Help Contents for Your Own Crosswords

Program Purpose:

Create crossword puzzles. Think up your own or copy from other sources such as newspapers, magazines, etc.. Completed puzzles may be solved online or printed off for solving on paper.

Commands

File Menu	(ALT+F)

Solve Menu	(ALT+S)

Fonts Menu	(ALT+T)

Print Menu	(ALT+P)

Delete Menu	(ALT+D)

Shareware Menu	(ALT+W)

Uninstall Menu	(ALT+U)

Procedures

Starting a puzzle	(Ctrl+N)

Editing a puzzle	(Ctrl+O)

Copying a puzzle

Solving a puzzle online

Printing a puzzle	(Ctrl+P)

Removing a puzzle	(Del)

Removing a solution

Exiting the program	(Alt+F4)

Registering the program

Removing the program from my PC


File Menu
File Menu	(ALT+F)

This Main Menu choice is used in the creation, editing and saving of crossword puzzles.

Create a New Puzzle	(Ctrl+N)

Edit an existing Puzzle	(Ctrl+O)

Add/Modify Puzzle Title

Save this Puzzle	(Ctrl+S)

Save as

Close the Puzzle	(Ctrl+F4)

Exit	( ALT+F4)


Solve Menu
Solve Menu	(ALT+S)

This Main Menu choice  is used to begin or continue solving a puzzle online. Only completed puzzles are available for this option.

Solve a Puzzle

Save Solution in Progress

Close Solution in Progress

Check My Answers


Font Menu
Font Menu	(ALT+T)

This Main Menu choice is available while editing or solving a puzzle, and is used to set the screen font for the puzzle answers or clues (edit only). If editing a puzzle, the last clue font selected will also be used in the next printout of that particular puzzle, unless it is changed to another selection within the printing process. The answer font selected here has no affect on any future printouts.

Change Answer Font

Change Clue Font


Print Menu
Print Menu	(ALT+P)

This Main Menu choice opens up the print window, which supports the printing of any completed puzzle. A puzzle is complete when all answers and clues are filled in with any text. The puzzle title is optional. A printout of the answers for all completed puzzles is also supported.

Print	(Ctrl+P)


Delete Menu
Delete Menu	(ALT+D)

This Main Menu choice supports the deletion of puzzles or solutions.

Delete a Puzzle	(Delete)

Delete a Solution


Shareware Menu
Shareware Menu	(ALT+W)

This Main Menu choice displays registration and copyright information.

Registration Message

Registration Form

Copyright Message


Uninstall Menu
Uninstall Menu	(ALT+U)

This Main Menu choice supports the removal of this program and all its files from your PC.

Uninstall this program


Starting a Puzzle

1. From the File Menu select  “Create a New Puzzle”, or use the Ctrl+N shortcut. Your choice of puzzle size (in squares across) will be solicited in a box with numbers 13,15,17,19,21 in it.

2. Highlight the desired size, ranging from 13 by 13 to 21 by 21, then select the OKAY button to continue or CANCEL to return to the main window. If OKAY is selected a blank puzzle box will be shown to allow the user to construct the puzzle box diagram.

3. Indicate blackened  squares by moving the cursor to the desired square using the mouse, tabs or arrow keys, then pressing any key. To whiten a black square, go to it and press any key. If the “Auto Mirror Imaging” box is checked, all selection action will be applied also to the square diametrically opposite.

4. Select the Okay button to complete the new puzzle start up, and move into ‘edit’ mode. Or select the Cancel button to throw out the new puzzle.

See Editing a Puzzle for help on filling in the puzzle.


Editing a Puzzle

For a new puzzle follow the procedure Starting a Puzzle.

For an existing puzzle, from the File Menu select “Edit an existing Puzzle” or use the Ctrl+O shortcut.

The crossword will be displayed on screen with the answer box to your left and the clue list to your right.

The answer box is fixed in size and placement. It can’t be moved or resized. The clue list box can be.

Editing details:

1. Knowing where you are: answer or clues.

A. When this text is above the clue list, control is in the clues: “Hit F2 key to edit a clue”

2. Switching between the clues and answers.

A. Use the mouse, click once to place the caret in the clue list or answer box,  or

B. Hold down the Control Key and press the TAB key. Release both.

3. Answers -- moving around the puzzle box, and filling in the answer text.

Note 1: at all times, the answer box has a “current direction”: across or down. This direction affects 	text entry and tabbing, but not the arrow keys. Text atop the clue list box will show direction as 	“Puzzle Clues -- Across” or “Puzzle Clues -- Down”

Note 2: as you move to the start of an answer which is in the “current direction”, the corresponding clue will be highlighted. Moving with the arrows or mouse to the middle of another answer word will not immediately update the highlighted clue.

A. Tabbing: Tab or Shift+Tab will move the caret to the start of the next or previous answer, respectively,  in the “current direction” -- across or down.

B. Arrow keys: Will move one square in the direction of the arrow, regardless of the current answer  direction. Black squares are automatically skipped.

C. Mouse: Click the mouse once in an answer square to place the caret there.

D. Answer text: Type in the desired text. The caret will move automatically to the next  letter of the answer or, if at the end of an answer, to the first letter of the next answer going in the same direction. To change a letter, type right over the old letter. No need to erase.

4. Clues -- moving around:

A. Use the Tab, Enter (Return), or Arrow keys to move down the clues. Hold down the Shift key simultaneously to move upward.

B. Click a clue in the list with the mouse to jump to any clue.

C. Scrolling by clicking the mouse within the scroll bar or by pressing the Page Down, Page Up, Home or End keys will move the clue list up or down, but will not change the current clue selection.

5. Clues -- Editing:

A. To edit a clue, highlight it, then press the F2 key. A small window with the title text “Modify the Selected Clue” will appear near the top of the screen.

B. Type in the clue text desired. There’s a 70 character limit.

C. Select the save button to keep the clue change, or the cancel button to discard the change.

6. Puzzle Title -- Adding one:

A. This is optional. One or two title lines may be added to the puzzle. These lines will be added atop the page above the puzzle if it is printed.

B. From the File Menu select “Add/Modify Puzzle Title”. A small window entitled “Add/Modify Puzzle Title (2 lines maximum)” will appear atop the screen.

C. Type in the title text for either or both lines, as desired.

D. Justify the lines as desired by selecting the appropriate Left, Center, Right buttons.

E. Select a font, if desired, by choosing the Font button, then making a font selection from the box presented.  This font will be used for both title lines. It will also be used in any future printouts of this particular puzzle, unless overwritten within the printing process.

F. When satisfied select the Done button, else select the Cancel button to omit the change.

7. Puzzle clue and answer font -- changing either:

A. From the Font Menu (ALT+T) select “Change Answer Font”  or “Change Clue Font” as desired. A box entitled “Font” will appear.

B. Select the desired font name and style. Any size selection made by the user will be ignored because the clues are always set to 10 point type, and the answers are adjusted to fit the squares.

C. Select the OK button to make the font change, or Cancel to skip it.

D. The answer font used here is for screen display purposes only.

E. The clue font selected here, however, will be used when this particular puzzle is printed unless it is overwritten during the printing process.

8. Saving the puzzle:

A. From the File Menu select “Save This Puzzle”.

B. For a new puzzle, a box will pop up and prompt you for a file name. Use any name you want. Select the Okay button to save the new puzzle, or the cancel button to skip the save.

C. Please note that all puzzle files will be placed into the “windows” directory, i.e., c:\windows\.

D. After the save the puzzle will remain open for further editing.

9. Closing the puzzle:

A. From the File Menu select Close The Puzzle.

B. If changes were made after the last save, you will be asked if you want to save the puzzle. 	Answer “Yes” or “No” . A “No” reply will cause all changes made since the last save to 	be discarded.


Copying a Puzzle

This can only be done while editing an existing puzzle, that is, one which has a file name. A newly created puzzle has to be saved once and given a file name before it can be copied.

1. From the File Menu select “Save as”. A box will appear on screen to prompt for a file name. Give any name you desire. Select the Okay button to complete the copy. Select cancel to forgo the copy.

2. If the copy was made, the original puzzle is now closed and will not be affected by further editing. The copy is now open for further editing. See Editing a Puzzle for editing information.


Solving a puzzle online

Any completed puzzle may be worked on (solved) online. Further, the same puzzle may be opened for solving multiple times. Hence, two or more persons could be attempting to solve the same puzzle, though not at the same time, of course.

1. From the Solve Menu (ALT+S) select “Solve a Puzzle”. A list of all completed puzzles, plus any previously started solutions will be displayed.

2. Highlight the desired puzzle or solution file name and select Okay. The puzzle answer box and clue list will be displayed.

Solve edit details

3. Moving around:

A. Movement is only possible within the answer box. Any attempt to move to the clue list will be rejected and control will remain in the answers.

B. Tabbing: Tab or Shift+Tab will move the caret to the start of the next or previous answer, respectively,  in the “current direction” -- across or down.

C. Arrow keys: Will move one square in the direction of the arrow, regardless of the current answer direction. Black squares are automatically skipped.

D. Mouse: Click the mouse once in an answer square to place the caret there.

E. Answer text: Type in the desired text. The caret will move automatically to the next  letter of the answer or if at the end of an answer to the first letter of the next answer going in the same direction. To change a letter, type right over the old letter. No need to erase.

4. Checking your answers:

A. From the Solve Menu select “Check My Answers”.

B. All incorrect letters will be marked over with a slash mark (\).

C. If all filled in letters are correct, a message will so inform you.

D. Squares which haven’t been filled in are ignored when making this check.

5. Answer Font -- changing:

A. From the Font Menu (ALT+T) select “Change Answer Font”.

B. Select the desired font name and style. Any size selection made by the user will be ignored because the answers are adjusted to fit the squares.

C. Select the OK button to make the font change, or Cancel to skip it.

D. The answer font used here is for screen display purposes only.

6. Saving the solution:

A. From the Solve Menu select “Save Solution in progress”.

B. If this is not a previously saved solution, it will be given a file name automatically. The file name will be the same as the corresponding puzzle file, but with a numerical extension, beginning with the number “1" for the first solution of a given puzzle, then 2, then 3, etc.. For example, a puzzle named “abcde.txt” would have solutions named “abcde.1", “abcde.2", etc.

7. Closing the solution:

A. From the Solve Menu select “Close Solution in progress”.

B. If any changes were made after the last save, you will be asked if you wish to save the solution

first. Answer “Yes” or “No”, as desired. A “No” answer will cause all such changes to be discarded.


Printing a Puzzle

The print feature provides a means to print any completed puzzle in various layouts, or to print all puzzle answers.

1. From the Print Menu, select “Print” (or use Ctrl+P). The print feature window will fill the screen.

2. The rectangle drawn in the upper left part of the screen will contain a rough representation of what a printout of the current puzzle would look like. This picture will change as the puzzle or layout selection is changed.

Print setup details:

3. Puzzle and layout choice:

A. Highlight the desired puzzle under “Puzzle Choice”.

B. Choose a layout position under “Box Position”. There are 9 available layouts, with the puzzle answer box moving through positions ranging from top, left to bottom, right. The clues are wrapped around the box as leftmost as possible.

4. Font selection:

A. Each puzzle has its own title and clue font. These fonts may be set during the edit process or reset during the printing process.

B. The font selections used for a printout will become the default fonts for that particular puzzle until a new selection is made.

C. Font changes made have no affect unless the puzzle is printed before changing the puzzle selection or quitting the print feature.

D. To change the Clue font, select the “Choose Clue Font” button. Make a selection from the box.

E. To change the Title font, select the “Choose Title Font” button. Make a selection from the box.

5. Ink Saver:

A. This feature will place an “X” in all black squares instead of filling them in solid. Check the box marked “Ink Saver” to use this option.

6. Select type of printout:

A. “Print Puzzle” button will print the selected puzzle without filling in the answers.

B. “Print Puzzle, Fill in Answers” button will print the selected puzzle and fill in the answers.

C. “Print All Puzzle Answers” button will print the answers for all puzzles, six to a page.

7. Close the print feature:

A. Select the “Quit” button.


Removing a Puzzle

This is the proper way to get rid of unwanted puzzles. Please don’t delete puzzle files through the File Manager function. That will undermine the puzzle list maintained by the program, and could cause a crash of your PC.

1. From the Delete Menu (ALT+D) select “Delete a Puzzle” , or press the Delete key. A list of puzzles will appear.

2. Highlight the desired puzzle and select the Okay button.

3. A message will ask you to confirm the deletion. Select “Yes” to continue or “No” to quit.

4. Note that if the deleted puzzle had corresponding “solutions”  they will also be deleted.


Removing a Solution

This is the proper way to get rid of unwanted solutions. Please don’t delete these files through the File Manager function. That will undermine the puzzle list maintained by the program, and could cause a crash of your PC.

1. From the Delete Menu (ALT+D) select “Delete a Solution”.  A list of solutions files will appear.

2. Highlight the desired solution file and select the Okay button.

3. A message will ask you to confirm the deletion. Select “Yes” to continue or “No” to quit.


Exiting the Program

1. From the File Menu select “Exit” or press the ALT+F4 keys.

2. If an edit or solve was in progress with unsaved changes, you will be asked if a save of the file is wanted. Answer “Yes” to save the changes before exiting, or “No” to discard the changes.


Registering the Program

To register this program, pull down the Shareware Menu (ALT+W), then select “Registration Form”. A template of the registration form will appear on the screen. Please fill in your name , address and type of payment. This form may then be printed and mailed to complete the registration. If you prefer, a handwritten registration may be sent in.

Please note that the program is complete and fully functional as you now have it. Your registration will be acknowledged with a postcard, and will be appreciated.


Removing the Program from my PC
Removing the Program

To remove this program from your PC, bring down the Uninstall Menu (ALT+U), then select “Uninstall this program”.

A message box will ask for a confirmation of the request. Answer “yes” to continue or “no” to cancel. The procedure will be repeated with another message box to reconfirm the request. Again, answer “yes” to continue or “no” to back out.

If you confirmed and reconfirmed the request, all files created by the program will be removed from your PC, but the program itself (“yoc10.exe”) will still be in your PC. You will be instructed to delete this file yourself to complete the removal. The program cannot remove itself.


Create a New Puzzle

This File Menu command will step the user through the process of producing a blank puzzle diagram.

See Starting a Puzzle for details.


Edit an existing Puzzle

This File Menu command presents a list of existing puzzles of which the user can open one at a time for further editing. See Editing a Puzzle for details.


Add/Modify Puzzle Title

This File Menu command is available only while editing a puzzle. It allows the user to add to or modify the puzzle title. This is 1 or 2 lines which will appear above the puzzle atop the paper when the puzzle is printed. The puzzle title is optional.

See Editing a Puzzle ,subsection 6:  “Puzzle Title -- Adding one” for details.


Save This Puzzle

This File Menu command is available only while editing a puzzle. It will save the puzzle information in a file, which is named by the user the first time a puzzle is saved.

See Editing a Puzzle ,subsection 8:  “Saving the Puzzle” for details.


Save as

This File Menu command is available only while editing a puzzle. It will make a copy of the puzzle, close the original puzzle, and leave the copy open for further editing..

See Copying a Puzzle for details.


Close the Puzzle

This File Menu command  is available only while editing a puzzle. It will check for puzzle modifications made after the last save, query the user for a save if needed, then close the puzzle file.

See Editing a Puzzle ,subsection 9:  “Closing the Puzzle” for details.


Exit

This File Menu command will close the program. If requested while in edit or solve, and there are unsaved changes, the user will be queried about saving the puzzle before quitting the program.


Solve a Puzzle

This Solve Menu command presents a list of all completed puzzles and previously started “solutions”, which may be opened, one at a time, for online solving. Multiple solutions (up to 999) may be attempted for the same puzzle. See Solving a Puzzle online for details.


Save Solution in Progress

 This Solve Menu command will save the puzzle solution (answers), while leaving the puzzle open for further solving.

 See Solving a Puzzle online ,subsection 6:  “Saving the Solution” for details.


Close Solution in Progress

This Solve Menu command will close the puzzle solution. If unsaved changes have been made, the user will be queried about a save.

See Solving a Puzzle online ,subsection 7:  “Closing the Solution” for details.


Check My Answers

This Solve Menu command will check all answers filled in thus far, and tell the user if any are incorrect.

See Solving a Puzzle online ,subsection 4:  “Checking your answers” for details.


Change Answer Font

This Font Menu command is available during an edit or solve. It allows the user to determine which font type is used to display the answers on the screen. It has no affect on printing.

See Solving a Puzzle online ,subsection 5:  “Answer Font -- changing” or

Editing a Puzzle ,subsection 7:  “Puzzle clue and answer font -- changing either” for details.


Change Clue Font

This Font Menu command is available only during an edit. It allows the user to determine which font type is used to display the clues on the screen or print the clues.

See Editing a Puzzle, subsection 7:  “Puzzle clue and answer font -- changing either” for details.


Print

This Print Menu command will bring up the print feature, which allows the user to print any completed puzzle. See Printing a Puzzle for details.


Delete a Puzzle

This Delete Menu command will present a list of all puzzles, from which the user may select one at a time for deletion. Two chances are given to cancel the deletion request after it is made. Corresponding “solutions”, if any, will also be deleted.

See Removing a Puzzle for details.


Delete a Solution

This Delete Menu command will present a list of all puzzle solutions, from which the user may select one at a time for deletion. Two chances are given to cancel the deletion request after it is made.

See Removing a Solution for details.


Registration Message

This Shareware Menu command presents information regarding the registration which is expected for this program if the user decides to keep it after a reasonable trial period.


Registration Form

This Shareware Menu command places a registration template on the screen for the users convenience in registering the program.  See Registering the program for details.


Copyright Message

This Shareware Menu command displays the program copyright.


Uninstall this program

This Uninstall Menu command provides a means for removing this program and all generated files from your PC. Two chances are given to change your mind after the process is started.

See Removing the program from my PC for details