+#define ITEM_NUMBER_MAX INT_MAX
+typedef int item_number_t;
+extern item_number_t *ritem;
+extern unsigned int nritems;
+
+/* There is weird relationship between item_number_t and
+ token_number_t: we store token_number_t in item_number_t, but in
+ the latter we also store, as negative numbers, the rule numbers.
+
+ Therefore, an token_number_t must be a valid item_number_t, and we
+ sometimes have to perform the converse transformation. */
+#define token_number_as_item_number(Tok) ((item_number_t) (Tok))
+#define item_number_as_token_number(Ite) ((token_number_t) (Ite))
+
+extern token_number_t start_symbol;