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CLI Commands ​

Reference for CLI commands implemented in Novadesk source code.

Table of Contents ​

Novadesk.exe ​

Novadesk supports command-line arguments to control a running instance and to load scripts.

Exit Command ​

Gracefully shuts down Novadesk.

bash
Novadesk.exe /exit
Novadesk.exe -exit
Novadesk.exe --exit

List Loaded Scripts ​

Print loaded script paths from the running instance to stdout.

bash
Novadesk.exe --list-scripts

Write loaded script paths to a file.

bash
Novadesk.exe --list-scripts-file "C:\temp\novadesk-scripts.txt"

Script Control ​

Refresh one loaded script:

bash
Novadesk.exe --refresh "C:\path\widget\index.js"

Reload all scripts:

bash
Novadesk.exe --refresh-all

Unload one script:

bash
Novadesk.exe --unload "C:\path\widget\index.js"

Load script(s) into the running instance:

bash
Novadesk.exe --load "C:\path\widgetA\index.js" --load "C:\path\widgetB\index.js"
Novadesk.exe "C:\path\widgetA\index.js" "C:\path\widgetB\index.js"

Runtime Settings ​

Hardware acceleration:

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-hardware-acceleration
Novadesk.exe --disable-hardware-acceleration

Debugging:

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-debugging
Novadesk.exe --disable-debugging

Logging:

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-logging
Novadesk.exe --disable-logging

Save logs to file:

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-save-log-to-file
Novadesk.exe --disable-save-log-to-file

New Instance Mode ​

Force launching a new Novadesk process instead of forwarding to an existing one:

bash
Novadesk.exe --new-instance
Novadesk.exe --new-instance "C:\path\widget\index.js"

INFO

Novadesk enforces single-instance execution using a global mutex. When you run a command:

  • If Novadesk is not running: a new instance starts. CLI settings (--enable-* / --disable-*) are applied at startup.
  • If Novadesk is already running: supported commands are forwarded to the existing instance via Windows messaging.
  • Non-flag arguments are treated as script paths.

Internal Argument (Not for normal use) ​

--request-single-instance-lock is used internally by Novadesk and manager processes.

Novadesk Widget Maker (nwm) ​

The nwm tool is the recommended way to initialize, run, and build Novadesk widgets.

Commands ​

init ​

Scaffolds a new widget project from a template.

bash
nwm init <widget-name>

run ​

Launches the current widget in Novadesk.

bash
nwm run

build ​

Builds a distributable package for your widget.

bash
nwm build

-v / --version ​

Shows the current version of the nwm tool.

bash
nwm -v
nwm --version

-h / --help ​

Displays the help menu with usage instructions and available commands.

bash
nwm -h
nwm --help

Internal Installer Command ​

nwm --install exists for self-extracting installers generated by nwm build. It is not a normal development command.

ndpkg_installer.exe ​

ndpkg_installer.exe can accept a .ndpkg file path directly:

bash
ndpkg_installer.exe "C:\path\widget.ndpkg"

If no .ndpkg path is provided, the installer opens a file picker.