To perform an analysis, the user must input a complete description of the state of the system, plus commands defining the type of analysis to be performed. The data communicated to the program will enter through one of two input channels: 1) the "INPUT" channel or 2) the "COMMAND" channel. Generally, commands enter through the COMMAND channel while descriptions normally enter through the INPUT channel. In other words, the database is defined to the program via the INPUT channel while the COMMAND channel is used to tell the program what to do with the data in the database. It helps to think of the database as being defined by an input file while the commands are issued interactively at a terminal. Even though the program can be executed in a batch mode as well as interactively, it is best to think of all execution as being interactive.

While the details may vary with the installation you have, these two channels are files. MOSES organizes files according to a "root name" concept. In other words, the files associated with a job have the same prefix, or root, and the suffix defines the type of file associated with the root. When MOSES is executed, one normally furnishes a root on the command line. MOSES will then first look for commands to be executed in a file ROOT.CIF. It will execute any commands found in this file, and when the file is exhausted, it will look for commands from the terminal.

In addition, one execution of the program will result in two subdirectories, ROOT.DBA and ROOT.ANS, being created. ROOT.DBA contains the MOSES database for the root. One should never delete any of these files while a given job is being done. The ROOT.ANS directory contains the "answers" associated with the root. The files:

• which begin with OUT are the "output" files,
• which begin with LOG are the "log" files,
• which begin with DOC are the files written during document formatting,
• which begin with GRA are the files containing graphics,
• which begin with PPO are the files containing data for further post-processing,
• which begin with TABLE are the files generated which a STORE command is issues in the Disposition Menu, and
• which begin with MOD are the files containing models which can be used in MOSES.

The initial three characters are followed by a five digit number which signifies the order in which the files of the various files were created; e.g. LOG00001.TXT is the first log file that created and LOG00003.TXT is the third. The suffix of the file denotes the formatting of the file; e.g. TXT is a text file, htm is a HTML file, EPS is a postscript file, etc.

The OUT files contains all of the hardcopy reports you requested and the LOG files contain the commands issued and and MOSES responses to the commands.