Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system that extends the capabilities of an existing process to manipulate foreign data so that it may be displayed and modified. The foreign data block is retrieved from a storage location by either an existing program or a program extension module. Once retrieved, the foreign data block is passed or otherwise communicated to a program extension module for interpretation of the data stored therein. Further, the program extension module will communicate with the existing program through a defined interface user interface information so that the existing program's user interface may be used to display the individual data elements of the foreign block of data. Once the existing program has the user interface information, the data elements from the foreign data block, and the association information, a complete user interface is displayed by the existing program that may be modified by system administrator.

Abstract: A resolution-select arrangement is provided for a fiber optic document scanner (or scope) having its exit field coupled to an array of discrete sensors. An initialization procedure provides an address string which associates at least one address of the sensor array with each of many of the positions of a light beam incremented along the axis of the entrance field. Subsets of the longest address string are derived and stored separately in consecutive ROM addresses starting at a corresponding start address. Resolution selection, conveniently under software control, selects the starting address corresponding to the desired resolution and increments through consecutive addresses of ROM where the associated address string is stored.

Abstract: A noncoherent fiber optic bundle is made coherent by relating the positions of fiber ends in the exit field to the consecutive positions of an initialization beam of light moving in the entrance field. The initialization beam is small compared to the fiber size and is moved along a path in the entrance field in a manner to intersect the entrance ends of the fibers. A sensor array to which the exit field is coupled is interrogated each time the beam is moved to determine which sensors in the array are activated for each incremental position of the beam. The computer stores the address at which the first activation of a sensor occurred, and the address at which a once-activated sensor is no longer activated (turned off). The computer also associates that sensor with the mean beam position between those two addresses. No determination is made as to the positions of the entrance ends of the fiber in the entrance field. The method and apparatus are useful for coherent bundles as well.