SANE & AW 3.0

[bird@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (j.l.walters)]

I'm posting this for a friend so please send replies to the net address
noted below for Gary Welsh. Thanks


AppleWorks gurus:
I have some questions about how AppleWorks deals with numeric
data internally.  I am trying to understand the code within
AppleWorks 3.0.  I am stuck in figuring out the interactions,
when dealing with numeric data, between the AppleWorks WP, DB, and
SS modules and the SEG.EL code, which in turn calls SANE code
at $2102 (within segment 23(?)).
I need help with the following:

1) I cannot adequately decipher the format used for numeric data within
the modules of AppleWorks (there are printing format flags, etc. and 
the multi-byte number itself).  How (or where) is this information defined?

2) What is the purpose (or values) of the various bytes put on the
stack before calling the common module subroutine (which in
turn calls the SEG.EL code)?

3) Why does the common module subroutine change the order of the
data on the stack before calling SEG.EL?  (Why not do it correctly
in the first place?  Or is this just a matter of easier to clean up
in one place, rather than several?)

4) What is the format used within the multi-byte binary number?
(I haven't been able to find info on the binary format in the SANE
Numerics book or the Tech Notes - did I just miss it?)
and, finally,

5) What do the bytes mean that SEG.EL puts on the stack before
calling the segment 23 code at $2102?  (It seems that SEG.EL
may be doing several elementary operations, with several calls
to seg. 23 code, for each module to SEG.EL call; can't tell
without answers to the above questions.)
I would think that there would be some commonality between how
the 8-bit version of SANE is interfaced and how the GS's ROM
based SANE toolbox is interfaced; such as using the same coding
for 'elementary' function codes.  I can't find any definitive
information within the Toolbox References, however, to support
this.  Can't find GS numeric format information in the Refs either.

I have been struggling with this for a long time now; any help
will be very much appreciated.  If you happen to have any
details about how SEG.EL works, or how segment 23 works, that
would be wonderful too.

Replies on the net are welcome, otherwise I can be reached
at  welsh@ihlpe.att.com or at (708) 713-7035.

Gary Welsh   AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville IL (USA)

************************************
	Gary Welsh
	AT&T Bell Laboratories
	ILI800 (aka IX) 1X-320
	1200 East Warrenville Road
	P.O. Box 3045
	Naperville, IL 60566-7045
	(708) 713-7035
	EMAIL att!ihlpe!welsh
************************************

-- 

		Joe Walters att!ihlpm!bird, NW 31-K14 (708) 224-7189
		To know, and not to do, is not yet to know