DB Connection fails when password passed as a -param argument

Hello

I am using version 4.4 of pan and spoon. I have a transform that connects to an Oracle database. The password needs to be supplied as a param argument at runtime. It is defined as ${db_password} in the database configuration for the transform. The password value has no default in the .ktr file.

When I use spoon on a Windows machine and enter the password in the start dialog the transform works. However, when I use the same transform with pan on a linux machine and supply the password on the command line as -param db_password=mydbpassword it will error out almost immediately with a message about being unable to connect to the database.

When I add a default value for the password in the .ktr file, it works. Even stranger, when the default value for the password in the .ktr file is correct but I supply a wrong value for it on the command line the transform doesn't error out immediately like it does for the missing default, but will error out once the queries are executed.

How do I create a script that can accept database configuration values (host, schema, password, etc) at runtime without any defaults in the .ktr file?

Thanks

David