A word search program that, using a dictionary of nearly 110,000 words;
(A) finds words with unknown letters or an unknown number of letters,
(B) finds anagrams,
(C) finds neograms, (a coined word meaning words that can be made using letters from a set of letters called a multigram, - another coined word). For example multigram `eats', neograms; eat,at,seat and so on.
(Any competitions you win with this facility I claim 10% of the prize in cash.)
(D) Culls a section of the dictionary for words of specific lengths to a maximum of 12325 words. (About the number of words in the Letter S file)
(E) Prints the words if required.
(F) Will save the words collected to your own file.
(G) Will append words collected to an existing file.
For more information see `General Info' below.
The maximum number of words that can be collected depends upon the amount of RAM memory available, to a maximum of 12325 words.
Requirements.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amiga 1000 500 or 2000 with at least 1meg of RAM.
Will run on 1meg of RAM but under some circumstances you may not be able to load the whole dictionary at one time, (explanations later) but the program will look after you. To load the whole dictionary and run all the programme facilities takes about 1.5meg of RAM.
The Scrazzle disk is not a BOOT disk and must be kept intact at all times as there are many files and programs that Disearch needs on it. Copy it by all means but do not change it or its name. If your copying produces a disk called Copy of Scrazzle, then rename the copy to Scrazzle.
Hard Disk Users.
Create a drawer (directory) called Scrazzle. Let's assume you've done this on Dh1:
In the CLI type:- "Copy Scrazzle: all to < here put your pathname followed by `Scrazzle'. e.g. Dh1:Scrazzle > quiet" without the quotes.
Copy the Scrazzle L directory to your own L directory, by typing:- "Copy Scrazzle:L all to sys:L quiet" in the CLI.
Take the Scrazzle disk out of the floppy drive then in the CLI type "Assign Scrazzle: Dh1:Scrazzle" and/or put the Assign in your HD-assigns file.
You should now be able to open the Scrazzle drawer and double click an icon to start.
General.
~~~~~~~~ Boot up the Amiga with your usual workbench disk. With the Scrazzle disk in a drive double click on the Scrazzle disk icon. Then for efficient running of the program, regardless of the amount of memory, drag the Disearch icon onto the workbench screen, then close all open windows. This is to keep Denise and Agnus happy and when they're happy you have faster programs and no Guru.
Double click on the Disearch icon and we are away.
First, we must load all or part of the dictionary so select `LOAD DICTIONARY' from The Oracle menu.
The screen will show "An (ESC) will abort inputs OR stop the load"
"Enter `FROM' file letter"
The program then awaits the first letter of the dictionary you want to load. For instance for the whole dictionary enter A . The response will be "Enter `TO' file letter", in our example we would enter Z .
This is to allow for those that are unable load the whole dictionary because of memory requirements, or wish only to load a single letter or a few consecutive letters for speed reasons.
A memory check is then made and a report is made on the number of words you can collect from the dictionary to a maximum of 12325 words. If you are running on only 1meg RAM and have an insufficient number of words for your task, (for instance if you wish to Cull all 2 to 30 letter words from say, the Letter S file.) you must release more memory by loading fewer Letters, or, in the example given, the S file only. This is done by selecting Load Dictionary from menu again.
Menu selections.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Word Hunter.
For finding words in the dictionary you've just loaded.
Available are two wildcards a `#' and a `?'.
The `#' represents any number of, or no letters in that position.
The `?' represents one letter only in that position.
For example `a?e??' will get 5 letter words, whereas `a#e??' will get all the words starting A that end E something something.
Anagrams.
For finding words that can be made using all the letters given.
Multigrams.
For finding words that can be made from the letters given using each letter once. For example EASTER gives: as, eats, teas, reseat and so on.
Culling Words.
For this you will be asked which letter of the dictionary you wish to Cull. Then the MAXI-mum number of letters required then MINI-mum. For instance you could cull all four and five letter words from sections of the dictionary, saving them progressively to your file, similarly, say, 2 to 6 letter words.
Show words.
To display on the screen words already collected.
Print words.
To send to the printer the words collected.
Save words.
To save to your own file words collected.
Append words.
To add more collected words to an already existing file without wiping out those words already there.
General Info.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explanations. The program was written in AmigaBasic. Compiled using AC/BASIC Compiler v1.3 Copyright (c) Absoft Corp '87. The dictionary was typed in and crunched to about 20% its original size. It is in ASCII text and contains nearly 110,000 words, all carefully checked and tested. There are no hyphenated words, nor geographical or personal names unless they have other meanings. But there are rare, poetic, archaic and Americanised words (eg. color) as well as common (in their own field) technical words.
All good stuff for crossword makers and solvers.
Because of the nature of the program it runs more efficiently with no other windows open before clicking the Disearch icon.
The program works on the first three letters of the words it is searching for. Dependant upon how hard a job you give the program, is how long it takes to find your word or words. That is the number of wildcards included and how many of the first three letters. In some modes the top left of the screen will keep you updated on the number of words tested. But not all the dictionary is necessarily searched. For instance for `b?e??' you should get 25 words out of 588 analysed.
Time spent searching depends upon how fractured or contiguous your RAM memory is.
This is a shareware program and this retired businessman would like your appreciation of this program in the form of a donation. $A25 and a self-addressed envelope would ensure I send you any newer version. Quote the date at the top of the `about' page in the programme and ask for DISEARCH.
$A35 would ensure the latest version AND source code. This would enable you to undertand how the dictionary, The Oracle, was crunched.
