MORE WinGames/WINGAMES.iso/cclipper/tour.doc

Text File | 1993-02-01 | 22KB | 569 lines

Screen Layout/Landmarks

Crossword Creator's main screen is divided into five major
sections:

Menu Bar -        Crossword Creator's "control center".  All
                  of the program's major functions are
                  invoked through pull-down menus.

Puzzle Window -   Where you design your puzzles.  You cannot
                  move the cursor outside of the puzzle
                  window boundaries, nor can you type in
                  other areas of the screen.  The DOS
                  filename of the current puzzle is
                  displayed in the top boundary.

Guide Window -    Displays tips on how to design a puzzle.
                  If you are ever unsure about "what to do
                  next", glance at the instructions
                  displayed here.

Status Window -   Contains various facts about the current
                  puzzle: number of clues, cursor
                  coordinates, available memory, etc.

Dialog Box -      Displayed when CWC needs to prompt you for
                  additional information, or inform you
                  about something.


                        Try this now

1.   Start Crossword Creator.  An opening copyright screen
     is displayed while the program loads and initializes
     itself.

2.   When initialization is complete, the main screen is
     displayed.  Note the major elements described above.

3.   To end the program, press the ALT key, and release it.
     Then press F (for "File"), followed by X (for "Exit").

Using the Keyboard

Crossword Creator is, essentially, a specialized
word-processor and a good deal of your time will be spent
typing on the keyboard.  Since this tutorial is not intended
to be a primer on computers, we'll assume you already know
what the keyboard is, how it works, and what all the keys
do.

However, Crossword Creator uses keystroke combinations and
sequences that may be unfamiliar to you, and it's important
that you interpret them correctly when they're referred to
in the documentation or on the screen.

CWC uses a simple notational convention to describe
multi-key keystroke combinations.  When the keycap names are
joined together with a "+" (for example, Ctrl+P), it means
that you should first press and hold down all of the keys,
then release them together.

When you see keycap names joined together with a "-" (for
example, Alt-E-C), it means that you should press and
release the keys in sequence.


The F1 function key is the universal HELP key.  You can
display help at any time in Crossword Creator by pressing
F1.

The ESC key is the universal CANCEL key.  Pressing ESC
dismisses a dialog window, discarding all changes.


                        Try this now

1.   From the main screen, press Alt-F-P.  The "Print"
     dialog box is displayed.

2.   Press ESC.  The dialog box is dismissed.

3.   Press Ctrl+P.  The "Print" dialog box is displayed.
     Note that this "shortcut" bypassed the interim menu
     selections.

4.   Press F1.  A help window is displayed, presenting more
     information.  Scroll through the text by pressing
     PgUp/PgDn or the cursor arrow keys.

5.   Press ESC.  The help window is dismissed.

6.   Press ESC.  The dialog box is dismissed, and you are
     returned to the main screen.

Using the Menus

Crossword Creator, like all computer programs, is simply a
collection of related functions that help you accomplish a
specific task.  In that sense, CWC can be thought of as a
"toolbox" for building crossword puzzles, and to use those
tools you must select them from the menu bar.

In its neutral state, the menu bar appears along the top
line of the screen.  Each word in the menu bar is associated
with a group of related tools.  To activate the menu bar,
press the ALT key.

Once activated, each word in the menu bar displays a
highlighted letter.  Pressing one of these "hotkeys"
displays a menu of the related tools.  Each of the menu
items also has a highlighted letter, and pressing one of
those hotkeys will invoke the corresponding tool.

Some tools have a "shortcut" keystroke, displayed to the
right of their menu name.  You can bypass the menus and
invoke these tools directly by pressing the shortcut key.
If a tool's menu name ends with an ellipsis ("..."), it
means that you will be prompted for more information before
the tool is invoked.


                        Try this now

1.   From the main screen, press ALT.  The menu bar is
     activated and the hotkeys become highlighted.

2.   Press F.  The File menu is displayed.

3.   Notice that the "Open" menu item ends with an ellipsis,
     and that the shortcut key for "Open" is Ctrl+O.

4.   Press O.  The "Open" dialog box is displayed.

5.   Press ESC.

6.   Now press the shortcut key for "Open", Ctrl+O.  The
     "Open" dialog box is displayed immediately, bypassing
     the File menu.

7.   Press ESC.  You are returned to the main screen.

Using Dialog Boxes

To make use of a software program you must be able to
interact with it.  In Crossword Creator the exchange of
information between you and the computer is handled
primarily by dialog boxes.

As its name implies, a dialog box establishes a
"conversation" between you and the software so that you can
input information, as well as receive it.  Almost everything
you do in Crossword Creator has a dialog box associated with
it, so it is very important to understand how they work.

Dialog boxes are easy to recognize because they "pop-up" in
the center of the screen.  You will also notice that each
dialog box contains a unique set of controls, similar to the
dashboard of a car or the front panel of a microwave.

Crossword Creator uses five different controls, each one
specialized for a particular kind of input.  The following
graphic illustrates how each type of control is used.


Text Box -     Used for typing freeform text.  A text box is
               like a "mini" word-processor because you can
               type words, delete and insert characters,
               move the cursor, etc.

               In the example, the name of the person making
               the reservation has been typed in.


List Box -     Used for making a choice.  A list box is a
               "single choice" control because you may
               select only one item from the list.  To make
               a selection, use the cursor arrow keys to
               highlight your choice, then press ENTER.

               In the example, "American" has been selected
               as the airline.

               If a scroll bar is present on the right-hand
               border, it means that the list contains
               additional items that are not visible.
               However, you can scroll through the entire
               list using the cursor arrow keys and the
               PgUp/PgDn keys.

             +-------------------- reservation --------------------+
             |                                                     |
  Text       |   + Name --------------+   + Seat Location -----+   |
  Box ---------- | Joe Businessman    |   | ( ) Window         |   |
             |   +--------------------+   | ( ) Center         | ----- Radio
             |                            | (o) Aisle          |   |   Buttons
             |   + Airline -----------+   +--------------------+   |
             |   |   American         |                            |
  List Box   |   +--------------------+   + Special Needs -----+   |
  with       |   |   Alaskan          ^   | [ ] VIP Security   |   |
  Scroll Bar --- |   American         |   | [X] WS Journal     | ----- Check
             |   |   Delta            v   | [X] Laptop PC      |   |   Boxes
             |   +--------------------+   +--------------------+   |
             |                                                     |
  Command    +-----------------------------------------------------+
  Buttons -------------------  < Ok >   < Cancel >                 |
             +-----------------------------------------------------+


Radio Buttons -   Used for making a choice.  Similar to a
                  list box, radio buttons allow you to
                  select only one item from the group.  To
                  make a selection, press the SPACEBAR on
                  the button of your choice.

                  In the example, "Aisle" has been selected
                  as the seat location.


Check Boxes -  Used for selecting options.  Check boxes are
               a "multiple choice" control because you can
               select as many items as are available.  Use
               the SPACEBAR as a "toggle" to select and
               deselect the items you want.

               In the example, special needs of "WS Journal"
               and "Laptop PC" have been checked.


Command -      Used for initiating action.  Command buttons
Buttons        are the only controls that actually cause
               something to "happen".  To select a command,
               press the SPACEBAR on the button of your
               choice.

               The most common commands are "Ok" ("accept my
               input and proceed"), and "Cancel" ("ignore my
               input and do nothing").  All dialog boxes
               contain at least one command button.


The last, and most important, point about using dialog boxes
is the concept of "focus".  Although a dialog box may
contain multiple controls, your computer has only one
keyboard and can therefore interact with only one control at
a time -- the control that has the focus.

The TAB and Shift+TAB keys allow you to move the focus from
one control to the next, and the control that currently has
the focus is always highlighted to draw your attention.
Moving the focus allows you to interact with each control in
turn.


                        Try this now

1.   From the main screen, press Alt-F-P.  The "Print"
     dialog box is displayed.

2.   Notice the group of radio buttons labeled "Format".
     The first item, "Puzzle and Clues", is highlighted,
     indicating that this control currently has the focus.

     Note, also, that "Puzzle and Clues" is the currently
     selected choice for "Format".  This is indicated by the
     dot inside the parentheses, "()", to the left of the
     item.

3.   Press the TAB key five times.  Watch as the focus moves
     to each of the other choices in the "Format" group.

4.   The focus is now on "Word List", although the selected
     choice is still "Puzzle and Clues".  Press the
     SPACEBAR.

5.   The dot now indicates that "Word List" is the desired
     format.

6.   Press TAB three times.  The focus has now moved into
     "Options", a group of check boxes, and
     "Fill Puzzle Area" is highlighted.

7.   Press the SPACEBAR twice.  Notice how the checkmark
     inside the brackets, "[X]", is toggled on and off.

8.   Press TAB four times.  The "Printer" list box now has
     the focus.  The name of the currently selected printer
     is displayed in the small window at the top of the
     list.

9.   If there is more than one printer name in the list, use
     the cursor down arrow key to highlight a different
     selection.

10.  Press ENTER.  The new printer name is displayed in the
     small window at the top of the list.

11.  Press TAB.  The focus moves to the text box labeled
     "Destination".

12.  Type "outer space".  Notice how the old text is
     replaced with the new text.

13.  Press F2.  The focus jumps to the "Ok" command button.
     If you wanted Crossword Creator to accept all your
     changes and begin printing, you would select this
     button.  Right now, though, we don't want to do that.

     Note:   F2 is provided as a shortcut key on all
             dialogs.  Regardless of where the focus
             is, pressing F2 will move it to the
             first command button.

14.  Press TAB, again, to move to the "Cancel" button.
     Selecting this command will simply discard all the
     changes you've made and dismiss the dialog box.

15.  Press the SPACEBAR to select the "Cancel" button.  The
     dialog disappears and you're returned to CWC's main
     screen.

Using a Mouse

Crossword Creator has built-in support for
Microsoft-compatible mice.  If the appropriate mouse
software is installed on your system and a mouse is indeed
attached, CWC will recognize it automatically.

As with the "Keyboard" topic, this tutorial will not tell
you how to install a mouse, nor explain how it works.  If
the terms button, click, press, release, and drag are
unfamiliar to you, spend some time with your mouse's owner's
manual and practice these techniques.  It will be well worth
your effort.

CWC's mouse support is extended primarily to the menu bar
and the dialog boxes.  All but two of the mouse actions are
performed with Button 1 (usually the left-most button on the
mouse).  In addition, there are some simple short-cuts
associated with the Puzzle Window and the Status Window.



                        Try this now

1.   From the main screen, click on the word File in the
     menu bar, then click on Print in the pull-down menu.
     The "Print" dialog box is displayed.

2.   Click on one or more of the radio buttons in the
     "Format" group.  Notice that clicking on a control not
     only moves the focus to that item, but selects it as
     well.

3.   Click on one or more of the check boxes in the
     "Options" group.  Clicking on a check box toggles its
     on/off state.

4.   Click on one of the names in the "Printer" list box --
     your selection is displayed in the small window at the
     top of the list.

5.   If the list box has a scroll bar, click on the
     arrowhead that points down.  The list scrolls forward
     one item.  Click on the opposite arrowhead, the list
     scrolls backward.

6.   Click on the "Copies" text box.  Clicking on a text box
     simply moves the focus.  Naturally, you'll have to use
     the keyboard to type in your data.

7.   Click on the "Cancel" command button.  All of your
     changes are discarded, and the dialog is dismissed.
     You're returned to CWC's main screen.

8.   Click on the "(+)" symbol in the Status Window.  This
     toggles the current typing direction.

9.   Click anywhere inside the Puzzle Window.  The puzzle
     cursor moves to that location.

10.  Lastly, use Button 2 (usually the right-most button on
     your mouse) to click inside the Puzzle Window.  This is
     identical to selecting the "Edit Clues" tool from the
     "Edit" menu.

11.  If the "Edit Clues" dialog box is displayed, click on
     "Cancel".  If a message box is displayed, click on
     "Ok".  You're returned to CWC's main screen.

The Grand Tour

In this section we'll be touring the landscape of Crossword
Creator.  Our destination: your first puzzle.

Although we'll be exploring several of CWC's tools, this
trip will definitely be "in the fast lane", not the "scenic
route".  The goal is to produce a finished puzzle in as few
steps, and in the shortest amount of time, as possible.

Of course there will still be much for you to explore on
your own, but we want to get that first crossword into your
hands right now.  So, if you haven't already, startup
Crossword Creator and move to the main screen.

Here we go.


               ______________________________



The Words

Of course, a crossword puzzle is composed of words and
clues, but the words must come first in CWC.  The
"Edit Bank" tool will accept a list of words, so that's
where we'll start.

1.   Press Alt-E-B.  The "Edit Bank" dialog is displayed;
     the "Word" text box has the focus.

2.   Place 10 words of your own choosing into the word bank.
     First type a word, then press ENTER to place it in the
     list.

3.   Move the focus to the "Ok" command button and press the
     SPACEBAR.  Your list is saved, and the dialog is
     dismissed.

The Grid

Okay, now we have a word list.  Next, we need to intersect
those words into a grid, so we'll use the "Auto Place" tool.

1.   Press Alt-E-A.  The "Auto Place" dialog is displayed;
     the "Word" text box has the focus.  Also, notice that
     your words are displayed in the "Bank" list box.

2.   Look at the two controls grouped under "Mode", and the
     three controls grouped under "Robot".  If they are not
     already, select the "Freeform" button, select the "On"
     button, and check the "Long Words First" box.

3.   Press F2 to move the focus to the "Across" command
     button.

4.   Press the SPACEBAR to begin building the puzzle grid.

     While you watch, Crossword Creator will do its best to
     intersect your words; this should only take a few
     seconds.  If CWC does not generate a grid of acceptable
     size, go back to "Edit Bank", type in some more words,
     and run "Auto Place" again.

5.   When the robot is finished, the "Auto Place" dialog
     will be redisplayed.  Leftover words that were not
     placed into the grid will still be visible in the
     "Bank" list box.  Press ESC to dismiss the dialog.


Although you will probably use the "Auto Place" tool most often,
you may also build grids manually by typing words directly into
the Puzzle Window.  Built-in text-editing features enable you to
modify the grid at any time so you can add additional words,
delete words, move words to new locations, etc.  Simply use
Crossword Creator as if it were a word-processor, and treat the
Puzzle Window as if it were a block of text.

If you want to edit the grid manually, remember that you may type
vertically, as well as horizontally.  Simply press the Plus key
("+") to toggle the typing direction from "ACROSS" to "DOWN".

The Clues

Well, you may have thought that building a grid would be the
hard part.  But, as you can see, Crossword Creator makes it
a snap.  It's the clues that actually take a little time.
And, now that we have a grid, we're ready to go to work on
them with the "Edit Clues" tool.

1.   Press Alt-E-C.  The "Edit Clues" dialog is displayed.
     If the "Across" text box does not have the focus, press
     PgUp to move it there.

2.   Type in the clue for the "Across" word.

     Clues can be up to four lines in length.  Note, though,
     that each line is a separate control -- there is no
     word-wrap.  To move from one line to the next you must
     press TAB or Shift+TAB, just like you would with any
     other dialog control.

3.   When your "Across" clue is complete, press PgUp to
     select the next "Across" word.  Type in the clue as you
     did before.

     Continue this process until all of the "Across" words
     have clues.  When the first clue you typed appears
     again, you know that you've cycled through all of the
     "Across" words.

4.   Press PgDn to move the focus to the "Down" text box,
     and supply a clue for each "Down" word.  Remember to
     use PgDn (rather than PgUp) to cycle through the "Down"
     words.

5.   When you've supplied a clue for each word in the
     puzzle, press the "Ok" command button to dismiss the
     dialog.

The Puzzle

That's it -- you're done.  There are just two minor things
left to do: save your work, and print the finished puzzle.

1.   Press Alt-F-S.  The "Save As" dialog is displayed.

     Notice that although you selected "Save" from the menu,
     the "Save As" dialog was displayed instead.  Crossword
     Creator always presents the "Save As" dialog when you
     save a new puzzle for the first time.

2.   Supply a name for your puzzle in the "Name" text box,
     replacing the "UNTITLED" default.  Crossword Creator
     uses this name to store your puzzle on disk.

3.   Supply a title for your puzzle.  It's not required, but
     if you provide a title it will appear centered over the
     puzzle when you print it.

4.   Press "Ok".  Your puzzle is now safely stored on disk.

The Finished Product

1.   Press Alt-F-P to display the "Print" dialog.

2.   Under "Format", select "Puzzle And Clues",  then press
     "Ok" to begin printing.

     Printing is always a time-consuming task on computers,
     so CWC displays message boxes that keep you informed of
     its progress.  Notice that each message box provides a
     "Cancel" button that will immediately stop the print
     process if you press it.


               ______________________________



Well, the tour's over and you have your first crossword
puzzle in hand.  Along the way you learned about, menus,
dialogs, controls, and dozens of other Crossword Creator
details.  You are no longer a novice; you're a journeyman
cruciverbalist.  Becoming an expert just takes practice and
experience.

Of course, there are many other useful gadgets in Crossword
Creator's "toolbox" that we didn't even try.  But your own
experience and CWC's extensive on-line Help will serve you
well as you explore the more advanced features.

And remember, if you get lost, the Guide Window is always
there to make gentle suggestions about what to do next.

Thanks for riding along.