hope I'm not going to embarrass myself here, but I think the problem is that the notebook parameter is not transmitted with the same syntax as the other parameters. Typically the other parameters arrive in the form : --fontsize=14 whereas the notebook parameter arrives in the form : --tab="measure"
I believe the extra quotation marks are causing the problem, which leads to the parser failing and using default values. (data is copied from bug 183030)
So where do the extra quotation marks come from? It is interesting to note that the notebook parameter is distinctly different from the other parameters in terms of how it gets its data. All the other parameters get their default data from the same 'node' in the inx file. The notebook parameter is unique in that it has a subnode called page, so it gets its data indirectly from page, not directly from its own node.
Is it possible that this extra step in the data transfer could lead to the unwanted quotation marks?
Sorry for the mangled terminology, this is not my usual field of endeavor.