LisaList2

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. "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 August 08, 2026, 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

Quote from: sigma7 on August 08, 2026, 07:38:55 PMSo 271828 = e * 10^5 is just a coincidence? Cool.

Haha I guess I was a smarter person back then.

Either way, we have the Apple recommendation, which is: serial number plus offset. So that's an option. I guess it's what gave me the feeling that non-Apple tool numbers should be large ones.

> I have to wonder what the point of the tool numbers were.

Deep down, the Office System doesn't seem to set much stock in visible names: you can give multiple files the same name within the desktop user experience if you wanted, and you could probably rename every single tool "Ham Sandwich" if you felt like it, too. So they may have felt they needed a unique behind-the-scenes identifier, and evidently they went with a number.

Quote from: blusnowkitty on August 08, 2026, 09:52:41 PMDon't forget about all the period software we do have, too: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1STG0Le_8dMHRLf026x6YfXzRQm2hD0igeZVb2Hx0Lxo/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Perhaps someone who has those at hand could check: search the disk images for the 4 characters "}OBJ" and look at the number preceding, or look for the 2 characters "{T" and look at the number following. eg. the LisaDraw disk image contains {T4}OBJ.

The {T#} tool number prefix is also used for PHRASE and MENUS files, but I imagine they might not be present for some tools.

I don't mind following tradition. In fact, I think it's a good idea. I will change the number of my application and post here.

I don't know if I can do another build today, but I'll let you know this week.


My application number will be 419306