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The Crossword Construction Kit Version 1.2 Shareware Documentation Copyright (c) 1993 Kijin Jung All Rights Reserved CCK 1.2 page 2 Version 1.2 The Crossword Construction Kit (CCK) and its accompanying documentation is provided AS IS without any warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or functionality. In no event shall the author be liable for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings or any other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or the inability to use this program. This program is copyrighted and may only be distributed with all accompanying files, without any modifications, including this DOC file. Postscript and Adobe Illustrator are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incroporated. CorelDRAW! is a registered trademark of Corel Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. CCK 1.2 page 3 Version 1.2 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................ 4 What's New .......................................... 5 Benefits of Registration ............................ 6 Installation ........................................ 7 Template Menu ....................................... 8 Game Menu ...........................................10 Printing to Files ...................................12 Registration Form ...................................13 Future Versions .....................................14 CCK 1.2 page 4 Version 1.2 Introduction Welcome to The Crossword Construction Kit, version 1.2! CCK allows you to create square, diagonally symmetrical crossword puzzles - the kind you see in your local news- paper. After constructing and filling in the grid, CCK gives you the option of saving the grid and the solutions as EPS files for a professional appearance. Clues can be saved sep- arately as text files, which you may format as you desire. Reasons Well, two reasons. One, I like solving and creating cross- word puzzles. I couldn't find a program which would allow me to easily create them. Two, I wanted to learn C. Yup, one day, I was overcome with an overpowering, uncontrollable urge to learn C, and I thought to myself, as I was in the process of writing my master's thesis, at about six o' clock on a Thursday evening, hmmm, I'll learn C! Then I made a ham sandwich for dinner. And thus, CCK was begat... List of Files CCK12.ZIP: Filename Description ============================================================= CCK.DOC this file CCK.EXE the executable file CCK.ICO hey, what the heck, everyone else is doing it CCK.PIF ditto README.1ST release notes CCK1.* sample template and game CCK2.* sample template and game FILES.LST just this same list again ORDER.FRM order form WHATSNEW.TXT changes from version 1.1 CCK 1.2 page 5 Version 1.2 What's New Changes in CCK 1.2 (June 20, 1993) - Added Microsoft mouse support. - Added prolog to EPS files to make them printable to PostScript printers. Changes in CCK 1.1 (June 12, 1993) - Removed the across and down numbers when printing the grid solution to an EPS file. - Added a context-sensitive color-coded(!) help engine. - Added a 15-space clue window when entering clues. - Added arrow marker to indicate whether the clue is longer than clue window. - Changed the behavior of backspace while entering letters on the grid (word entry). Backspace now erases letters. - Fixed the behavior of backspace in the clue and filename entry windows (backspace now erases the first letter). - Fixed keyboard buffer when exiting. Changes in CCK 1.0 (June 5, 1993) - First public shareware release. CCK 1.2 page 6 Version 1.2 Benefits of Registration Registering CCK will give you the ability to create from a small 11x11 grid puzzle up to a whopping 23x23 grid crossword puzzle (CCK shareware is limited to a 15x15 grid ONLY). Registering also eliminates the three second delay at the introduction screen. The two versions are otherwise identical. If you have the irresistible urge to register this software, send $15 to me at the address listed in the order form and on the introduction screen. Purchasers will receive their registered version of CCK by mail in your choice of 3.5" or 5.25" low density disks. SHIPPING IS INCLUDED if you live in the U.S.A. If you are already registered (from a previous version of CCK) in the registered users database, you are entitled to free updates (excluding $4.00 for shipping, handling, and packaging costs). Send $4.00 for your choice of 3.5" or 5.25" low density disks. CCK 1.2 page 7 Version 1.2 Installation If you're reading this, then you know how to unzip files. Just place all the files in any subdirectory. Since CCK.EXE is the only file that is absolutely required to run CCK, you may delete the optional sample files CCK1.* and CCK2.* if you wish, and make your own templates/games. Then type CCK, hit the ENTER key, and the intro screen will appear. After three seconds, type the ANY key. That's right, the ANY key. Press F1 at any time after the introduction screen (except when loading and saving files) to invoke the context sensitive help windows. Help screens are coded by color as well: white for menu help, red for template help, blue for word help, and green for clue help. A mouse is not necessary to execute this program. However, if you have a Microsoft-compatible mouse driver, CCK will utilize the mouse. In most cases, the left button acts as the ENTER key, and the right button acts as the ESC key. CCK 1.2 page 8 Version 1.2 Template Menu First, a definition of the term "template". The template is the array of (white or black) boxes on which you will enter your letters; think of it simply as an empty crossword grid -- except that you get to construct the grid. Files with the extension "CCT" are template files. The first screen to greet you after the introduction screen is the template screen. An empty 15x15 grid will appear at left in the workspace, while at the bottom right is the Template Menu. The menu choices are: Fill Squares Load Template Save Template Game Menu Quit Fill Squares This is where you construct your template. While the cursor is on the grid, hit the ENTER key to make a white box black, or hit ENTER again to make a black box white. You can use the arrow keys to move the cursor around. Notice that as you fill (or empty) a box, the box diagonally symmetrical to the current one will also change. Hitting Escape takes you back to the menu. Load Template This option loads a template which you or anyone else has previously created (such as the ones included in this package). Hitting Enter will prompt you for an eight letter filename to which the extension CCT will be automagically appended. Note: the shareware version does not load grids other than the 15x15 size, though it is still quite a respectable size. CCK 1.2 page 9 Version 1.2 Template Menu (continued) Save Template Save Template will prompt you for a filename with the extension CCT. This option will save your new or altered template file, which you may use and reuse for building new crossword puzzles. Game Menu This option takes you to the game menu (explained in detail in the following section). Remember, you cannot return to the template menu once you enter the game menu, so make sure you save your template masterpiece before you proceed (that is, if you want). Quit Ends the program. CCK 1.2 page 10 Version 1.2 Game Menu "Game" is somewhat of a misnomer, since you aren't playing a game per se. The game screen is where you enter all the letters, i.e. solutions, in the grid, as well as all the clues that correspond to those letters. Files with the extension "CCK" are game files. The menu choices are: Enter Words Enter Clues Load Game Save Game Print to File Quit Enter Words Enter your solutions, letter by letter. You can control the cursor with the arrow keys once you are on the grid, and as you type the words, the cursor will automatically move to the right or downwards. Press the TAB key if you want to alternate between ACROSS cursor movement and DOWN cursor movement. Spacebar erases a letter, and ESC takes you back to the main game menu. Enter Clues Enter the clues for each corresponding across or down word. Once on the grid, the arrow keys will again move the cursor around on the grid, except now the movement is limited to the first letter of each ACROSS or DOWN word (you'll see what I mean). Again, hit the TAB key to alternate between ACROSS clues and DOWN clues. Then type ENTER to enter your clue (up to 54 spaces) in the pop-up window. CCK 1.2 page 11 Version 1.2 Game Menu (continued) Load Game This option will prompt you for a "game" filename with the extension CCK. It loads a game which you or anyone else has previously created, including the sample games included in this package. Note: the shareware version does not load grids other than the 15x15 size. Save Game Save Game will prompt you for a filename with the extension CCK. This will save your new or altered game file, which you may then recall at a later time to finish constructing the crossword puzzle, or send it electronically to your friends and be the life of the party. The paperless cross- word! Print to File Takes you to the Print menu, explained in next section. Quit Ends the program. CCK 1.2 page 12 Version 1.2 Printing to Files Again, "print" is a misnomer, since all you're doing is printing to a file. I've found that drawing programs such as CorelDRAW!(TM) (tested with version 2.0 and 3.0) import the resulting files very nicely and in fact, any program which imports Adobe Illustrator(TM) type EPS files _should_ work. It should also print on PostScript(TM) printers and inter- preters. The menu choices are: Print Grid Print Solution Print Clues Return Print Grid Print Grid will prompt you for a filename with the extension EPS. This option prints the grid (template) to Encapsulated Postscript files, which, when printed to a laser printer, look stunning. Print Solution This option will again prompt you for a filename with the extension EPS, except that it will print the solution as well as the template. Think of this as the upside down "Answer on page 27" solutions. This is also saved as Encapsulated Postscript, so you may want to save it as a different name from the Grid EPS file (such as cck1sol.eps). Print Clues The clues are saved as an ordinary text file, as opposed to the previous two choices, which allows for easier text and format manipulation. For example, you can import both the Template EPS file and the Clues text file and format them as you wish in any illustration program. CCK 1.2 page 13 Version 1.2 Registration Form ___Cut_here_________________________________________________Cut_here___ Registration form for The Crossword Construction Kit 1.2. Name: ________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________ City/State ____________________________________ Zip __________ _____ CCK 1.2 on 5.25" DD disk $15.00 _____ CCK 1.2 on 3.5" DD disk $15.00 If you have registered for a previous version of CCK, you are entitled to free updates, excluding shipping, handling and packaging charges ($4.00 for either 5.25" or 3.5" DD disks). _____ Shipping and handling for CCK 1.2 $ 4.00 as update on 5.25" DD disk _____ Shipping and handling for CCK 1.2 $ 4.00 as update on 3.5" DD disk Please remit by check or money order (U.S bank or branch) to: Kijin Jung 32633 Surrey Lane Avon Lake, OH 44012 "Thank you for your support." ____________________________________________________________________________ CCK 1.2 page 14 Version 1.2 Future Versions Hopefully, if I get enough response, I will be able to release a significant upgrade to CCK, master's thesis willing. There are a lot of features yet to be added, such as the Crossword _Player_ Kit (solve puzzles created by CCK on screen), asymmetrical crossword puzzle support, a personal dictionary to which you can save your favorite clues to words, a word search engine which can find a word for you based on empty letter fields, an actual DOS printer driver, and perhaps VGA graphics mode (much) later on. If you have any suggestions, bug reports, or comments, you can write me at the address below, or if you're on the net, e-mail me. Kijin Jung 32633 Surrey Lane Avon Lake, OH 44012 Internet: kxj6@po.cwru.edu