Lisa Tool Numbers as of 2026-08-08
When building a Lisa Application (Such as LisaWrite), the application is assigned a tool number, which is used to associate its components in the Office System's file system.
Accordingly, if there are two applications that have the same tool number, some misadventures are likely to ensue.
It isn't clear how Apple intended to manage Lisa tool numbers to prevent collisions, but we can try to minimize them by keeping track of what has been used. Hopefully some kind of tool-renumbering application can be devised if collisions become an issue.
Please append your tool number usage so this list can be maintained and avoid collisions.
Known Tool Numbers
| Number | Tool Name | Source |
| 1 | LisaWrite | Apple Original |
| 2 | LisaGraph | Apple Original |
| 3 | LisaCalc | Apple Original |
| 4 | LisaDraw | Apple Original |
| 5 | LisaList | Apple Original |
| 6 | LisaBalls | Apple Original |
| 7 | LisaGuide | Apple Original |
| 8 | LisaProject | Apple Original |
| 10 | LisaTerminal | Apple Original |
| 11 | Configuration | Apple Original |
| 12 | Calculator | Apple Original |
| 13 | Clock | Apple Original |
| 31 | Calendar | Steve Vollum? |
| - |
| 101 | Phone Dialer | Scientific Enterprises Inc. |
| 103 | LisaList | AlexTheCat recompile |
| 104 | LisaTerminal | AlexTheCat recompile |
| 105 | LisaWrite | AlexTheCat recompile |
| 107 | LisaCalc | AlexTheCat recompile |
| 108 | LisaGraph | AlexTheCat recompile |
| 140 | Desktop Calendar | Videx Inc. |
| - |
| 201 | LOS Minesweeper | AlexTheCat |
| 202 | Lisa XModem Utility | bmwcyclist |
| 202 | Pong | (unknown) |
| - |
| 7xx | (Reservation Request) | RebeccaRGB |
| - |
| 32500 | LabeList | C.A.S.E.R. (Consortium of Associated Schools and Educational Resources) |
| 271828 | LisaMandelbrot | Stepleton |
LOS Minesweeper - Tool 201
Somebody emailed me a Pong game they created with Claude that also happens to be tool 202, so there's a conflict right there.
It's funny that everyone happened to choose 200-level tool numbers. My rationale was that my LOS recompiles were in the 100 range, so might as well go another 100 above that, but I guess if multiple people have the same thought process then it's not such a good idea after all...
I can't remember how I chose such a big number for LisaMandelbrot, but there is a chance that I used the recommendation in section 4.3 of the QuickPort guidance in the Lisa Pascal 3.0 System Software manual, found on PDF pages 381 and 382 here (https://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/apple/lisa/workshop_3.0/Lisa_Pascal_3.0_System_Software_1984.pdf). "We recommend you use your Lisa's serial number plus an offset. Using the serial number plus an offset will prevent duplication of tool numbers among different software developers."
Quote from: stepleton on Yesterday at 06:43:11 PMI can't remember how I chose such a big number for LisaMandelbrot, but there is a chance that I used the recommendation in section 4.3 of the QuickPort guidance in the Lisa Pascal 3.0 System Software manual
So 271828 = e * 10^5 is just a coincidence? Cool.
Third-party professionally-developed tools; disk images on bitsavers and asimov:
T31 - Calendar - (unknown) - Disk image contains no copyright information but does contain the name Steve Vollum. Steve Vollum was cofounder of E-Machines (manufacturer of Macintosh peripherals; not related to eMachines, manufacturer of never-obsolete PCs).
T101 - Phone Dialer - Scientific Enterprises Inc.
T140 - Desktop Calendar - Videx Inc.
T32500 - LabeList - C.A.S.E.R. (Consortium of Associated Schools and Educational Resources)
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Can I preemptively reserve the 7xx range?
I have to wonder what the point of the tool numbers were.
Don't forget about all the period software we do have, too: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1STG0Le_8dMHRLf026x6YfXzRQm2hD0igeZVb2Hx0Lxo/edit?gid=0#gid=0