## Opening a connection file

The Connection/Open... menu item opens a connection using the destination and connection options given in an `.SFX` file previously created by Connection/Save or Connection/Save As....

If a connection to the host named by the `.SFX` file is already open, its options are set to those found in the file.

You can also open a connection by dragging an `.SFX` file from the File Manager and dropping it in an open area of Speak Freely's window. If you make an association between the `.SFX` file type and Speak Freely, you can launch Speak Freely by double clicking an `.SFX` file in the File Manager. If a Speak Freely is already running when you double click on an `.SFX` file, it will appear as a new connection in the existing Speak Freely window.

If you'd like Speak Freely to start with one or more connections already open, you can specify their `.SFX` files on the Speak Freely command line, separated by commas. Other applications can initiate Speak Freely connections to remote hosts by writing a minimal `.SFX` file containing the host name, then launch Speak Freely with that `.SFX` file named on the command line. To connect to host slimy.dwarves.org, for example, you could use the following file:

    [Host]
    Name=slimy.dwarves.org

You can also create connections when Speak Freely is started by specifying the IP address of the host to which you wish to connect (its numeric Internet address is given as a "dotted quad", for example 192.168.14.211; a port number may also be specified, preceded by a slash). You can mix IP addresses and `.SFX` file names on the same command line.