diff --git a/ase/include/ase/awk/awk.h b/ase/include/ase/awk/awk.h
index 7c886f25..be47d5f1 100644
--- a/ase/include/ase/awk/awk.h
+++ b/ase/include/ase/awk/awk.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /* 
- * $Id: awk.h 245 2008-07-15 05:56:32Z baconevi $
+ * $Id: awk.h 268 2008-07-19 08:03:49Z baconevi $
  *
  * {License}
  */
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 /** 
  * @file awk.h
- * @brief Define an AWK interpreter
+ * @brief Defines an AWK interpreter
  *  
  * This file defines most of the data types and functions required to embed
  * a AWK interpreter engine.
@@ -586,36 +586,65 @@ struct ase_awk_val_ref_t
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
+/** @brief represents the nil value */
 extern ase_awk_val_t* ase_awk_val_nil;
+
+/** @brief represents an empty string  */
 extern ase_awk_val_t* ase_awk_val_zls;
+
+/** @brief represents a numeric value -1 */
 extern ase_awk_val_t* ase_awk_val_negone;
+
+/** @brief represents a numeric value 0 */
 extern ase_awk_val_t* ase_awk_val_zero;
+
+/** @brief represents a numeric value 1 */
 extern ase_awk_val_t* ase_awk_val_one;
 
 /**
- * @brief opens an awk interpreter
+ * @brief creates an instance of ase_awk_t
+ * @param mmgr the pointer to a memory manager
+ * @return a pointer to an ase_awk_t instance on success, ASE_NULL on failure
  */
-ase_awk_t* ase_awk_open (const ase_awk_prmfns_t* prmfns);
+/*ase_awk_t* ase_awk_open (const ase_awk_prmfns_t* prmfns);*/
+ase_awk_t* ase_awk_open (const ase_mmgr_t* mmgr);
 
 /**
- * @brief opens an awk interpreter
+ * @brief destroys an instance of ase_awk_t
+ * @param awk the pointer to an ase_awk_t instance to destory
+ * @return 0 on success, -1 on failure
  */
 int ase_awk_close (ase_awk_t* awk);
 
 /**
  * @brief clears an awk interpreter
+ * @param awk the pointer to an ase_awk_t instance to clear
+ * @return 0 on success, -1 on failure
  */
 int ase_awk_clear (ase_awk_t* awk);
 
 /**
- *  @brief associats the user-specified data with an interpreter
+ * @brief associates the user-specified data with an interpreter
+ * @param awk the pointer to an ase_awk_t instance 
+ * @param data the pointer to a user-specified data
+ * @return n/a
  */
 void ase_awk_setassocdata (ase_awk_t* awk, void* data);
+
 /**
- *  @brief returns the user-specified data associated with an interpreter
+ * @brief returns the user-specified data associated with an interpreter
+ * @param awk the pointer to an ase_awk_t instance 
+ * @return The pointer to the user-specified data through ase_awk_setassocdata.
+ *         is returned. ASE_NULL is returned if ase_awk_setassocdata is never 
+ *         called.
  */
 void* ase_awk_getassocdata (ase_awk_t* awk);
 
+/**
+ * @brief returns the pointer to the memory manager in use
+ * @param awk the pointer to an ase_awk_t instance 
+ * @return the pointer to the memory manager set through ase_awk_open
+ */
 ase_mmgr_t* ase_awk_getmmgr (ase_awk_t* awk);
 
 const ase_char_t* ase_awk_geterrstr (ase_awk_t* awk, int num);
diff --git a/ase/lib/awk/awk.c b/ase/lib/awk/awk.c
index 5a34065e..1e8fe130 100644
--- a/ase/lib/awk/awk.c
+++ b/ase/lib/awk/awk.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * $Id: awk.c 232 2008-06-28 09:38:00Z baconevi $ 
+ * $Id: awk.c 268 2008-07-19 08:03:49Z baconevi $ 
  *
  * {License}
  */
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ static void free_bfn (void* awk, void* afn);
 		ase_awk_seterror ((awk), (code), (line), &errarg, 1); \
 	} while (0)
 
+#if 0
 ase_awk_t* ase_awk_open (const ase_awk_prmfns_t* prmfns)
 {
 	ase_awk_t* awk;
@@ -244,6 +245,209 @@ ase_awk_t* ase_awk_open (const ase_awk_prmfns_t* prmfns)
 
 	return awk;
 }
+#endif
+ase_awk_t* ase_awk_open (const ase_mmgr_t* mmgr)
+{
+	ase_awk_t* awk;
+
+	ASE_ASSERT (mmgr != ASE_NULL);
+	ASE_ASSERT (mmgr->malloc != ASE_NULL);
+	ASE_ASSERT (mmgr->free != ASE_NULL);
+
+	/* use ASE_MALLOC instead of ASE_AWK_MALLOC because
+	 * the awk object has not been initialized yet */
+	awk = ASE_MALLOC (mmgr, ASE_SIZEOF(ase_awk_t));
+	if (awk == ASE_NULL) return ASE_NULL;
+
+	/* it uses the built-in ase_awk_memset because awk is not 
+	 * fully initialized yet */
+	ase_memset (awk, 0, ASE_SIZEOF(ase_awk_t));
+	awk->prmfns.mmgr = *mmgr;
+	//ase_memcpy (&awk->prmfns, prmfns, ASE_SIZEOF(awk->prmfns));
+
+	if (ase_str_open (
+		&awk->token.name, 128, &awk->prmfns.mmgr) == ASE_NULL) 
+	{
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	awk->wtab = ase_map_open (
+		awk, 512, 70, free_word, ASE_NULL, &awk->prmfns.mmgr);
+	if (awk->wtab == ASE_NULL)
+	{
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	awk->rwtab = ase_map_open (
+		awk, 512, 70, free_word, ASE_NULL, &awk->prmfns.mmgr);
+	if (awk->rwtab == ASE_NULL)
+	{
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	/* TODO: initial map size?? */
+	awk->tree.afns = ase_map_open (
+		awk, 512, 70, free_afn, ASE_NULL, &awk->prmfns.mmgr);
+	if (awk->tree.afns == ASE_NULL) 
+	{
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	awk->parse.afns = ase_map_open (
+		awk, 256, 70, ASE_NULL, ASE_NULL, &awk->prmfns.mmgr);
+	if (awk->parse.afns == ASE_NULL)
+	{
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	awk->parse.named = ase_map_open (
+		awk, 256, 70, ASE_NULL, ASE_NULL, &awk->prmfns.mmgr);
+	if (awk->parse.named == ASE_NULL)
+	{
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	if (ase_awk_tab_open (&awk->parse.globals, awk) == ASE_NULL) 
+	{
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.named);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	if (ase_awk_tab_open (&awk->parse.locals, awk) == ASE_NULL) 
+	{
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.globals);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.named);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	if (ase_awk_tab_open (&awk->parse.params, awk) == ASE_NULL) 
+	{
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.locals);
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.globals);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.named);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	awk->option = 0;
+	awk->errnum = ASE_AWK_ENOERR;
+	awk->errlin = 0;
+	awk->stopall = ASE_FALSE;
+
+	awk->parse.nlocals_max = 0;
+
+	awk->tree.nglobals = 0;
+	awk->tree.nbglobals = 0;
+	awk->tree.begin = ASE_NULL;
+	awk->tree.begin_tail = ASE_NULL;
+	awk->tree.end = ASE_NULL;
+	awk->tree.end_tail = ASE_NULL;
+	awk->tree.chain = ASE_NULL;
+	awk->tree.chain_tail = ASE_NULL;
+	awk->tree.chain_size = 0;
+
+	awk->token.prev.type = 0;
+	awk->token.prev.line = 0;
+	awk->token.prev.column = 0;
+	awk->token.type = 0;
+	awk->token.line = 0;
+	awk->token.column = 0;
+
+	awk->src.lex.curc = ASE_CHAR_EOF;
+	awk->src.lex.ungotc_count = 0;
+	awk->src.lex.line = 1;
+	awk->src.lex.column = 1;
+	awk->src.shared.buf_pos = 0;
+	awk->src.shared.buf_len = 0;
+
+	awk->bfn.sys = ASE_NULL;
+	/*awk->bfn.user = ASE_NULL;*/
+	awk->bfn.user = ase_map_open (
+		awk, 512, 70, free_bfn, ASE_NULL, &awk->prmfns.mmgr);
+	if (awk->bfn.user == ASE_NULL)
+	{
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.params);
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.locals);
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.globals);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.named);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	awk->parse.depth.cur.block = 0;
+	awk->parse.depth.cur.loop = 0;
+	awk->parse.depth.cur.expr = 0;
+
+	ase_awk_setmaxdepth (awk, ASE_AWK_DEPTH_BLOCK_PARSE, 0);
+	ase_awk_setmaxdepth (awk, ASE_AWK_DEPTH_BLOCK_RUN, 0);
+	ase_awk_setmaxdepth (awk, ASE_AWK_DEPTH_EXPR_PARSE, 0);
+	ase_awk_setmaxdepth (awk, ASE_AWK_DEPTH_EXPR_RUN, 0);
+	ase_awk_setmaxdepth (awk, ASE_AWK_DEPTH_REX_BUILD, 0);
+	ase_awk_setmaxdepth (awk, ASE_AWK_DEPTH_REX_MATCH, 0);
+
+	awk->assoc_data = ASE_NULL;
+
+	if (ase_awk_initglobals (awk) == -1)
+	{
+		ase_map_close (awk->bfn.user);
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.params);
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.locals);
+		ase_awk_tab_close (&awk->parse.globals);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.named);
+		ase_map_close (awk->parse.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->tree.afns);
+		ase_map_close (awk->rwtab);
+		ase_map_close (awk->wtab);
+		ase_str_close (&awk->token.name);
+		ASE_AWK_FREE (awk, awk);
+		return ASE_NULL;	
+	}
+
+	return awk;
+}
 
 static void free_word (void* owner, void* ptr)
 {