:\Program Files\config.json"

Do NOT drag and drop files into the terminal - this may cause path format issues. Use right-click to paste instead.

Q: Encoding error or garbled text?

The tool auto-detects encoding (UTF-8, GBK, Big5, etc.). If issues persist:

1. Open the file in a text editor
2. Save it as UTF-8 encoding
3. Try validating again

Q: File not found error?

Make sure you:

1. Use the full absolute path (e.g., C:\Projects\file.json)
2. Include the file extension
3. Use forward slashes or escaped backslashes

Q: How to exclude specific folders from scanning?

Edit ~/.multiformat_validator/preferences.json:

{
  "exclude_patterns": ["node_modules", ".git", "__pycache__", "vendor", "dist"]
}

Q: File too large error?

Default max size is 10 MB. To increase:

{
  "max_file_size_mb": 50
}

Q: How to change the default language?

Edit ~/.multiformat_validator/preferences.json:

{
  "language": "zh_TW"
}

Available: zh_TW, zh_CN, en, ja, ko

Q: How to change the theme?

Edit ~/.multiformat_validator/preferences.json:

{
  "theme": "light"
}

Report Issues

Q: HTML report has no styling?

CSS is fully embedded in the HTML file. Open it with a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge). The report is saved in the same folder as the validated file.

Q: How to export reports?

During validation, you'll be prompted to export. Or use CLI:

check-cli file.py -f json -o report.json
check-cli file.py -f csv -o report.csv
check-cli file.py -f txt -o report.txt
check-cli file.py -f html -o report.html

Performance Issues

Q: Scanning is slow?

For large folders, enable parallel scanning:

{
  "parallel_scanning": true,
  "parallel_workers": 4
}

Q: How to enable logging?

Edit ~/.multiformat_validator/preferences.json:

{
  "logging_enabled": true,
  "log_path": "validation.log"
}

Other Issues

Q: How to reset all settings?

Delete the config file or reset it:

# Delete config
rm ~/.multiformat_validator/preferences.json

# Or use the settings menu in the tool
# Select [S] Settings > [C] Config > [7] Reset

Q: How to view validation history?

Select [8] from the main menu, or find the history file:

~/.multiformat_validator/.validation_history.json

Q: How to uninstall?

pip uninstall multiformat-validator

Then delete the project folder.