Cryp·It Version 1.0, the Cryptogram Entertainment

System, makes it great fun to hone your puzzle

solving skills with your friends and family.  Create

Challenging cryptograms for each other to solve.

With Cryp·It, your children improve their deductive

reasoning and strengthen their vocabularies while

increasing their familiarity with computers as well.

Glossary:	 - Description Of Terms Used

Menu Summary:	 - Commands On Each Menu

Using Cryp·It:	 - Instructions For Utilization


Menu Summary

Help on Cryp·It's Menu Commands consists of the following sections.  To view a particular section click on it.

File Menu

Crytogram Menu

Maintenance Menu

Help Menu

Edit Menu


File Menu

Open...	Loads a new puzzle file.into Cryp·It.

Save As...	Saves current puzzle file under a new name.

Print...	Prints current date, time, and puzzle on line printer.

Print Setup...	Permits selection, setup of all available printers.

Exit	Ends Cryp·It program.


Cryptogram Menu

Give Me A Hint	Reveals a single letter of the cryptogram.

Reset Solution Socres	Resets cryptogram's Scores to 0.

Solve Now	Displays solution to the cryptogram.


Maintenance Menu

Create New Cryptogram	Creates cryptogram in puzzle file.

Edit Current Cryptogram	Edits the current cryptogram.

Delete Current Cryptogram	Deletes the current cryptogram.


Help Menu

Contents	Detailed Index to Cryp·It Help.

Menu Commands	Utilization of all menu commands.

Using Cryp·It	Using Cryp·It most effectively.

Help With Help	Help with the Windows' Help Facility.

About Cryp·It	Release version and credits for Cryp·It.


Edit Menu

Cut	Deletes text and moves it to the clipboard.

Copy	Copies text to the clipboard.

Paste	Moves text from the clipboard to an edit window.

Copy All Lines	Merges all edit windows to the clipboard.

Multi-Line Paste	Pastes clipboard text into all edit windows.


Using Cryp·It

Help on using the Cryp·It program consists of the following sections.  To view a particular section click on it.

Selecting A Cryptogram

Replacing The Letters

Obtaining That Hint

Suggestions For Success


Select A Cryptogram
Selecting A Cryptogram

When Cryp·It starts, it randomly selects a cryptogram from the default puzzle file "crypit.crp".  If you have already solved the one selected, you can easily choose another one by clicking on the down arrow [image] of the puzzle list box.  If there are more than 5 puzzles in the puzzle file, a scroll bar will appear, permitting you to scroll quickly through the list of available puzzles.  Simply click on any number and the corresponding cryptogram will be loaded and ready to solve.

After you have solved all the puzzles in the default puzzle file, you can select a new puzzle file to access.  For new puzzle files, you can either create them or obtain them from Bosenbach Computing.

Note:  After you have solved all of the cryptograms in a puzzle file, you may wish to rename a new puzzle file with the default name, "crypit.crp", so that it can be automatically accessed whenever the program is executed.


Replacing The Letters
Replacing Letters

To replace any letter in the current cryptogram, simply click its button with the mouse pointer.  After you click it, a blank button will appear above its location.  Select one of the Alphabet letters located on the upper panel and its letter will replace all occurrences of the letter you wish to replace.  Notice that as each Alphabet letter is used somewhere, it is grayed.

To cancel the replacement, click on the replacement letter button above the letter you clicked originally.  It will be returned to its former state, and the Alphabet letter will be enabled for reuse.


Obtaining That Hint

For assistance in solving cryptograms, you may wish to obtain one or more hints from the Cryptogram menu.  Each time you obtain one, you are docked the number of points indicated to the right of the menu selection.  The amount of points varies with the number of characters in the cryptogram.

Since each puzzle is worth 1000 points, an 18 point cost for a hint is of minimal impact compared to the 10 points per minute the hint may save you.  So if the puzzle seems particularly hard to solve, you should consider calling for more hints.

On the other hand, hints are issued in random fashion so your hint might reveal 6 or 8 characters one time, and only one character the next.  And they can become quite expensive if the puzzle is rather short.  A hint for a puzzle with only 20 letters in it costs you 100 points!


Suggestions For Success

Solving a cryptogram has a few rules of thumb to follow.  The rules may vary depending on who your teacher was, and they may not always be effective.  If the author of the puzzle knows the same rules, he or she may use care to create puzzles which counteract the approach one takes when following them.  With this in mind, here are some suggestions from the author of Cryp·It.

1.	Generally, E is the most frequently occurring letter.  It is usually found at the end of at least one word in the cryptogram.

2.	A single letter is either an A or an I.  If it occurs more than once in the puzzle, it is more often an A.

3.	A single letter which follows an apostrophe (') is most often a T, although it can be an S or a D as well.

4	If the same set of three letters appears more than once in the cryptogram, there is a good chance the word is THE.

5	Cryptograms have a cadence when you read them.  Even if you don't know what it says, you can feel its rhythm.  This can help you recognize a familiar phrase the author may have used.

6	Cryptograms are Fun!  The more you work them, the better you'll become at solving them.  And if you get good enough, you can author your own, just like I have done.  So, for goodness sake, enjoy yourself!


Open...

This command displays a File Open dialog box listing all puzzle files in your current working directory and allows you to select one to load into Cryp·It.  You can change drives and directories while looking for a puzzle file to open.


Save As...

This selection displays a File Save As dialog box enabling you to save the current puzzle file to your hard disk drive (or diskette, if desired) under the original or a new name.  You can change drives and directories prior to saving the file.


Print...

This selection allows you to print the current cryptogram on any of your available printers.  The date and time will precede the cryptogram, which will be printed in

two 70-character lines, treble spaced for penciling in letters above them.

It also permits you to setup the printer, orient the page and margins, specify number of copies, or cancel printing, if desired.


Print Setup
Print Setup...

This command allows you to select and setup your printer from all available print devices on your system.  It will also permit network printer connections if any exist.


Exit

This command is entered to quit the program.  During cryptogram Creation or editing modes, the Exit command is not available, so no danger of data loss exists.


Give Me A Hint

This command reveals one letter of the cryptogram's solution to you in the form: Letter X is Letter P.  Each hint costs you points, and a running total of points are displayed along with the hint.  When a puzzle is solved, your overall solution score is reduced by the accumulated cost of all hints you have received.

Note:  The cost of a hint varies from cryptogram to cryptogram and is inversely proportional to the number of characters used.  In a smaller puzzle, each hint will cost you more points!


Reset Solution Scores

This command resets all solution scores stored with the current cryptogram to 0.

Note:  Scores are filled one at a time.  That is, the first time a puzzle is solved, the score will be stored as score #1, the second time, score #2, and so forth.  Once a puzzle has been solved four times, however, subsequent scores will overwrite score # 4.  This will continue until the puzzle's solution scores have been reset.


Solve Now (I Give Up)

This command is self-explanatory.  It is important to note that once you have selected this command, the current cryptogram cannot be solved until it has been selected anew from the puzzles list box.  This is to prevent someone from using this selection to fill in all the letters, deselecting a letter, and reselecting it so it appears as though they solved the puzzle in record time.


Create New Cryptogram

This command invokes the Create Cryptogram mode and places four edit windows on the screen.  With the assistance of an Edit menu of text modification tools, you can enter text as desired and save it as a cryptogram.

Note:  Each of the four edit windows are limited in length to 35 characters.  An attempt to save the puzzle with any of them in excess will result in the mouse pointer preceding the 36th letter in the offending edit window.


Edit Current Cryptogram

This command invokes the Cryptogram Edit mode and copies the current cryptogram to all four edit windows for text editing.  With the assistance of an Edit menu of text modification tools, you can change the puzzle's contents as desired.


Delete Current Cryptogram

This command is self-explanatory.  It is important to realize that a deleted cryptogram is gone forever.  It cannot be recalled, so be certain you no longer need it before using this selection.


Help Index

This command invokes the Windows Help Facility with the Cryp·It Help Index (the help file you are currently reading).


Help With Help

Selecting this command will give you a complete tutorial about using the Windows Help facility, which works the same way for all help files under Windows.  It shows you how to navigate through help files, get definitions of terms, browse related topics, search for key words or phrases, backup through your selected topics, and call up the index (or table of contents).

If you are confused about how help works, this selection is time well spent!


About Cryp·It

This command displays the release version, date of release, and credits for the Cryp·It program.  While viewing the 'About Box', no other Cryp·It functions are available, so click the OK button when finished viewing it, and control will return to the main program.


Cut

This command cuts (deletes) all selected text to the clipboard where it can be pasted into the edit window of this or any other Windows application.  Unlike Copy, Cut removes the selected text from the edit window.


Copy

This command copies all selected text to the clipboard where it can be pasted into the edit window of this or any other Windows application.  Unlike Cut, Copy leaves the selected text in the edit window unchanged.


Paste

This command takes all text previously placed on the clipboard, from this or any other Windows application, and inserts it into the edit window at the location of the mouse pointer.  The same text may be pasted into the edit window again and again, if desired.


Copy All Lines

This command copies text from all edit windows during cryptogram creation or editing and joins them into one sentence on the clipboard.  This is useful if you prefer modifying the text in another editor such as Windows Notepad.


Multi-Line Paste

This command takes all text previously placed on the clipboard, from this or any other Windows application, and inserts it into all edit windows, 35 characters per window, during cryptogram creation or editing.  If the clipboard text is in excess of 140 characters, the fourth edit window contents will have to be reduced to 35 before the puzzle can be saved.


Glossary

Copy

Cut

Edit Window

Enabled

Grayed

List Box

Mouse Pointer

Paste

Puzzle File


Clipboard

The clipboard is an area of reserved memory which allows you to copy selected text to it and recall text from it.  When you remove selected text using the cut command, it is stored in the clipboard and can be pasted back again until it is replaced by another cut or copy action.


Copy

Copy takes a snapshot of the highlighted text from the currently active edit window and duplicates it on the clipboard.  You can insert the copied text into another application or edit window of the same application using the paste command.


Cut

To Cut is to remove text from the currently active edit window.  In addition to the Cut selection from the Edit Menu, cut can be performed on highlighted text by holding down the Control Key and pressing the X key simultaneously.  Cut text can be recovered by using the Edit Menu Paste selection.


Edit Window

An Edit Window is one of the rectangular workspaces on the screen where you enter, delete, and change text during cryptogram creation or editing.  To assist you in text manipulation, the Edit Menu offers cut, copy, and paste support.


Enabled

When a button, menu selection, or other control responds to a mouse click, it is said to be enabled.  If there is no response, the control is said to be disabled or grayed.


Grayed

If a Button or menu selection is grayed it is disabled.  Clicking it with the mouse pointer will have no effect.  The opposite state for a grayed control is enabled


List Box

A list box permits you to scroll through a set of possible items and select one of them.  The Puzzle list box is used to select a cryptogram to solve in Cryp·It.


Mouse Pointer

The mouse pointer, sometimes an arrow, sometimes an hourglass, and sometimes an I-beam (when it is located in an edit window) is used to select one of the window controls to be clicked or double-clicked, depending upon the desired function.


Paste

To Paste is to add previously cut or copied text into the currently active edit window.  In addition to the Paste selection from the Edit Menu, paste can be performed by holding down the Control Key and pressing the Insert key simultaneously.  The text will be inserted at the location of the mouse pointer.


Puzzle file

A puzzle file is an Ascii text file containing Cryp·It puzzles.  Its file name extension is '.CRP'.  Each puzzle is stored in an encrypted form, preceded by its scores and its encryption key set.  Although the text file is editable, you should only make changes to it through the Cryp·It program or your changes may cause incorrectable problems to occur.

There is no physical limit to the number of puzzles stored in a puzzle file, but storage of too many puzzles in a single puzzle file will cause some functions to be performed noticeably slower.  Since Cryp·It lets you easily select a new puzzle file, it is recommended that puzzles per file should not exceed 100.