Crossword Puzzles/Crossword Puzzle.iso/puzzlex/puzzlex.doc

Text File | 1996-09-15 | 21KB | 506 lines

    PuzzLex (copyright 1993/94)

    STATEMENT OF WARRANTY

        This software is provided to you as is. The author makes no
        warranty that PuzzLex is suitable for any purpose. Under no
        circumstances will the author be held responsible for any loss or
        damage suffered by any user arising out of the supply, use or
        operation of this software, whether or not such loss or damage be
        direct, consequential or otherwise.


        PuzzLex aids in solving crosswords and other types of word
        puzzles. It is easy to use but also flexible and powerful in its
        ability to search through the supplied dictionary to suggest
        solutions.

        BRIEF SUMMARY OF FEATURES:

        185,000 word list. Compressed to save your disc space.
        (Evaluation version 39,000c).

        Ability to search for words of between 1 to 15 characters.

        Permits searches for Anagrams and Word Patterns.

        Flexible searching, supporting 2 types of wildcards:

                ? represents a single unknown character
                * represents zero or more unknown characters

        A complex search option which allows you detailed control over
        your search criteria.

        The ability to save words to a supplementary dictionary for future
        searches.

        The ability to solve multiple word anagrams.

         Context sensitive help.




        To run the program type PuzzLex at the DOS prompt.  Users of Mono
        monitors may find the screen colours clearer if they use the mono
        switch invoked by running the program with the command:

        puzzlex /m

        Users using a Mono VGA screen should use the following command to
        select colours most suitable for this type of screen:

        puzzlex /g

        In most cases these switches will not be necessary as PuzzLex will
        attempt to determine the type of monitor on which it is running
        automatically.


        IMPORTANT

        If you wish to use the multiple word search options
        described below you must have the files command in
        your config.sys file set to 20

                files=20

        If you are running windows then I recommend that this be
        set to 40

                files=40


        RUNNING PUZZLEX FROM WINDOWS

        Although PuzzLex is a DOS program it is quite happy being
        run from MS WINDOWS. To install PuzzLex on your desktop:

        Run the File Manager program from WINDOWS and select the
        directory where you have just installed PuzzLex. Position
        the File Manager window such that you can see the files in
        the PuzzLex directory and also see the group icon where you
        wish PuzzLex to be held. Click on the file PuzzLex.exe and
        drag it to the appropriate group icon. Release the file and
        PuzzLex will now be runnable as a DOS program from that
        group.

        To assign the PuzzLex item an icon, click on the PuzzLex item
        once, such that it is highlighted, NOT RUN. Click on the File
        option of Program Manager and then select properties.  Select
        Change Icon and then the Browse option. Move to the PuzzLex
        directory and you will see an icon displayed called
        PuzzLex.ico. Select OK. When you exit the file menu PuzzLex
        will now have its new icon.

        KEYS:

        When entering word patterns or text into PuzzLex the
        following editing keys are available:

        Left Cursor         One character left
        Right Cursor        One character right
        Home                Beginning of input field
        End                 End of input field
        Insert              Toggle between insert and overstrike
        Delete              Delete character under cursor
        Backspace           Delete character to left of cursor
        Return              Accept input and continue.
        Cntrl End           Delete input field
        Up Cursor           Previous input field (When applicable)
        Down Cursor         Next input field (When applicable)
        Cntl Down Cursor    Recall last word pattern

        You can jump to the various search pages directly without
        returning to the main menu by selecting one of the following key
        combinations:

        Alt-a           Goto Anagram Search Screen
        Alt-p           Goto Word Pattern Search Screen
        Alt-c           Goto Complex Pattern Search Screen
        Alt-n           Add a word to the user dictionary
        Alt-f           Send the words found by PuzzLex to a file for
                        later examination

        !               This character has a special significance
                        and can only be entered into the Pattern
                        field on the Complex Search Screen. When
                        used it tells PuzzLex to break the letters
                        entered in the Source field into every possible
                        combination of words that it can find.

                        eg

                        Pattern:        !
                        Source:         margaretthatcher

                        Would list all the possible combinations of
                        words that can be made from margaretthatcher.

                        BE WARNED this option will typically result in
                        thousands of solutions.

       When completing a PATTERN field you can enter a number to represent
       a number of consecutive ?s

        eg  a4t       Would be treated as a????t
            5y2       Would be treated as ?????y??

        THE MAIN MENU

        When PuzzLex is started you will initially be presented with a
        simple menu that gives access to the various types of searches
        available within PuzzLex and the option to add your own words to
        the user dictionary.

        To select a screen simply press the numeric key associated with
        your choice or press the highlighted letter key, the menu will
        then be replaced by the relevant search screen where you can
        specify your search criteria. Each of these screens is described
        in the following sections.

        ANAGRAMS:

        At the Pattern prompt type in the anagram and press enter, all
        matching words will be displayed on the screen. The search can be
        abandoned by pressing the escape key.

    Example 1

        Entering the letters ragden would list the following matches:

         gander     garden  ranged  danger

        Searches can be given additional flexibility by using wildcards.
        PuzzLex supports two wild card characters: ? and *. The ?
        represents any single character and * represents zero or more
        characters.


    Example 2

         ?rgden would list the following matches:

        gander  garden  ranged  danger  gerund ringed  gender


    Example 3

        *rgden would list all words of 5 or more letters that contain the
        letters rgden

    Example 4

        *???? would list all words of 4 or more letters. The four question
        marks tell PuzzLex that the words found must contain four letters
        and the * add zero or more letters to valid solutions.

        WORD PATTERNS:

        This option allows you to find solutions to incomplete words and
        is extremely useful in solving those last few crossword clues. To
        use this option simply type in the incomplete word representing
        any unknown letters with a ? the program will quickly list all
        matching words.

    Example 1

        c?o??w?r? would list the following matches:  clockwork
        crossword

        Once again the search can be given additional flexibility by using
        the * wildcard. searches:

    Example 2

        c?o??w?r*  would list:  clockwork    crossword   clockworks
        crosswords

    Example 3

        *a*e*i*o*u* would list all words that contain the vowels in
        alphabetic order.

    Example 4

        *u*o*i*e*a*    Would list all words that contain the vowels in
        reverse alphabetic order.

    Example 5

        *   Would list all words in the dictionaries.

    Example 6

        ?????   Would list all 5 letter words.

    Example 7

        ?a????r Would list all 7 letter words where the 2nd letter is 'a'
        and the 7th is 'r'.

    Example 8

        ?????*  Would list all words of 5 letters or more

        COMPLEX SEARCHES

        The complex search option has been designed to allow you more
        control over your search criteria.  When selecting this option
        you are presented with a dialogue box in which you can specify
        how you wish your search to be carried out. Below is a description
        of the various types of search criteria that can be used.

        Pattern:This field must be completed. It provides the target
                pattern that all matched words must conform to. If this
                field is the only one completed then PuzzLex will be
                performing a Pattern search in exactly the same way as
                done if using the Word Pattern search screen. Once again
                wildcards may be used to increase flexibility, see the
                Word Pattern description above for further details.

        The other options all allow you to exercise greater control on
        what words will be deemed to have matched the pattern.

        Source: The source field allows you to specify up to 40 letters of
                which matched words must be comprised. If this field is
                used PuzzLex will first find a match to your pattern, once
                it has found a matching word it will then examine your
                Source field to check that the found word can be made from
                the supplied source, before the word is displayed as a
                valid solution.

                The case of the letters in the source is also significant.
                If a letter is entered in lower case then it can be used
                only once, you can enter the letter twice to allow for
                words that contain two occurrences of that letter. If the
                letter is entered in upper case then PuzzLex will be free
                to re-use that letter as many times as it needs to find a
                valid solution.

                The following examples should make this clearer.

    Example 1

        Pattern: ????* Source: nouctwodn

        Will list all words of 4 or more letters that can be found in the
        given source. This option can be used to play Channel 4's
        Countdown quiz. It can also be helpful in solving some crossword
        clues where you suspect that the answer is hidden in the clue.
        Just enter the required pattern and type the clue or phrase into
        the source, the program will list all the words that match the
        pattern and that can be made from the letters supplied in the
        source

    Example 2

        Consider the puzzle 'What is the largest word you can make using
        only the top row of the keyboard, i.e. the letters qwertyuiop'? If
        you were to enter '*' in the pattern field signifying that you
        require all words and qwertyuiop in the source field the largest
        word returned would be wipeout.  As PuzzLex is only using each
        letter once it fails to solve the problem satisfactorily. However
        if you entered QWERTYUIOP in the source field PuzzLex is free to
        reuse the letters as necessary and finds more solutions which
        include amongst others the well known solution, typewriter.

        Include:Allows you to specify letters that must be included in
                the matched words. Some puzzles require you to supply a
                list of words that can be made from a given source but
                which must contain a specific letter.

                Pattern:    ????*
                Source:     fgoiblenu
                Include:    b

                Will list all words of 4 or more letters containing a 'b'
                that can be made using the letters provided in source.


        Exclude: Is the converse of Include and permits you to exclude
                 all words containing the specified letter or
                 letters.

    Example 3

        How many words can you think of that do not include any of the
        vowels: aeiou? To solve this problem enter the following search
        criteria

        Pattern:    '*' indicating that you want all words Exclude:
        aeiou

        After you press the F10 key PuzzLex will return all the matching
        words that do NOT contain any of the letters 'aeiou'.

        MULTIPLE WORD SEARCHES

        So far we have described the Complex Search page in relation to
        single word solutions to a given set of search criteria. A new
        feature of PuzzLex v2.0 is the ability to solve multiple word
        anagram problems. Suppose you had the following crossword clue:

        erect smartish breaks festive shrub     9,4

        The solution is an anagram of  'erect smartish'  as indicated
        by the word 'breaks'. Looking at your crossword grid suppose
        you have the following entry for this clue:  ?h??s??????e?

        To solve the problem using PuzzLex first enter the required
        pattern into the pattern field on the examples Search page.
        Separate each pattern by a space. Using the above example
        your pattern would be: '?h??s????  ??e?'. Now enter in the
        Source Field the letters you believe make up the anagram:
        'erectsmartish'.  Press the F10 key and a small window will
        pop-up asking you to wait while PuzzLex analyses its
        dictionary. When this is completed the possible solutions
        to the problem will be displayed.

        christmas reet    christmas tree

    The answer is of course christmas tree.

        When you entered your pattern in the above example and pressed
        return you would have seen the fields change from those normally
        displayed. The Exclude and Include fields were removed and a
        new field 'Use All Source' was displayed.


        USE ALL SOURCE

        This setting can be either ON or OFF. When on, the input field
        is marked with an X. Pressing the space bar will change the
        state of the field. The setting of this field will change the
        way PuzzLex determines whether it has a valid solution.  If not
        set then PuzzLex will check any potential solutions to your
        pattern against the source. If they can be found in the source
        then the solution is deemed good and the solution displayed. If
        the field has been marked then any found solution must use all
        of the source in order to be deemed as valid solution.

        This can be more clearly explained by way of an example. Consider
        the following:

        Pattern:        * *
        Source:         onetwo
        Use All Source:

        If you leave the 'Use All Source' field clear and press F10 then
        amongst many solution you will see is 'no to'. This satisfies the
        pattern which specifies two words of zero or more letters and 'no
        to' can be found in the Source. However if you now mark the
        'Use All Source' field and repeat the search 'no to' is not
        returned as a solution because it did not use all the Source,
        instead all the solutions contain a total of 6 letters as
        specified in the Source.


        NO PERMUTATIONS

        When you entered the above Pattern: '* *' and pressed [RETURN] not
        only was the field 'Use All source' displayed but a new field 'No
        Permutations' was also shown. This field works in the same way as
        the 'Use All Source' field and can be either marked on or off. If
        this field has been marked then permutations of the same solutions
        will be suppressed by PuzzLex. If  you consider the above example
        then both 'one two' and 'two one' would be valid solutions. If the
        'No Permutation' field was marked then only 'one two' would be
        displayed.  Selecting this option will speed up the search and
        reduce the amount of output displayed.

        NB   The 'No Permutations' field is only available for multiple
             word patterns that are totally wild, i.e. consist
             solely of the '*' wildcard.


        In addition to solving crossword anagram problems the multiple,
        anagram feature of PuzzLex can be put to amusing use by applying
        it to a relative's or a friend's name. I have added a special
        pattern character to make this easier. If the '!' mark is placed
        in the pattern field then PuzzLex will break the supplied Source
        field into every combination of words that it can find.  The
        burden placed on the computer when performing a search like this
        is immense. I would recommend using the 'No Permutations' option
        when performing these types of searches and sending the output to
        a file for future examination. Alternatively you could request a
        specific number of words from the supplied name as shown below.

        To find all the three word combinations that can be made from my
        own name I would enter the following search criteria:

        Pattern:                * * *
        Source:                 nevillebentley
        Use All Source:         X
        No Permutations:        X

        SEND OUTPUT TO FILE

        New to version 2.0 is the facility to send PuzzLex's output to a
        specified file as plain ASCII text that can be read by most
        editors or word processors. This option is selected by pressing
        the keys ALT and f simultaneously at any of the search screens
        (the option is not available from the main menu).

        When you select this option a window will pop-up in which you can
        specify the filename you wish the output to be sent. Simply enter
        the filename with a path if required and press [RETURN]. When you
        start the search the solutions will be written to the file and
        echoed to the screen. If output is being sent to a file then
        PuzzLex will NOT pause at each full screen of solutions.

        If you select a file that already exists then you will be warned
        and given the choice of overwriting the existing file or choosing
        another filename.

        The output to file option only lasts for a single search, it must
        be re-selected for subsequent searches.

        ADD NEW WORD

        PuzzLex allows you to add additional words to its dictionary by
        selecting the 'Add New Word' option from the Main Menu or by
        pressing ALT-N while in any of the search screens. When this
        option has been selected you are presented  with a pop-up window
        that allows you to enter the word to be added. Simply type in the
        new word and press [RETURN], the word will now be used by PuzzLex
        in all future searches. If the word already exists in PuzzLex's
        main dictionary you will be warned of the fact and the word will
        not be added.

        Any words added using this option are actually added to a
        supplementary file called puzzlex.usr in your PuzzLex directory.
        This file is a simple ASCII format and can be viewed and edited
        with most editors or word processors. I do not recommend that you
        alter the order in which words are stored in this file but you
        may remove any words that have been added incorrectly.

        HELP PUZZLEX TO DEVELOP

        If you have any ideas as to how PuzzLex can be improved or feel
        there are any particular areas of weakness please let me know and
        I will try to incorporate your ideas in any future releases.


        HELP TO IMPROVE THE PUZZLEX DICTIONARY.

        Although I have tried to provide PuzzLex with as
        comprehensive dictionary as possible I'm sure you will,
        from time to time, find words that are not included,
        afterall that is why I have included the 'Add New Word'
        option. If you build up a user dictionary of such words why
        not copy it to a floppy disc and send it to me. I can then
        incorporate these additional words into the main dictionary
        and return your disc with the new dictionary including your
        words and any others supplied by other users.  Please include 2
        first class stamps with your disc to cover my costs.


        Thank you for registering PuzzLex, your support is greatly
        appreciated.


    Neville Bentley