If you want to use single OBS_INP-commands or OBS_INP-command-files under OBS_E , you have to be careful. The passive field will be copied into the active field, before the drive program will start to execute a scan with the parameters of the active field. That is triggered by an OBS_E command-verb. This scan is performed using the content of the active field at that moment. However, there are some commands, which can be changed during a scan (See the OBS_E and OBS_INP-manuals !).

• Be very careful reading new OBS_INP-commands during an observation !

If you have started an observation by typing OBS_E-commands, the OBS_E-program calls the SIC-interpreter for reading macros (using OBS_INP-commands) to fill the passive field . If at that moment you change the passive field by reading files with the OBSINP READ command or by typing single OBS_INP commands, the passive field will be changed. By that also the afterwards loaded active field is influenced due to that OBS_INP input different from normal OBS_E-input (according to the commanded verb). In that way it is possible, that the forthcoming observation is a mixture of the commanded OBS_E verb and your input from the OBS_INP command-file. Normally that is not intended by the user. Only Single OBS_E command-verbs can be stacked (maximum of 2) and will be executed one after the other without problems.

As the interpretation of the macros by SIC takes a lot of time, some actions will not be performed everytime a new scan is started. If OBS_E-parameters have not changed since the last executed OBS_E command-verb, the program does not set these parameters again assuming they are already set in the right way by the foregoing observation. That means, you can overwrite parameters in the passive field by direct OBS_INP-commands without the information for OBS_E , that it has to reset these parameters before performing a new observation. To force OBS_E to do that you must first start an observation of another type with an OBS_E command-verb , then cancel this observation and then execute your desired OBS_E command-verb. Obviously that is not valid for a few parameters, which are never touched by OBS_E . In conclusion:

• Be very careful with mixing OBS_E - and OBS_INP-commands !

In addition to the possibilities offered by SIC for programming observations via macros, there are on the other hand the OBS_E command-verbs. They allow to set all important parameters for your observation, so that it normally is not necessary to go back to OBS_INPcommands or command files.

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