added stdin option to recieve text

README.md

@@ -1,18 +1,85 @@
 # windows_media_ocr_cli
-> 🔎 OCR CLI that outputs structured data with bounding rects using local Windows OCR API
+
+> 🔎 Fast OCR CLI for Windows: outputs structured data (bounding rects, text) using the local Windows OCR API
 
 ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3a832c94-5030-41d8-9454-6869ec7cfcc1)
 
-## How to install
+---
+
+## Features
+
+- OCR image files or image data from stdin
+- Outputs results as JSON (with bounding boxes) or plain text
+- Supports multiple languages (default: en-US)
+- Fast, local processing (no cloud required)
+- Simple CLI interface
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Windows 10/11
+- .NET Framework 4.8.1 or later
+- Windows OCR API support (built-in on modern Windows)
+
+## Installation
 
 Download the latest executable from [Releases](https://github.com/Akronae/windows_media_ocr_cli/releases)
 
-## How to use
+Or build from source:
 
-```bash
+```sh
+git clone https://github.com/Akronae/windows_media_ocr_cli.git
+cd windows_media_ocr_cli
+dotnet build
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+### Basic examples
+
+```sh
+# OCR from file
 windows_media_ocr_cli.exe --file image.png
+
+# OCR from stdin (pipe image data)
+type image.png | windows_media_ocr_cli.exe --stdin
 ```
-To see all options
-```bash
-windows_media_ocr_cli.exe -h
+
+### All options
+
+```sh
+windows_media_ocr_cli.exe --file <image> [--language <lang>] [--mode <json|text>]
+windows_media_ocr_cli.exe --stdin [--language <lang>] [--mode <json|text>]
 ```
+
+| Option     | Description                                       | Default |
+| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------- |
+| --file     | Path to image file                                |         |
+| --stdin    | Read image data from stdin                        | false   |
+| --language | OCR language (e.g. en-US, fr-FR, zh-CN)           | en-US   |
+| --mode     | Output format: json (with bounding boxes) or text | json    |
+
+### Output formats
+
+- **json**: Full OCR result, including bounding rectangles and lines/words.
+- **text**: Plain text output (lines joined, no structure).
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+- Make sure you are running on Windows 10/11 with .NET Framework 4.8.1+ installed.
+- If you see errors about missing OCR API, update your Windows system.
+- For large images, prefer file input over stdin for performance.
+
+## FAQ
+
+**Q: Can I use this on Linux or macOS?**
+A: No, this tool relies on the Windows OCR API.
+
+**Q: How do I specify a different language?**
+A: Use `--language <lang>`, e.g. `--language fr-FR`.
+
+**Q: What image formats are supported?**
+A: Any format supported by Windows Imaging APIs (PNG, JPEG, BMP, etc).
+
+## License
+
+MIT

src/Program.cs

@@ -1,23 +1,28 @@
 using System;
+using System.CommandLine;
+using System.CommandLine.Completions;
 using System.IO;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices.WindowsRuntime;
 using System.Text;
+using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using Windows.Globalization;
 using Windows.Graphics.Imaging;
+using Windows.Media.Ocr;
 using Windows.Storage;
 using Windows.Storage.Streams;
-using System.Text.Json;
-using Windows.Media.Ocr;
-using Windows.Globalization;
-using System.CommandLine;
-using System.CommandLine.Completions;
-
 
 var fileOption = new Option<string>(
     name: "--file",
     description: "The file to read and display on the console."
-) {
-    IsRequired = true
-};
+);
+
+var stdinOption = new Option<bool>(
+    name: "--stdin",
+    description: "Read image data from stdin.",
+    getDefaultValue: () => false
+);
+
 var languageOption = new Option<string>(
     name: "--language",
     description: "The language that should be used during OCR.",
@@ -29,21 +34,59 @@
     getDefaultValue: () => OcrOutputMode.json
 );
 
-
 var rootCommand = new RootCommand("Start an OCR analysis using Windows local OcrEngine.")
 {
     fileOption,
+    stdinOption,
     languageOption,
-    modeOption
+    modeOption,
 };
-rootCommand.SetHandler(Handler, fileOption, languageOption, modeOption);
 
-return await rootCommand.InvokeAsync(args);
+rootCommand.AddValidator(cmdResult =>
+{
+    var file = cmdResult.GetValueForOption(fileOption);
+    var stdin = cmdResult.GetValueForOption(stdinOption);
+    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(file) && !stdin)
+    {
+        cmdResult.ErrorMessage = "Either --file or --stdin must be provided.";
+    }
+});
 
+rootCommand.SetHandler(Handler, fileOption, stdinOption, languageOption, modeOption);
+
+return await rootCommand.InvokeAsync(args);
 
-static async Task Handler(string filepath, string language, OcrOutputMode mode)
+static async Task Handler(string filepath, bool useStdin, string language, OcrOutputMode mode)
 {
-    var result = await RecognizeAsync(filepath, language);
+    OcrResult result;
+
+    if (useStdin)
+    {
+        using var memoryStream = new MemoryStream();
+        await Console.OpenStandardInput().CopyToAsync(memoryStream);
+        memoryStream.Position = 0;
+
+        using var randomAccessStream = new InMemoryRandomAccessStream();
+        await randomAccessStream.WriteAsync(memoryStream.ToArray().AsBuffer());
+        randomAccessStream.Seek(0);
+
+        result = await RecognizeAsync(randomAccessStream, language);
+    }
+    else if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(filepath))
+    {
+        var path = Path.GetFullPath(filepath);
+        var storageFile = await StorageFile.GetFileFromPathAsync(path);
+        using var randomAccessStream = await storageFile.OpenReadAsync();
+        result = await RecognizeAsync(randomAccessStream, language);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        // This should be unreachable due to command-line validation
+        throw new InvalidOperationException(
+            "Unreachable code: either --file or --stdin must be provided."
+        );
+    }
+
     var txt = "";
 
     if (mode == OcrOutputMode.json)
@@ -74,12 +117,8 @@ static async Task Handler(string filepath, string language, OcrOutputMode mode)
     Console.WriteLine(txt);
 }
 
-
-static async Task<OcrResult> RecognizeAsync(string filepath, string language)
+static async Task<OcrResult> RecognizeAsync(IRandomAccessStream randomAccessStream, string language)
 {
-    var path = Path.GetFullPath(filepath);
-    var storageFile = await StorageFile.GetFileFromPathAsync(path);
-    using var randomAccessStream = await storageFile.OpenReadAsync();
     var decoder = await BitmapDecoder.CreateAsync(randomAccessStream);
     using var softwareBitmap = await decoder.GetSoftwareBitmapAsync(
         BitmapPixelFormat.Bgra8,
@@ -107,5 +146,5 @@ static async Task<OcrResult> RecognizeAsync(string filepath, string language)
 enum OcrOutputMode
 {
     json,
-    text
+    text,
 }

windows_media_ocr_cli.csproj

@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
     <Version>0.0.1</Version>
     <RestorePackagesWithLockFile>true</RestorePackagesWithLockFile>
   </PropertyGroup>
-
   <ItemGroup>
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Windows.SDK.Contracts" Version="10.0.26100.1742" />
     <PackageReference Include="System.CommandLine" Version="2.0.0-beta4.22272.1" />