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1 Table of Contents I. Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. Hard Drive Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 III. Option Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 IV. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A. Word List Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 B. Puzzle Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 C. Making a Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 D. Customizing Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 E. Making a Word List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 F. Editing/Appending/Moving an Existing Word List . . . . . . 11 G. Deleting Word Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 V. Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Notice Word Search Puzzle Maker program files and documentation: (c) Copyright Stephen D. Groll, 1991-1995 BRUN45 (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1982 - 1988 Portions ADVBAS v99, (c) Copyright Thomas Hanlin III, 1985 - 1988 If you have any questions about this software please feel free to write or call after you have read all the documentation. Impact D. Publishing P.O. Box 1596 Palm Desert, CA 92261 (619) 328-2253 or (619) 328-8151 2 Installing Word Search Puzzle Maker on a Hard Drive Put WSPM (Word Search Puzzle Maker) disk in the appropriate drive. Type the drive letter followed by a colon. For example, if the WSPM disk is in drive A you will type A: and Press ENTER. The current drive is now A, type INSTALL, your hard drive letter followed by a colon, and press ENTER. For example, INSTALL C: will install WSPM on drive C. To run the program, type WSPM and press ENTER. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU RUN AND READ THE GO.BAT FILE. JUST TYPE GO AND PRESS ENTER AT THE DOS PROMPT. OPTION SCREEN The OPTION SCREEN will pop up after the title screen appears and disappears. From here you have access to Word Search Puzzle Maker by pressing 1. You have access to Printer Switch by pressing P. To exit to the system just press X. Each time you exit from the program or Printer Switch, you will return to this option screen. INTRODUCTION WSPM is an exciting program which allows you to create many different variations of the popular word search puzzle. With this fun and easy to use tool you can create and save your own word lists. You can control the directions words read in the puzzle grid. You can even add to the fun by changing the way words are listed in the word list section of the puzzle. Another feature which you will appreciate is that WSPM comes with a powerful editor which allows you to customize and alter your creations to meet many needs. This special editor is so powerful that you can create shaped puzzle grids, save them, and use them over and over again to create word search puzzles with real visual appeal. WSPM even comes with grids that have already been shaped for you. How to use shaped grids is discussed later in the documentation. All puzzles created with WSPM can be saved in ASCII files. Saved puzzles can be imported into text editors and word processors. This means that you can work puzzles into newsletters and do many other exciting things with them. 3 <F1=DIRECTORY> F1 displays on your monitor the names of any word lists, created by WSPM, found on the path indicated on the Status Screen. The default path is the one where the program is located. You can change paths using F2=CHANGE SETTINGS which is discussed later. * The directory is able to hold 152 word list names. If you copy the list files you create with WSPM to another disk, you must copy the DIRECTRI.TXT file along with all files that have the .WHL extension. Anytime you activate a new disk using WSPM, a DIRECTRI.TXT file is automatically created. This file holds the directory information which gives you access to the word lists created and saved using WSPM. * It is possible to copy a word list from one word list directory to another using F5=ALTER LIST which will be discussed later. <F2=SETTINGS> F2 is one of the keys to the versatility of this program. By changing the various settings, you can create many variations of the popular word search puzzle. * The first prompt allows you to change paths. You may wish to put word lists in different disk directories based on topics. Just change to the path which contains the specific word list directory you are looking for, or where you wish to create a new word list directory, and you can access/create any word list you wish. If you do not wish to change a particular setting, simply press ENTER and the next prompt will appear. * The second prompt allows you to select one of two standard box grid sizes. The default is the large grid which allows you to hide from 1 to 30 words, or phrases, up to 15 characters long. The reduced grid will hold from 1 to 15 words or phrases. Using the reduced option with a shaped grid will simply reduce the number of words used in creating the puzzle from 30 to 15. * The third prompt allows you to select 4 different ways to list the words on your printout. 1. The default option lists the words as they are filed. 4 2. The second option gives the first letter of each word followed by a space for each letter thereafter. WSPM gives you two spacing options. Some printers connect the underline characters used to make the line spaces. This makes it impossible to tell how many letters are in the word you are looking for. You therefore have the option of using a dot (period) space. This option clearly shows, from any printer, how many letters are in each word hidden in the grid. 3. The third listing option gives only spaces for each letter of the words. You have the same space options (lines or dots) discussed in the previous paragraph. 4. The fourth option scrambles the letters of each word in the list. The words are not scrambled in the grid. * The fourth prompt gives 3 options on how words will read in the grid. 1. The first option causes WSPM to hide words horizontally reading left to right, and vertically reading top to bottom. 2. The second option causes some of the words to read backwards. 3. The default option causes the words to read in all directions including diagonally. <F3=MAKE PUZZLE> Select F3 when you are ready to create a puzzle out of a word list. * When you select F3, WSPM will display on your monitor the names of the lists found in the word list directory on the path you are using. Use the arrow keys to highlight the list you wish to hide, and press ENTER. * The selected word list will be displayed to allow you to see if you have chosen the correct list. If for any reason you do not want to hide the list being displayed, press ESC. If you wish to proceed with making the puzzle, select one of the three grid options given at the bottom of the screen. 1. The first option will create a puzzle using the standard box shaped grid. 5 2. The second option allows you to enter a shaped grid from a puzzle file saved using the ASCII function. Type the file name and WSPM will use the shape of the grid that was created in the light colored grid area of the editor and hide the selected word list in a grid with the same shape. For example, if you type CASTLE.PUZ (one of the shaped puzzle files already created and included for your use) and press ENTER, WSPM will hide the selected word list in a castle shaped grid. If you need to see the puzzle files on the path which shows on the Status Screen, before you make your selection, type DIR and press ENTER. Please note that even though you can give your puzzle file any name and extension you wish, only files with the .PUZ extension will be listed in the puzzle directory. If you need to see the .PUZ files on a different path, type DIR, leave a space, and type the path name. If there are too many files to fit on the screen use the PAUSE key to stop and start listing. If you select a puzzle file with a shaped grid from a path other than the one which shows on the Status Screen, you must enter the path and file name. For example, Let us say the Status Screen shows you are using path C:\DEFAULT\. You want to use a grid shape from a puzzle you saved as CIRCLE.PUZ on a floppy disk in A: drive in a directory named PUZZLES. You would type A:\PUZZLES\CIRCLE.PUZ and press ENTER. 3. The third option will move you directly to the Customizing Editor where you can shape a puzzle grid, create a puzzle, and print and/or save your work. See the section on Customizing Editor for how this can be done. * If you are creating a puzzle using the reduced grid, you will be given the option of using the first or second column of words. Each column will hold a maximum of 15 words, or phrases. * Because WSPM randomly places the words one at a time in the grid, it may happen that some of the words, in the list being used, will not go into the grid as they are being situated. This is more likely to happen with shaped grids. Please note that shaping a grid removes grid area where words would normally be hidden. If it happens that one or more words will not easily fit into the grid, you will be given three options. 1. Pressing K tells WSPM to keep trying to find a place for the word. The program will continue to search out a place as long as you keep pressing K. If WSPM fails to place a word after one or two extra attempts, it usually means that there is no longer a place in the grid where the word will fit. 6 2. Pressing S will skip the word in the list that the program is having difficulty placing. WSPM will immediately move to the next word in the word list and attempt to place it in the grid. 3. Pressing Q will tell WSPM to stop placing the rest of the word list. The program will display the grid on the screen. You can attempt to hide the word list again, print the puzzle as it is, or move to the Customizing Editor and attempt to place the unhidden words manually. From the Customizing Editor you can see the words which the program did not hide by setting CTRL + LIST to NORMAL and pressing ENTER. WSPM will display a full word list and will highlight the unhidden words. For best results, try to keep words, or phrases, under an average of 10 letters and spaces for standard box grids. For shaped grids small words and phrases work best. * When the finished puzzle is displayed, you will have 6 options. 1. P=PRINT. Pressing P allows you to enter the number of copies you want printed. Type the number and press ENTER. Press the SPACE BAR to pause printing and press ENTER to resume printing or ESC to quit printing. WSPM will print on most any printer. Since single cut sheet printers, like lasers and many ink jet printers, use different page settings than continuous feed printers (printers that use paper connected by perforation), you may need to change WSPM's printer switch. This is done by selecting P = Printer Switch form the OPTION SCREEN. WSPM defaults to printing on continuous feed printers. If you are using a single cut sheet printer and if when you print out 2 or more copies of your work from WSPM you notice that the printed material moves farther down or up the page with each copy, you need to change the printer switch. Once you select P = Printer Switch from the option screen you simply press the appropriate number (1 for continuous feed, 2 for single cut sheet). You will be immediately returned to the option screen. Once the switch is set, it will remain at the setting each time you run WSPM, unless you reset it. 2. A=ASCII. A allows you to create an ASCII file of a puzzle. Though WSPM cannot recall an entire ASCII file of a puzzle, it can recall the shape of a puzzle grid created in the light colored grid area of the editor. Of course an entire puzzle file can be imported into a word processing program to edit, work puzzles into newsletters, group two or more together to make large puzzles, and etc. 7 3. S=SOLUTION. S displays the solution of the puzzle. You are given all the same command options as with a puzzle. 4. H=HIDE AGAIN. H will cause WSPM to hide the same list again, creating a new puzzle using the same words and grid shape. 5. C=CUSTOMIZE. C will switch you to an editing screen where you will be able to edit and customize the puzzle area displayed on the screen. See below for a detailed discussion of the editor. 6. ESC=EXIT. ESC will return you to the Hide List selection screen. If you are using a shaped grid chosen by selecting grid option 2, any word list you select will be hidden in the same shaped grid. If you no longer wish to use the shape selected from a saved ASCII file, you must exit to the Status Screen by pressing ESC once again. From the Status Screen you can press F3 and return to the Hide List selection screen, select a new word list and then you will be given the 3 grid options. [Customizing Editor] * The CUSTOMIZING EDITOR allows you to be creative, and manually change a grid's size, shape, add words, move words, and so on. You can also automatically or manually change the way the words are listed in the puzzle being edited. You must hold the CTRL key down as you press the letter commands discussed below. 1. CTRL + B=BRUSH. CTRL + B gives you three brushes you can draw with. Turn the drawing function on by pressing CTRL + D. You will then be able to draw using the arrow keys. The default brush is DOTS (periods). Pressing CTRL + B will change BRUSH to STARS, and pressing it again will change BRUSH to random capitol LETTERS. See the discussion on CTRL + C=CLEAR GRID, CTRL + F=FILL, and CTRL + E=ERASE GRID below to discover what effect CTRL + B has on them. 2. CTRL + C=CLEAR GRID. CTRL + C will display a solution grid of the puzzle being edited. Words hidden by WSPM will be revealed and dots (periods) or stars (if the brush being used is STARS) will make up the rest of the grid. 8 3. CTRL + F=FILL. CTRL + F will replace any period or star on the screen with a randomly selected capital letter, if B=BRUSH is set at LETTERS. This allows you to clear a grid to check if the placement of the words is satisfactory or it allows you to place words in a grid manually and then let WSPM do the tedious job of placing the random letters. If you are shaping a grid around words that have already been placed and you have been using DOTS to draw with, you can get a better idea of how your grid will look when it is finished by changing BRUSH to STARS and press CTRL + F; all the periods on the screen will be changed to stars. When you are ready to continue editing, change BRUSH to DOTS and press CTRL + F; all the stars on the screen will change back to periods. Of course you could change BRUSH to LETTERS and fill in your grid without going back to DOTS, if you decide you are finished after all. 4. CTRL + P=PRINT. CTRL + P will allow you to make printouts of the customized puzzle. See discussion of P=PRINT, above, to discover how and when to use Printer Switch. 5. CTRL + A=ASCII. CTRL + A allows you to make an ASCII file of the customized puzzle. Even though WSPM cannot recall an entire ASCII file of a puzzle, it can recall the shape of a puzzle grid created in the light colored grid area of the editor. Of course an entire puzzle file can be imported into a word processing program to edit, work puzzles into newsletters, group two or more together to make large puzzles, and etc. 6. ESC=EXIT. ESC will return you to the Hide List selection screen. 7. CTRL + T=TYPING. CTRL + T allows you to type in four different directions. Each time it is pressed, the typing direction changes. The arrow to the right of the T=TYPING, displayed at the bottom of your screen, shows the typing direction. 8. CTRL + S=SPACE. CTRL + S toggles the number of spaces the cursor moves (between 1 and 2) as you type or use the arrow keys to move or draw horizontally. 9. CTRL + D=DRAW. CTRL + D allows you to use the arrow keys to draw with whatever the B=BRUSH is set at, or to erase periods and stars. Pressing it once turns the ERASE function on. The ERASE function causes the cursor to erase periods and stars wherever the arrow keys move it. Pressing it again causes the arrow keys to DRAW using the selected brush. Pressing it a third time turns it off. Please note that you can draw over dots and stars with LETTERS. However, you cannot draw over text with DOTS or STARS, and the ERASE will only erase periods and stars. You must erase text or place periods or stars over text manually. 9 10. CTRL + L=LIST. CTRL + L & ENTER gives you the same listing options for your customized puzzle as those given in the puzzle settings. Press CTRL + L, and you will see the listing options change in the display box to the right of L=LIST at the bottom of your screen. When the desired option is displayed, press ENTER. a. NORMAL, lists the words as they are filed. This option also highlights any words from the list that did not get hidden in the grid after an attempt was made to create a puzzle. b. FIRST LETTERS, gives the first letter of each word followed by a space for each letter thereafter. c. SPACES, gives only spaces for each letter of the words. d. SCRAMBLED, scrambles the letters of each word in the list. 11. CTRL + E=ERASE GRID. CTRL + E erases a grid three different ways. a. Press CTRL + E once and all letters and words are cleared out of the grid and are replaced with dots (or stars if CTRL + B is set at STARS). The grid shape will remain intact. b. Press CTRL + E a second time without pressing any other key first and the entire grid area will be cleared of all DOTS or STARS. With a totally clear grid editing area you can set CTRL + B to DOTS or STARS, CTRL + D to DRAW, and use the arrow keys to create any shape or design to hide your word list in. c. Press CTRL + E a third time without pressing any other key first and the entire grid area will be filled with dots (or stars if CTRL + B is set at STARS). Any shape the grid may have had will be lost. The easiest way to create a shaped grid is to start with the grid area filled with stars, set CTRL + D to ERASE, and use the arrow keys to "carve out" a shape. 10 12. CTRL + W=HIDE WORDS. CTRL + W will attempt to hide the words of your selected word list into any shape that is in the light colored grid editing area. Any keyboard character present in the grid editing area will be considered part of the grid shape. There is an exception, a character between the normal columns used to create the puzzle grid. For example, if CTRL + S is set at 1 and you draw, using the arrow keys, you will not be skipping columns as you draw. When WSPM hides words it will ignore the characters in every other column and will not display them when it creates the puzzle. For this reason, if you have changed CTRL + S to 1, in order to edit your word list, before you change back to 2, place the cursor in the first column just inside the left side of the light colored grid editing area. This will align the cursor so that when you change CTRL + S back to 2 you will be able to edit in the grid area correctly. If WSPM has difficulty hiding the words of the selected list you will be given the same options mentioned above. K tells the program to keep trying to place the word. S tells WSPM to skip to the next word in the word list. Q will stop the hiding the words and display the grid. <F4=MAKE LIST> F4 allows you to create and save a word list to be hidden in a puzzle. The list of names already being used in the active directory will be displayed. * Give your list a descriptive name from 1 to 8 letters/numbers long. If you chose a name already being used, in the directory that is displayed, the new list will copy over the old one. * Your list can contain from 1 to 30 words, or phrases, up to 15 letters and spaces long. If you finish your list before 30, press ENTER without typing another word. * You will be allowed to edit or append your list by typing the number of the word you want to change or space you want to fill and then press ENTER. If you want to change the name of the list, type 31, press ENTER, type a different name, and press ENTER again. * When you are finished editing your list, just press ENTER. A command bar will appear at the bottom of your screen. 11 1. Press S to save the list as it is. 2. Press A to have the list alphabetized before it is saved. 3. Press E to go back to editing the list. 4. Press ESC to exit without saving the list. <F5=ALTER LIST> F5 allows you to edit and/or append a list that has already been saved. It also allows you to move a list from the active directory to a word list directory on another path. After the names of the lists in the active directory have been listed, use the arrow keys to highlight the list you want to alter and/or move, and press ENTER. * After the words are listed and numbered, type the number of the word to be altered or the space to be filled. * If you want to change the name of the list, type 31, press ENTER, type a different name, and press ENTER again. The list name in the active directory will be changed immediately. You will not be able to change the name of an existing list to the name of another list that exists in the same directory. * When you are finished editing your list, just press ENTER. A command bar will appear at the bottom of your screen. * Upon selecting S to save or A to alphabetize and save, you will be given the opportunity to save the list to a path other than the one that shows on the Status Screen. A prompt will ask if you want to save the list to another path. If you press ENTER, the list will be saved to the word list in the active directory. If you press Y, you will then be asked to type the path where you want the list to be saved. If no word list directory exists on the path you indicate, one will be created for the list. 1. Press S to save the list as it is. 2. Press A to have the list alphabetized before it is saved. 3. Press E to go back to editing the list. 4. Press ESC to exit without saving the changed list. 12 <F6=DELETE LIST> F6 allows you to remove word list files from a word list directory. After the word list names in the active directory are displayed on your screen. Use the arrow keys to highlight the name of the list you want removed and press ENTER. Press ESC to exit the DELETE LIST mode. Error Messages Below is a list of possible error messages you might run into while running WSPM. If an error is encountered, the error number will appear on your screen. Find the number listed below and read the error, given to the right of the error number. 7 Out of memory 24 Device timeout 25 Device fault 27 Out of paper 53 File not found 57 Device I/O error 61 Disk full 62 Input past end of file 64 Bad file name 68 Device unavailable 70 Disk copy protected 71 Disk not ready 72 Disk-media error 75 Path/File access error 76 Path not found