netscdde [-[x|X]n]] [-p <exe>] [-P <params>] [-m[h]] <URL>

As you can see, <URL> is the only required parameter.

The parameters mean the following:

<URL>

a Uniform Resource Locator; you can even open files on the Internet with NETSCDDE by specifying http:// or ftp:// and such. This is why NETSCDDE also works with URL objects. For local HTML files, Netscape tolerates the plain path and file name, so that a simple C:\docs\text.html will open this file in Netscape. Example:

NETSCDDE C:\docs\text.html

-x

If Netscape is not running yet, do NOT open a new instance of it. NETSCDDE will then simply exit.

-X

If Netscape is not running yet, DO open a new instance of it without asking.

If neither -x nor -X is specified, NETSCDDE will prompt you for whether you wish to open a new instance of Netscape.

-n

Request a new browser window for <URL> from Netscape, if it's already running. (If Netscape is not yet running and a new instance is opened, a new window will always be opened, of course.) Per default, <URL> will be opened in the last active Netscape browser window.

-p <exe>

Here you can specify the full path of NETSCAPE.EXE, if it's not on your PATH. This is only evaluated if Netscape is not yet running and needs to be started. Per default, NETSCDDE will search the PATH for NETSCAPE.EXE. Example:

NETSCDDE -p "C:\NETSCAPE\NETSCAPE.EXE" <URL>

The use of quotes is only neccessary for paths which contain spaces, but never hurts.

For an interesting side-effect of this option, check the "Tips & Tricks" section.

-P <params>

Here you can specify command line parameters for a newly opened instance of Netscape, such as "-3" for Netscape 3.0 identification (see the Netscape documentation for details.) Example:

-P "-3"

Again, the use of quotes is only neccessary if the parameter list contains spaces, but never hurts.

-m

start Netscape minimized.

-mh

start Netscape minimized and hidden (see the "Tips & Tricks" section).