# Preparing an REQ File for External Delivery

The prep command takes in a single REQ file, a semi-colon separated list of files, or a directory, then prepares the REQ files found for external delivery. The command line to prepare a REQ file for external delivery is as follows:

    ReqAdmin prep [-v] (<Path to file>[;<Path to file>]* | <Directory>)

When a directory lists, it is assumed that all subdirectories are included and all *.req files in them are subject to prepping as well. Preparing for delivery entails the following:

- notes from the notes tab are removed
- profile instances are removed
- saved transactions are removed
- content that is marked for output format, other than runtime, is removed

These changes are made to the REQ files in place; so, the result of running this command is that all of the files listed are modified, as listed above.
Parent topic: Command Line Options