Export: a .ait export names file.saveAsTemplate, and the CLI's convert writes the template

document.export, document.serialize, document.exportSelection and
Export for Screens rows answered "PDF-compatible .ait template files
can be opened but not written" for a .ait, although
file.saveAsTemplate writes them. The CLI's convert and run --export
call document.export, so vectorcraft-cli convert in.pdf out.ait
failed with that error.

The error now reads "PDF-compatible .ait template files are written
by file.saveAsTemplate", with a row in the 17 catalogs that translate
status messages and in bg, da, id and nl. convert and run --export
write a .ait with file.saveAsTemplate, which writes every artboard
with the .ai options. convert passes --replace-lossy and its .ai flags
on, and refuses --artboard and --range for a .ait.

Docs: docs/mcp.md, docs/target-app-parity.md.

apps/vectorcraft-cli/src/main.rs

@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ USAGE:
 
   vectorcraft-cli run [--in FILE] [--cmd ID [--params JSON]]... [--export FILE]... [--scale N]
       Headless batch: open FILE (any readable format) or start a new document, run commands in
-      order, export each FILE in the format its extension picks (see Writable formats). Prints one
-      JSON result per step.
+      order, export each FILE in the format its extension picks (see Writable formats; a .ait FILE
+      is a template, written as file.saveAsTemplate writes it). Prints one JSON result per step.
 
   vectorcraft-cli commands
       Print the command catalogue as JSON.
@@ -88,6 +88,8 @@ USAGE:
       Open IN (any readable format) and export OUT in the format its extension picks (see Writable
       formats). --artboard is 0-based, --range 1-based (\"1-3,5\"); a PDF gets every artboard
       unless one of them is given, EPS the bounds of the art, the other formats the first artboard.
+      A .ait OUT is a template of every artboard, written as file.saveAsTemplate writes it (not with
+      --artboard or --range).
       Live effects are kept, and hidden layers and objects (written hidden in SVG and PSD), with
       SVG's data-* attributes; --outline-text writes SVG text as paths, --decimals sets SVG's coordinate
       precision (1–7, default 3). OUT may not be IN when reading
@@ -259,6 +261,10 @@ fn convert(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
         }
     }
     let [input, output] = <[String; 2]>::try_from(files).map_err(|_| "convert needs IN and OUT")?;
+    let template = is_template(&output);
+    if template && (artboard.is_some() || range.is_some()) {
+        return Err("a .ait template holds every artboard: --artboard and --range don't apply".into());
+    }
     let mut h = Headless::new();
     let opened = if editing_data {
         let params = json!({"path": input, "editingData": "always"});
@@ -266,16 +272,22 @@ fn convert(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
     } else {
         h.call("app.open", json!({"path": input})).map_err(|e| format!("open {input}: {e}"))?
     };
-    // A conversion keeps hidden layers and objects, written hidden, where the format can (SVG,
-    // PSD).
-    let mut params = json!({"path": output, "scale": scale, "artboard": artboard, "range": range, "outlineText": outline_text, "hiddenLayers": true, "acknowledgeLoss": replace_lossy});
-    if let Some(decimals) = decimals {
-        params["decimals"] = json!(decimals);
-    }
+    let (command, mut params) = if template {
+        // Save as Template writes every artboard, with the .ai options.
+        ("file.saveAsTemplate", json!({"path": output, "format": "ait", "outlineText": outline_text, "acknowledgeLoss": replace_lossy}))
+    } else {
+        // A conversion keeps hidden layers and objects, written hidden, where the format can (SVG,
+        // PSD).
+        let mut params = json!({"path": output, "scale": scale, "artboard": artboard, "range": range, "outlineText": outline_text, "hiddenLayers": true, "acknowledgeLoss": replace_lossy});
+        if let Some(decimals) = decimals {
+            params["decimals"] = json!(decimals);
+        }
+        ("document.export", params)
+    };
     for (key, value) in legacy {
         params[key] = json!(value);
     }
-    let mut r = h.call("engine.execute", json!({"command": "document.export", "params": params})).map_err(|e| format!("export {output}: {e}"))?;
+    let mut r = h.call("engine.execute", json!({"command": command, "params": params})).map_err(|e| format!("export {output}: {e}"))?;
     // What reading the input left out (a missing linked file, an unsupported filter…) matters as
     // much as what writing the output did.
     if let (Some(w), Some(out)) = (opened.get("warnings").filter(|w| w.as_array().is_some_and(|a| !a.is_empty())), r.as_object_mut()) {
@@ -285,6 +297,11 @@ fn convert(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Is `path` a `.ait` template? `file.saveAsTemplate` writes it; exports don't.
+fn is_template(path: &str) -> bool {
+    vectorcraft_engine::cmd::fileio::format_for_name(path).is_some_and(|f| f.id == "ait")
+}
+
 fn info(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
     let file = args.first().ok_or("info needs a FILE")?;
     let mut h = Headless::new();
@@ -371,7 +388,12 @@ fn run(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
                 r
             }
             Step::Export(path) => {
-                let r = h.call("app.export", json!({"path": path, "scale": scale})).map_err(|e| format!("export {path}: {e}"))?;
+                let r = if is_template(&path) {
+                    h.call("engine.execute", json!({"command": "file.saveAsTemplate", "params": {"path": path, "format": "ait"}}))
+                } else {
+                    h.call("app.export", json!({"path": path, "scale": scale}))
+                };
+                let r = r.map_err(|e| format!("export {path}: {e}"))?;
                 emit(json!({"step": "export", "result": r}))?;
                 r
             }

apps/vectorcraft-cli/tests/fileio.rs

@@ -179,3 +179,28 @@ fn convert_writes_legacy_ai_with_its_options() {
     assert!(!bad.status.success());
     assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&bad.stderr).contains("hiddenObjects"), "{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&bad.stderr));
 }
+
+/// convert and `run --export` write a `.ait` as Save as Template does: a PDF-compatible template of
+/// every artboard that opens as a new untitled document.
+#[test]
+fn convert_and_run_write_ait_templates() {
+    let pdf = tmp("template-in.pdf");
+    make(&pdf, 120, 80);
+    let (converted, exported) = (tmp("converted.ait"), tmp("exported.ait"));
+    let r: Value = serde_json::from_str(&ok(&["convert", &pdf, &converted])).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!((&r["format"], &r["path"]), (&Value::from("ait"), &Value::from(converted.as_str())), "{r}");
+    let r: Value = serde_json::from_str(ok(&["run", "--in", &pdf, "--export", &exported]).lines().nth(1).unwrap()).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(r["result"]["format"], "ait", "{r}");
+    for ait in [&converted, &exported] {
+        assert!(std::fs::read(ait).unwrap().starts_with(b"%PDF"), "{ait}");
+        let opened: Value = serde_json::from_str(ok(&["run", "--in", ait]).lines().next().unwrap()).unwrap();
+        let opened = &opened["result"];
+        assert_eq!((&opened["format"], &opened["restored"]), (&Value::from("ait"), &Value::from(true)), "{opened}");
+        assert!(opened["title"].as_str().is_some_and(|t| t.starts_with("Untitled-")), "{opened}");
+        assert_eq!(info(ait)["artboards"].as_array().unwrap().len(), 2, "{ait}");
+    }
+    // A template holds every artboard: one can't be picked.
+    let one = Command::new(BIN).args(["convert", &pdf, &tmp("one.ait"), "--artboard", "0"]).output().unwrap();
+    assert!(!one.status.success());
+    assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&one.stderr).contains("every artboard"), "{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&one.stderr));
+}