The 'Main' Variable and Associated Macro

During typical user interaction with the query-meta script, some processing occurs after the project is loaded, by processing the macro node identified in the variable main, which is found on the Advanced > Misc tab.

The macro node identified by this variable is named core-main by default, and contains XML which follows the Watson™ Explorer Engine Schema and performs important actions pertaining to the user's interaction with the Watson Explorer Engine software.

The core-main macro included with the Watson Explorer Engine software effectively calls the Watson Explorer Engine API through XML. The commands in this macro are broken into other macros according to their function. Each macro called by the core-main macro performs a basic set of actions for each user interaction, as follows:

1. core-main-cgi: Set variables and options based on certain CGI parameters specified by the user
2. core-main-directory-lookups: Check for user network authentication and group memberships
3. core-main-ics: Set variables and options for use in collaborative search applications
4. core-main-query: Load sources and other meta-information for the current interaction
5. core-main-subsearch: Perform a subsearch, when requested by the user

These macros rarely need to be modified, except in the most advanced Watson Explorer Engine configurations.