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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.
-