When starting PAREST specific data of the problem (dimensions, time grids, initial estimates, tolerances of optimization and numerical integration, selection between different integration and optimization methods, ...) are read from an input file (in the prepared example problems the input file is called start.dat).
Comments in the file start.dat always have to start with a # sign. If a # sign is found in a line of the input file, then the rest of the line will be ignored by PAREST.
The input file consists of several sections listed here. They consist of
GENERAL
dimensions, selection of integration and optimization methods, tolerances, ...
ENDE
NAMEN
names of the state and control variables (only to be used in the graphical output produced by PGRAPH)
ENDE
MESSWERTE
measurement values (only in the case of parameter estimation problems)
ENDE
GRENZEN
optional lower and upper bounds for the state and control variables y(t), v(t), u(t), and for the nonlinear inequality constraints S
ENDE
SKALIERUNG
constants defining linear transformations for an
(optional) internal scaling of the state
and control variables y(t), v(t), u(t) and of
the objective 
ENDE
STARTWERTE
the (estimated) values of initial and final time and
(estimated) values of the state variables at the
normalized multiple
shooting grid
(i.e. the normalized values of the multiple
shooting nodes are within the interval [0,1],
where 0 corresponds to 
and 1 corresponds to 
)
ENDE
STEUERUNG
estimated values of the control variables at the
normalized control grid points
(i.e. the normalized values of the control
discretization grid points are within [0,1],
where 0 corresponds to and 1 corresponds to )
ENDE
The sections are described in more detail in the sequel. Each section contains statements of the syntactic form name of variable (or dimension) = value For example: DIMY = 3
For more details see the programs of the prepared examples.