WORDFIND
========
WORDFIND is a Wordsearch puzzle generator. Having been
necessary for a magazine I produce, the program is weighted
towards output on to a printer or disc. This is not to say
the program has a useful SOLVE routine, which enables the
program to be used as game.
All generated puzzles are randomised, which gives an infinite
number of puzzles from the same word list.
Unlike a standard Wordsearch, multiple words, hyphenated
words & etc, are allowed in the text list. A phrase or
message, to be incorperated into the puzzle's free spaces,
can be a word, sentence or even sentences.
Options over printing allow a standard puzzle (as per
magazines) with or without the word list, which can be in a
more difficult form, or to find the hidden message.
The program works in monochrome, but should work quite
happily with Mono emulators.
The program will work inside a folder, so will operate on a
Hard Drive.
It has been written on a TOS 1.2 machine and should be
compatible with most versions of the Atari.
This program is shareware, and the nominal sum of œ5 will
ensure an update with user's suggestions, and a perhaps a
colour version.
Send donations to:-
Mr D Johnston
14 Ardvarna Cresent
BELFAST
BT4 2GJ
To load the program, double click on WORDFIND.PRG. To get
into the program quickly - Use Disk Load under the ENTER menu
heading and load one of the supplied word lists from the
disk. The list is shown for a few seconds. Select Start under
the PUZZLE menu heading, and watch the words being inserted
into a grid. Observing is important to satisfy yourself of
even placing of the words. When it is complete, you are
informed at the bottom of the screen. You have approximately
15 seconds to continue your observation, but the time can be
cut, by clicking the mouse. The second screen shows
statistics. Here you may abort if you don't like it and Start
again, or click OK to continue. The next screen allows you to
enter a message or use a previously defined phrase. The last
screen shows you the completed grid. Again it will remain for
a time unless you have exited by clicking the mouse.
You now can Solve the puzzle or show the Solution, both under
the PUZZLE menu heading, and/or PRINT to your printer, to
disk, or print the solution
The MENU commands
=================
1. (Atari Symbol)
1.1 Programmer
Shows the programmers name and the language used.
2. ENTER
2.1 Grid Size
Allows you to alter the grid size. The minimum is 5 character
spaces in both directions. The maximum is 39 character spaces
in the horizontal direction and 20 character spaces in the
vertical direction. Note using the absolute maximum will
cause annoying but not fatal over-writing on the screen.
Click the left mouse button to increase a figure, and the
right mouse button to decrease.
2.2 Enter Words
Simply type in a word or words in the space on the right
bottom corner of the screen. The length may continue to the
next line if it is too long to fit on that line. Note the
word(s) entered will appear as they are typed in a finished
puzzle (printed out). If you want uppercase, press Caps Lock.
The compressed* grid word is printed below your entry. If you
do need to use long words, leave them till near the end. On
this version, you may only enter words until the bottom of
the rightmost column, but this is more than adequate for a
good sized puzzle. It does not exit automatically.
Press Return with no text entered to quit Enter.
Subsequent use of Enter Words will allow you to add words to
an existing list, or clear that list and start a new one. By
re-entering, you can enter more words than the initial full
list.
* Compressed means a word or words suitable for grid entry.
These words are stripped of spacing and punctuation then
capitalized.
2.3 Delete Word
The word list will be printed, along with a number. Enter the
number to delete it.
2.4 Enter Phrase
This where you may enter a phrase. A phrase should only be a
word, or a coded conjunction of letters. To enter an accurate
sentence, wait until you compile the puzzle, even so it is
useful to enter a phrase before saving the word list, then
when you compile, it will remind you what to write in your
sentence(s).
2.5 Puzzle Name
This is self explanatory. The name will be written to the
right of the menu bar.
2.6 Disk Save
This will write the word list to a file on your disk. The
normal file select box will appear for you to enter a name.
Keep the WFD extender to isolate them from other programs. In
addition to the word list, the grid size, the phrase, and the
puzzle name are written.
2.7 Disk Load
This will load the data (as written by Disk Save) from your
disk.
3. PUZZLE
3.1 Start
This command will compile the puzzle.
A grid should appear immediately with the first word (the
longest) already inserted. If it does not, then is probable
that that word has not been inserted, which would normally be
caused by the the word being too long for the grid size.
Adjust either.
The grid will continue to fill up. When it is finished the
message DONE will appear at the bottom of the screen. It is
sometimes hard to know when the inserting has finished. There
is a time delay before the next screen, for you to peruse the
insertions. This delay can be aborted by clicking any mouse
key.
Entry and direction are completely randomized, but the
program will try 400 times to enter a word at different
positions, before giving up.
The second screen shows data concerning the entry directions,
the number of free spaces and any words that were not
inserted.
Study the compass read-out of the number of words inserted in
that direction. If you are not happy, click on abort, then
Start again.
If there are too many spaces for your application (you will
need at least 40 for a decent sentence), abort and enter more
words or reduce the grid size before re-Starting.
If there are not enough spaces increase the grid size or
delete some words.
Note this figure may change by a few digits, for the same
word list, according to how many cross and use the same
letter or letters.
If there are words shown, you may need to alter the grid
size. As a general rule, the grid size should be the length
of your longest compressed word plus one, in each direction.
If and when you are happy, click OK.
The third screen allows you to enter a message. If you wish
to use the existing phrase, press return twice*. Should you
wish to enter a message do so. Include all spacing and
punctuation, then press return. The compressed message will
be shown, with the number of letters and free spaces. You may
then adjust the sentence or sentences to fit. A Thesaurus can
be helpful here. This message as typed will appear as a
question on the printed output. All letters will be replaced
with a -, but all punctuation and spacing will be correctly
positioned. Remember to keep your length to below 80
characters, to avoid word-wrapping on the printed output,
although if intended for a DP or DTP, this may be exceeded.
Maximum character entry is 180. This will highlighted if
exceeded on the data screen.
The fourth and last screen shows the completed puzzle. This
again has a delay, for your perusal, but may be aborted by
clicking any mouse button.
* This is to allow spaced out text being saved to disk, and
thus this text needs compressing when first entering the
third screen.
3.2 Solve
This allows you to solve the puzzle on screen. The first name
will be presented on the left of the bottom line. Click the
first letter of the word within the puzzle. A box will
surround it. Click the next and so on till the end of the
word. Any deviation from the word or away from the last
letter selected, will cause an immediate deletion of the
box(es). Finishing the word will cause the word the be paled.
These pale letters may still be selected.
If you can not find the word, click on NEXT. The number of
words remaining is given and you may ABORT Solve at any time.
Finishing the puzzle should allow you to read the message.
3.3 Solution
This will provide a solution (as in magazines), in reduced
size text. It may be used to view before Solve, but it's main
purpose is to provide a graphical screen for print-out. The
message, if any, is given, but this will not be in the
print-out. Click OK to exit.
4. PRINT
4.1 To Printer
This will print a finished puzzle to your printer. The output
is in ordinairy text, thus there is no surrounding box,
according to the parameters set under the SELECT menu
heading. You should therefore manually set your printer e.g.
for NLQ or LQ text, or send the codes using Set Printer. The
word list will be printed if Print List is selected. The list
will be printed, if there is room, to the side and then below
the grid, otherwise it will be below. The list will be
emphasized, if selected. A Little Harder will only print four
letter words and less, otherwise only the capital letter and
number of letters (with a - ) will be given. These are
intended for publications, where these words would be titles
and such like throughout the magazine. The list is in
alphabetical form. If Print List is deselected, the number of
words required is printed. If Print Message is selected, the
message required will be printed.
The use of - instead of _ is because on many printers _ joins
up to the next, so individual letters cannot be seen.
4.2 To Disk
This will write a file to disk containing the finished
puzzle. SELECT is ignored and the list is below the grid. The
output of the grid may be spaced or tabbed, according to
whether you want use it in a WP, DP or DTP. Tabbed is for
using different fonts in a DP or DTP, where a box may be
easily drawn around the grid. The list may then be moved or
deleted, as can the message.
The file is in line based ASCII.
4.3 Solution
This will print out a graphical dump of the grid and the
solution lines. It is imperative you check and alter, if
necessary, the Set Printer codes, before using this command.
The grid may then be scaled, according to taste. The
inclusion of Before Print (in graphical mode), is to allow a
printer tab setting, then by adding a tab code (9) to Before
Line, solutions may be printed side by side. The settings
given are for 90DPI and 2 1/216" line feed, which is my
personal preference on a 24 pin printer.
4.4 Set Printer
This is to allows you to tailor the output for your
particular printer. To increase a digit (or space to 0) click
the left mouse button. Keep holding it and press the right
mouse button, to accelerate the change. To decrease use the
right mouse. Accelerate by pressing the left mouse button.
Ensure if you do not want a code, to decrease it to a space,
or odd things may happen in a graphical print.
The character code 255 is used by the program, so cannot be
used.
You can save a file and thereafter load it, if your settings
are wildly different. Clicking OK will use these codes for
print-out.
5. SELECT
5.1 A Little Harder
Click to select. Click again to deselect
5.2 Emphasize List
Click to select. Click again to deselect
5.3 Print List
Click to select. Click again to deselect
5.4 Print Message
Click to select. Click again to deselect
6. PROGRAM
6.1 Re-start From Scratch
This will clear the grid, reset the size, clear the word
list, phrase and name, and reset the printer. You are
warned.
6.2 Exit To Desktop
This will exit the program. You will be warned.