Index: /trunk/ippTools/src/dettool.c
===================================================================
--- /trunk/ippTools/src/dettool.c	(revision 8310)
+++ /trunk/ippTools/src/dettool.c	(revision 8311)
@@ -847,5 +847,6 @@
     PS_ASSERT_PTR_NON_NULL(config, false);
 
-    // det_id, exp_id, class_id, uri, & recipe are required
+    // det_id, exp_id, class_id, uri, recipe, -bg, -bg_stdev, & -bg_mean_stdev
+    // are required
     bool status = false;
     psString det_id = psMetadataLookupStr(&status, config->args, "-det_id");
@@ -892,4 +893,31 @@
     if (!recipe) {
         psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, true, "-recip is required");
+        return false;
+    }
+    psF64 bg = psMetadataLookupF64(&status, config->args, "-bg");
+    if (!status) {
+        psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, false, "failed to lookup value for -bg");
+        return false;
+    }
+    if (isnan(bg)) {
+        psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, true, "-bg is required");
+        return false;
+    }
+    psF64 bg_stdev = psMetadataLookupF64(&status, config->args, "-bg_stdev");
+    if (!status) {
+        psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, false, "failed to lookup value for -bg_stdev");
+        return false;
+    }
+    if (isnan(bg_stdev)) {
+        psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, true, "-bg_stdev is required");
+        return false;
+    }
+    psF64 bg_mean_stdev = psMetadataLookupF64(&status, config->args, "-bg_mean_stdev");
+    if (!status) {
+        psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, false, "failed to lookup value for -bg_mean_stdev");
+        return false;
+    }
+    if (isnan(bg_mean_stdev)) {
+        psError(PS_ERR_UNKNOWN, true, "-bg_mean_stdev is required");
         return false;
     }
@@ -917,5 +945,12 @@
     // create a new detProcessedImfile object
     detProcessedImfileRow *detRow = detProcessedImfileRowAlloc(
-        (psS32)atol(det_id), exp_id, class_id, uri, recipe
+        (psS32)atol(det_id),
+        exp_id,
+        class_id,
+        uri,
+        recipe,
+        bg,
+        bg_stdev,
+        bg_mean_stdev
     );   
     psFree(rawImfiles);
Index: /trunk/ippTools/src/dettoolConfig.c
===================================================================
--- /trunk/ippTools/src/dettoolConfig.c	(revision 8310)
+++ /trunk/ippTools/src/dettoolConfig.c	(revision 8311)
@@ -128,4 +128,10 @@
     psMetadataAddStr(addprocArgs, PS_LIST_TAIL, "-recip",  0,
         "define recipe (required)", NULL);
+    psMetadataAddF64(addprocArgs, PS_LIST_TAIL, "-bg",  0,
+        "define exposue background", NAN);
+    psMetadataAddF64(addprocArgs, PS_LIST_TAIL, "-bg_stdev",  0,
+        "define exposue background stdev", NAN);
+    psMetadataAddF64(addprocArgs, PS_LIST_TAIL, "-bg_mean_stdev",  0,
+        "define exposue background mean stdev", NAN);
 
     // -processed