Monster Media 1994 #2

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~XW00HELP MENU. VITAL INFORMATION ════════════════════════════════ 1. DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE. 2. WHAT ABOUT CROSSWORD EXPRESS. 3. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS. 4. HOW TO REGISTER. 5. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY. 6. TECHNICAL SUPPORT. 7. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. ════════════════════════════════ "THE DAILY CROSSWORD" HELP TOPICS ═════════════════════════════════ A. USING THE CONTROL CENTRE. H. PRINTING A CROSSWORD. B. SELECTING A DICTIONARY. I. ADDING WORDS TO A DICTIONARY. C. GENERAL LATTICE MAINTENANCE. J. DISPLAYING DICTIONARY STATISTICS. D. CREATING A NEW LATTICE. K. ENTERING "SPECIAL" WORDS. E. EDITING A LATTICE. L. BACKING UP A DICTIONARY. F. MAKING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE. M. RESTORING A DICTIONARY. G. SOLVING A CROSSWORD. ~XW01DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE The name shareware was originally coined to describe a method of distributing software to end users, like yourself, without forcing a payment up front. A common misconception about shareware is that it's somehow crippled, damaged, infected with viruses, or otherwise unsuitable for use. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. Shareware is fully operational, documented, and technically the equivalent or superior of many commercial products. With shareware, you get to use and evaluate a program on your terms. You are permitted (even encouraged) to make copies of the program to distribute to your friends and associates, and to upload to bulletin boards. If, after evaluating a program, you find it useful, you are expected to make a separate registration payment to the author. By doing so, you will normally receive a number of additional benefits depending on the program. In the case of "THE DAILY CROSSWORD" you will in fact receive a copy of "CROSSWORD EXPRESS", which is a Windows 3.1 version of the program which incorporates a significant number of additional features. Read the HELP topic "WHAT ABOUT CROSSWORD EXPRESS" to find out about these features. ~XW02WHAT ABOUT CROSSWORD EXPRESS. When you register with AUS-PC-SOFT you will receive the latest version of CROSSWORD EXPRESS which is a Windows program which incorporates the following features in addition to those provided by THE DAILY CROSSWORD:- : Full mouse support. : Printed output can be sent to any printer supported by Windows. : Supports an unlimited number of dictionaries, and allows you to select more than one dictionary when making a crossword. : Supplied with 3 dictionaries viz:- ENGLISH - over 30000 words and clues. ENG-ITA - over 9000 English words with Italian words as clues. ARITH - over 6500 arithmetic clues and answers as words. (Thats right CROSSWORD EXPRESS allows numbers to be used as well as letters). : Name your puzzles as they are constructed, so that they may be recalled at a later time. There is no limit to the number of puzzles which can be saved. : MULTI-MAKE function allows up to 9,999 puzzles to be made in unattended mode, and printed out or saved for later use. : A scoreboard function keeps you up to date on progress as you are solving a puzzle. : A wide range of print options allows fine control of the appearance of the printed output, including size, positioning and font. Clues can be exported to the Clipboard for subsequent importing into your word processor, desk top publisher etc. : A preset word facility allows up to 20 words in the puzzle to be preset to particular words of your choosing. CROSSWORD EXPRESS will fill in the remaining words. If you are still not convinced of the benefits of registering, read the HELP topic ADDITIONAL BENEFITS, available from the Help Menu. ~XW03ADDITIONAL BENEFITS : As a registered owner of CROSSWORD EXPRESS you will be able to take part in a Network Distribution System, and to receive commission pay- ments for sales which you promote. The key to this system is your Registration Number which is encoded into your copy of CROSSWORD EXPRESS when you register, and which is included in the order form which you can print out from CROSSWORD EXPRESS. Distribute these order forms to people you think may be interested, and encourage them to register. When order forms bearing your Registration Number are received by AUS-PC-SOFT, a commission payment will be credited to your account, and payments will be made monthly. Commission payments will also be made to you for sales made by these "downstream" registrants to a maximum registration chain length of six. Clearly, considerable commission payments could result if you are able to generate a dynamic distribution network. : The present policy of AUS-PC-SOFT is to maintain a Register of dictionaries which have been generated world wide by CROSSWORD EXPRESS users. When this register becomes sufficiently large, it will be made available to all users so that they can purchase new dictionaries direct from the people who compiled them. Naturally, if you should generate a dictionary on any subject at all, you can have it included in the Register, and can supply it direct to CROSSWORD EXPRESS users who will order it direct from you. ~XW04HOW TO REGISTER The Shareware system of software distribution removes the need for people to buy software before they have a chance to try it out for them- selves. You are free to evaluate this program for a period of 30 days, after which time you have an obligation to register with AUS-PC-SOFT if you want to continue using it. You can register thru Public (software) Library with your MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover card by calling 800-242-4PsL (from overseas: 713-524 -6394) or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CompuServe to 71355,470. THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY. AUS-PC-SOFT can NOT be reached at these numbers. To contact AUS-PC-SOFT for information about dealer pricing, volume discounts, site licensing, the status of the shipment product, the latest version number or for technical information, or to discuss returns, use one of the contact mechanisms referred to in the HELP topic TECHNICAL SUPPORT. **** The registration fee using this method is $30.00 US. **** If you would prefer to order direct from AUS-PC-SOFT, then print a registration form by pressing 'P' at any help screen, complete the form and send it to AUS-PC-SOFT at the address shown on the form. Please note that only Mastercard and Visa can be accepted at this stage. **** The registration fee using this method is $40.00 AUS. **** Even if you choose not to register, you are still encouraged to pass this program on to your friends and associates, so that they too may be entertained by "The Daily Crossword". Thank you for supporting Shareware and AUS-PC-SOFT products. ~XW05DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY THIS SOFTWARE IS SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PER- FORMANCE OR MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EX- PRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. SHOULD THE SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE, THE USER ASSUMES THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY REPAIR, SERVICING, OR CORRECTION. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE TO LOSS OF DATA OR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR OR AN AGENT OF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. ~XW06TECHNICAL SUPPORT Technical Support can be obtained free of charge by writing to the following address:- AUS-PC-SOFT Onkaparinga Valley Road VERDUN South Australia 5245 AUSTRALIA or by sending a Mail Message to:- Compuserve: 100032,2650 * NB:- The Compuserve option * * is strongly recommended if a * * rapid response is required. * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AUS-PC-SOFT is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman on 70007,3536. ~XW07FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The future development of CROSSWORD EXPRESS is in your hands. It is dependant on two things :- : A steady flow of registrations to finance its development, and : A steady flow of suggestions concerning new features you would like to see introduced to the program. The order form which can be printed by THE DAILY CROSSWORD provides you with an opportunity to assist with both of these requirements. -----: PLEASE CONSIDER :----- The following enhancements are under consideration for future releases of CROSSWORD EXPRESS:- : A new print option which allows a puzzle to be printed out in the "clueless" crossword format. : Provide support for alphabets other than the Roman alphabet. Greek and Cyrillic are likely to be provided in the near future, with Hebrew somewhat later, due to the complexities caused by the right to left usage of the language. ~XW17USING THE CONTROL CENTRE. The power of the "The Daily Crossword" is controlled from the Control Centre Menu. Eleven options are available on the menu, and there are two methods of activating these options:- 1. Press the key corresponding to the letter on the button adjacent to the required menu item. The menu option will be executed immediately. 2. Use the four arrow keys to move between the menu options. Watch the buttons move in and out to indicate which option has been selected. Also the help panel at the bottom of the screen will give a brief description of the function provided by this option. When the correct menu option has been selected, it can be executed by pressing Enter. Notice that the key press to exit from The Daily Crossword is Q. This can also be accomplished by pressing the Escape key. It is worth noting that as a general rule, the Escape key can always be used to abort from any process within The Daily Crossword, in addition to whatever key may be specified in the Help information. ~XW18SELECTING A DICTIONARY. This screen serves two main purposes viz. 1. Selecting a dictionary to be used for the construction of a crossword puzzle, or for the addition of new words. Use the arrow keys to high- light the required dictionary, and then press the Enter key. When a dictionary has been selected in this way, it remains the current dictionary until a new one is selected. The process may be aborted by pressing Escape. This returns you to the Control Centre Menu, and leaves the current dictionary unchanged. 2. Creating a new Dictionary. This is achieved by moving the highlight to the <new> entry in the table of dictionaries, and pressing Enter. This provides you with an opportunity to enter the name of a new dictionary which the system will create for you. It will obviously not contain any words, but you can use the "Add Words to Dictionary" function of the Control Centre Menu to add as many words as you want. In creating a name for this dictionary you should restrict yourself to the letters of the alphabet, the ten numerals, and the hyphen. ~XW19GENERAL LATTICE MAINTENANCE. The Daily Crossword maintains a pool of lattices with which the user can interact. The lattice which is displayed when first entering this function is always the currently selected lattice. There are then six operations available for the user to select:- S. Select the lattice which is presently displayed to be the current lattice. An automatic return to the Control Centre Menu applies. A. Amend the lattice being displayed. After editing, control returns to the Lattice Maintenance menu. D. The lattice currently being displayed is deleted from the pool. It is replaced in the display by the next lattice in the pool. N. Step forward to the next lattice in the pool. C. Create a completely new lattice of any size and symmetry. After the new lattice has been designed, it becomes the current lattice, and control is returned to the Control Centre Menu. Q. Quit, and return to the Control Centre Menu. ~XW20CREATING A NEW LATTICE. Before a new lattice can be created, three characteristics of the lattice must be specified:- 1. Number of Rows. Simply enter a number in the range 3 to 47. 2. Number of Columns. Again a number in the range 3 to 47. 3. Symmetry. Within the limitations described below, this will be a letter in the range A to F. These symmetry codes have the following meanings:- A. This specifies a Rotational symmetry, in that the design of the resulting lattice appears unchanged when it is rotated through an angle of 90 degrees. It can only be applied to square lattices. B. Similar to A except that the lattice must be rotated through a full 180 degrees for the design to appear unchanged. C. The resulting lattice is simultaneously symmetrical about a vertical line and a horizontal line through the centre of the lattice. D. Symmetrical about a vertical line through the centre of the lattice. E. Simultaneously symmetrical about both diagonals. It can only be applied to lattices which are square. F. Symmetrical about a diagonal from bottom left to top right. Once again it can only be applied to a square lattice. Pressing Enter at any point will proceed to the lattice editing phase, while pressing Escape will abort from the Lattice Creation function. ~XW21EDITING A LATTICE The editing of a lattice is guided by means of a cursor, which is the square which is colored red. This cursor can be moved freely to any square on the lattice, including those which are already colored black. Notice that as the cursor moves from a white square to a black square, its color changes from a bright red to a much darker shade. This is to assist you in knowing what type of square the cursor is currently occupying. A square is changed from black to white by pressing the Insert key. Similarly, a black square is changed back to white by pressing the Delete key. Notice that as a square has its state changed, other squares in the lattice will change their state simultaneously. This is achieved automatically by the lattice editor which takes into account the type of symmetry which was selected when the lattice was brought into existence. ~XW22MAKING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE. The Daily Crossword keeps you informed of its progress during the making of a crossword, with the messages "Planning Strategy", "Reading words from dictionary", "Making crossword", and "Marking the used words in the dictionary". Occasionally, it may also display an error message indicating that there are insufficient words in the dictionary, or that a lattice has not been selected. The most common cause of the message regarding insufficient words is the unintentional inclusion of a two letter word requirement in the lattice design. This is easier to do than you might imagine, and must be avoided. If this proves not to be the cause then it will be necessary to add more words to the dictionary. As the make process happens, the lattice is displayed on the screen, and a light blue coloring is used to indicate squares into which letters have been inserted. This gives a very graphic picture of progress, or the lack of it, and may give an indication of problems with the original lattice design. It is after all possible to design a lattice which is just too hard for the program to fill with words. If this happens, the process can be stopped by pressing Q for quit, and returning to the Control Centre. From here the Lattice Maintenance option can be selected and modifications can be made to the current lattice. Sometimes adding a single black square to a lattice can mean the difference between making a crossword in a very short space of time, and not making it at all. When a crossword has been fully constructed, the words which were used are marked in the dictionary in such a way that they are locked out of use. They will remain in this condition until a situation is reached where a crossword could not be reliably constructed without their re- inclusion. ~XW23SOLVING A CROSSWORD. Now that you have made a crossword puzzle you can begin to solve it. Firstly, note that one of the non-black squares is shaded pink. This is the current square or cursor, and it can be freely moved over the entire crossword puzzle by means of the four arrow keys. As you move the cursor you will notice that it automatically jumps over the black squares. For each cursor position there will be an ACROSS and/or a DOWN clue, and these clues are displayed in the top right hand area of the screen. Just type in the words which you think match the clues. As you type, the cursor will generally move to the next square automatically, but some- times it is not possible for the program to determine wether it should move across or down. In such cases, type in the first letter only, and then indicate the required direction by means of either the down or the right arrow key. Thereafter the cursor will move automatically in the indicated direction each time you type in another letter. If the going gets too tough, you can use the ? key to "cheat". When you do this, the correct letter for the square where the cursor is located will be displayed. Try not to do it too much. If you run out of time, you can quit by pressing Escape. Your work so far will be saved, and you can continue with it next time you select the Solve function. There are two potential error message which you may see:- 1. If a crossword has not yet been built using the current dictionary then you will be informed of this fact. 2. It is possible to build a crossword which is too big to solve on the screen. In such cases, a printed copy must be produced. ~XW24PRINTING A CROSSWORD. If a paper copy of the crossword is required, it can be printed by any dot matrix printer which is able to operate in an EPSON compatible mode. Three separate printouts can be produced as follows:- 1. A blank lattice to be used by the crossword solver. 2. The clues. 3. The solution. Any or all of these printouts may be produced in a single printing operation by placing Y in the appropriate box. Some additional information is required if the clues are going to be printed. This is to allow control of the clue format. For example, if A4 paper is being used, the recommended format is Column width = 24, Number of columns = 3, and Lines per page = 60. If a wide format printer is being used, the format may be Column width = 25, Number of columns = 5, and Lines per page = 60. The warning messages which may be encountered in this process are quite straight-forward viz: If for any reason the printer is not ready to print (Not switched on, Out of paper, or off line), a message will be presented, and an opportunity provided to rectify and proceed. Also, if no crossword has been constructed for the current dictionary, you will be advised accordingly. ~XW25ADDING WORDS TO A DICTIONARY. Adding new words is a simple two step operation, viz. 1. Type in the new word in the space provided, and then press Enter. If The word is already in the dictionary, the corresponding clue will be displayed. 2. Type in the clue, or amend the existing one, and then press Enter. As you type in the information, it is stored in a temporary location on the disk, and it is not until you quit the Add Word function that the new words are merged into the dictionary. The following points are important:- 1. The program does not save words which are less than three letters in length. 2. The longest word that can be entered is 15 letters. 3. More than one clue can be entered for a word. The individual clues must be separated by a single * character. When the clues are printed out, the clue to be printed is selected by a random process. 4. To delete a word from the dictionary, type in the word, and when the clue is displayed, delete all letters of the clue. The word will be deleted during the merge process. Use the Dictionary Statistics function to monitor the growth of the dictionary. ~XW26DISPLAYING DICTIONARY STATISTICS. If you have been adding words to a new or existing dictionary, you will no doubt want to monitor progress. The display shows not only the total number of words in the dictionary, but gives a breakdown of sub- totals for each starting letter from A to Z, and for each word length from 3 to 15. ~XW27ENTERING "SPECIAL" WORDS. Special words are added to the system in just the same way as normal words, but they must have more than 15, and less than 48 letters. The special word will in fact generally be a sentence containing either a greeting message or an advertising slogan. When the crossword making function encounters a lattice containing a word having more than 15 letters, it will search for a special word of the correct length to satisfy this requirement. Important restrictions:- 1. In any lattice, there must be no more than one word having more than 15 letters. 2. The special word you want the system to use must be contained in the currently selected dictionary. 3. In any given dictionary, there cannot be more than one special word for any given length. In fact a special word will be deleted if a subsequent special word of the same length is input. ~XW28BACKING UP A DICTIONARY. If you have been adding words to any of your dictionaries, you will want to safeguard the work you have done. The best way of doing this is to make regular floppy disk backup copies of the dictionaries as you are extending them. The floppy disk may be placed in either drive A or B, but you must tell the system which one you intend to use. When you have done this the program will prompt you to place the backup disk into the appropriate drive, and if the dictionary extends over more than one disk, it will prompt you for each additional disk. As the copying proceeds, you are kept informed regarding the number of bytes left to backup, and the sequence number of the current backup disk. ~XW29RESTORING A DICTIONARY. The restore process allows you to mend a damaged dictionary by copying the contents of a floppy disk (or disks) made using the backup function. Naturally it is possible to use either drive A or B for this purpose. The program will prompt for the insertion of disks as the process continues, and it will object if it encounters an incorrect disk such as : Not a backup disk. : Backup disk, but for a different dictionary. : Out of sequence backup disk for the current dictionary. During the restore process, the screen displays the total number of bytes restored to the dictionary, and the sequence number of the current backup disk.