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By default Quaestor expects programs in the Applic directory as specified in the standard directory structure. As working directory Quaestor will set the project directory as specified in the standard directory structure. As Knowledge Engineer you are able to specify other directories to find files from withing Quaestor. However, you cannot manipulate the way the external project will find its files. All the required files should always be available in the working directory set by Quaestor.

By means of a special @COPYFIRST attribute for the GET$ function you are able to copy any file prior to running a program. In this way you can make sure any additional data files or dll's are copied to the working directory to be find by the external process.

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1. Command-line programs using standardized input and output file names (easiest implementation);
2. Command-line programs requiring specific additional arguments;
3. Programs included as Quaestor functions (Word: WINWORD$(), Excel: EXCEL#() );
4. Scriptable programs with an application programming interface (using the MACRO() function: such as Visio, Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, MatLab);

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In Quaestor the following steps are required:

1. use TEMPLATE$() to create the input as specified by the program based on available parameters in your knowledge base;
2. use PUT$() to write it as the specified standard file name and include the relation with the TEMPLATE$() to create the input;
3. use GET$() to read the standard output file and include the specify the program to run and the relation with the PUT$() two write the input file first;
4. use PARSE#() to parse the output file you have written by means of the GET$() function, to get your required resulting data set.

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In Quaestor, the definition of the input file is equal to the first method. However, for execution it might be interesting to create a batch file in addition to the input file. In the batch file you write the specific command line options and in the GET$() relation you do not specify the program itself as process to be executed, but the batch file (which executes the program).

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3 Programs included as Quaestor functions

See the WINWORD$() and EXCEL#() functions for further details.

4 Scriptable programs with an application programming interface

See the MACRO() function for further details.