By default, ADAM application programs attempt to find their Interface Module in the directory containing the executable file. A compiled (.ifc) file will be used in preference to a source (.ifl) file. To allow users to have different versions of the Interface Module for a given program without having multiple copies of the executable file, a search path mechanism has been implemented. This will be particularly useful for private tailoring of the Interface Modules of released software.
The search path is entirely the responsibility of the user - no value is defined in the standard system setup as there is a slight overhead in having one defined when it is not required.
If the search path is not defined, or an Interface Module is not found using it, the program will attempt to use the default.
ADAM Interface Module Reference Manual