Workstation command line flags

Important Version Difference

Versions before 8.4.313 → only support command line arguments / shortcut flags, and do not use -D.
Example: -exclusiveHost=192.168.2.28:8080

Overview

CostOS Workstation can be customized at launch using command line flags.
There are two ways to apply them:

Default configuration via CostOS.l4j.ini
- This file already exists in the installation folder next to CostOS.exe.
- Any -D flags inside it are automatically applied whenever anyone launches the application.
- Useful for setting company-wide or installation-wide defaults.
Extra configuration via shortcut or command line
- If you need specific properties for a particular launch, add them at the end of a shortcut or when running from the command line.
- These override or extend the defaults from the .ini file.

Editing `CostOS.l4j.ini`

Location: same folder as CostOS.exe.
Format: one flag per line.
Example:
-Dlogfilelocation="D:\SharedLogs\costos" -DauthenticationMode=WINDOWS

Whenever the application is started, these settings will be applied.

Adding Flags via Shortcut

Exit any running instance of CostOS.
Right-click your CostOS shortcut → Properties.
In the Target field, append -D flags at the end.
Example:
"C:\Program Files\CostOS\CostOS.exe" -DexclusiveHost=192.168.2.28:8080
Launch CostOS like normal.

Adding Flags via Command Line

You can also launch CostOS directly with flags:

CostOS.exe -exclusiveHost=192.168.2.28:8080 -DauthenticationMode=WINDOWS

Supported Parameters

Flag	Description	Example

Flag	Description	Example
-DexclusiveHost	Sets the server hostname. The login hostname field becomes non-editable.	`-DexclusiveHost=192.168.2.28:8080`
-DpropertiesFolder	Changes the folder where user properties/configs are saved. Useful for multiple installations. Supports Java system properties (e.g., `${user.home}`, `${user.name}`) and environment variables (e.g., `${env:APPDATA}` or %APPDATA% on Windows).	`-DpropertiesFolder=.costos2` `-DpropertiesFolder="D:\costosFolder\${user.name}\.costos2"` `-DpropertiesFolder="%APPDATA%\.costos2"`
-Dlogfilelocation	Defines the log file location. Supports Java system variables (e.g., `${user.home}`, `${user.name}`). Also supports environment variables via `${env:VAR_NAME}` (e.g., `${env:APPDATA}`) Default: `{install}\bin\logs`.	`-Dlogfilelocation="logs2"` `-Dlogfilelocation="\\hostname\logs"` `-Dlogfilelocation="${user.home}/logs/"` `-Dlogfilelocation="${env:APPDATA}/CostOS/logs"`
-DauthenticationMode	Sets the default authentication mode.	`-DauthenticationMode=USERNAME_PASSWORD` `-DauthenticationMode=WINDOWS` `-DauthenticationMode=WEB`
-DssoTimeoutSeconds	Maximum time (in seconds) between login start and SSO completion.	`-DssoTimeoutSeconds=50`
-DbrowserCommand	Command or path to launch the browser for authentication.	`-DbrowserCommand=firefox` `-DbrowserCommand="C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"`
-DpropertiesOSEncryption	Enables OS-based encryption for sensitive data stored in the `ui.properties` file. The encryption key is generated from the machine’s hardware, ensuring the data can only be decrypted on the same system. ⚠️ Important: If a user profile is moved to another machine with different hardware, decryption will fail. In such cases, set this parameter to false, and the system will use a static encryption key instead. Default value: `true`	`-DpropertiesOSEncryption=true` `-DpropertiesOSEncryption=false`