Category : A Collection of Games for DOS and Windows
Archive : CROSWRD1.ZIP
Filename : ENGL.CWH
Output of file : ENGL.CWH contained in archive : CROSWRD1.ZIP
Welcome to Crossword Creator. This help screen is a quick overview
and a mini-tutorial. Even if you are totally unfamiliar with the
program, you should be able to follow these basic directions.
Crossword Creator's user-interface is consistent and intuitive. Once
you learn a few simple keyboard (or mouse) operations, you'll be able
to apply them everywhere in the program. For the rest of this
discussion, we'll assume that you'll be using the keyboard to operate
the program. If you have a mouse and use it frequently with other
programs, Crossword Creator's operation will already be familiar.
You should think of CWC as a specialized word-processor, designed
specifically for making crossword puzzles. The major difference is
the ability to type VERTICALLY, as well as HORIZONTALLY. The
program's major functions are accessed through the MENU SYSTEM. Most
of these functions display a DIALOG BOX that will prompt you for
additional information. MESSAGE BOXES may also appear when errors
occur, or when CWC wants to inform you of something.
To design a puzzle, you must complete two major tasks: typing the
puzzle words as they would appear in the completed crossword (the
"solution"), and providing a clue for each of those words (up to 4
lines per clue). To type in words, simply press the letter keys on
the keyboard as you would in a word-processor. The PLUS ("+") key
toggles the typing direction. To enter clues, place the CURSOR on any
letter of a word and press Ctrl+C. A dialog box will accept your
text.
The menu system is composed of two parts: the ACTION BAR, and the
PULL-DOWN menus. The ACTION BAR is displayed along the top line of
the screen. Each word in the action bar is associated with a group of
related functions. To select a group, press the ALT key together with
the CAPITALIZED LETTER in the action bar word. For example, to select
the "File" group, press Alt+F.
When an action bar group is selected, a PULL-DOWN menu will appear.
Each word in the pull-down menu is associated with a specific function
to be performed. To select a function, press the CAPITALIZED LETTER
in the pull-down word. To execute it, press ENTER. For example, to
perform the "Print" function, press P, then ENTER.
If a pull-down word ends with "...", it means that a DIALOG BOX will
follow. A dialog box may contain any number of objects, depending on
what kind of information is needed by that function. Some of the
objects you may see are INPUT BOXES, CHECK BOXES, LIST BOXES, RANGE
BARS, RADIO BUTTONS, and PUSH BUTTONS.
INPUT BOXES accept text that you type. CHECK BOXES allow you to turn
"options" on and off by pressing the SPACEBAR. LIST BOXES and RADIO
BUTTONS let you make a single choice from a set of available choices
by pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR. RANGE BARS use the LEFT/RIGHT
ARROW keys to specify a value. PUSH BUTTONS cause some action to be
taken on the dialog box as a whole when you press ENTER or the
SPACEBAR.
All dialog boxes and message boxes will contain at least one push
button. The word inside the push button indicates the action that
will be taken when you "press" it with the ENTER key or the SPACEBAR.
For example, "OK" would accept your input (or acknowledgement) and
complete the function, where "CANCEL" would simply exit without doing
anything at all. Pressing ESC is equivalent to pressing the "CANCEL"
button.
As you work within a dialog box, use the TAB/BACKTAB keys to hilite
individual objects (for MESSAGE BOXES, use the LEFT/RIGHT ARROW keys).
A hilited object is said to "have the INPUT FOCUS", meaning that your
keyboard input will affect it. Only one object at a time can have the
INPUT FOCUS, so you will have to move it from object to object. When
you are finished with all of the objects, press one of the PUSH
BUTTONS at the bottom of the dialog box.
The F1 function key is the universal HELP key. You can display
CONTEXT-SENSITIVE help information for any dialog box by pressing F1.
If you want to browse through the entire HELP file, press Shift+F1 to
display a LIST BOX of help topics, then select the subject you want to
read about. The ESC key is the universal QUIT key. Pressing it will
get you out of any dialog or help screen, except MESSAGE BOXES which
can only be dismissed by pressing one of the push buttons.
Read the "CONFIGURATION" help topic, next.
&CWH02Features And System Requirements
FEATURES
--------
- Windowed, "industry-standard" user-interface featuring pull-down
menus, dialog boxes, and mouse support.
- COMPLETE documentation available on-line. Context-sensitive HELP.
No manuals required.
- Automated puzzle design using an advanced "auto-placement" function
that helps you position words in the puzzle. Word placement can be
"freeform" or constrained to a pre-defined "template".
- WORDFIND interface. Search dictionary files for words with unique
letter-patterns. Invaluable for serious puzzle designers.
- Foreign language support. Custom "language" files can be translated
into any language that uses the PC's character set and alphabet.
- Prints puzzles in the traditional format, complete with numbered
boxes and an indexed clue list. Solutions, too. Supports
dot-matrix, daisy-wheel, ink-jet, and laser printers.
- Desktop publishing utility, CWDTP.EXE, for creating "plain ASCII"
puzzle files, suitable for importing into DTP applications.
- Interactive CONFIGURATION for selecting screen colors, printers,
etc. Eliminates the need for a separate "installation" program.
- Identification of "orphaned" clues whose target words are not being
used in the puzzle.
- Type horizontally AND vertically.
- Edit ACROSS and DOWN clues simultaneously.
- Line-oriented UNDO function.
- Create puzzles up to 36 letters wide by 23 letters high, with up to
300 words and clues. Clues can be up to four lines in length, 33
characters per line.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
- IBM PC or compatible computer
- DOS 2.0 or higher, 320K minimum memory
- color or monochrome monitor
- one floppy disk drive, hard drive optional
- Microsoft-compatible mouse optional
- printer optional (Since CWC prints TEXT, not graphics, the best
results are obtained from printers that support
the IBM character set. But any sufficiently
capable printer may be used including dot-matrix,
daisy-wheels, ink-jets, and lasers. PostScript is
not supported.)
Read the "Printer Compatibility Issues" help topic for a discussion on
using printers with Crossword Creator.
&CWH03Installation And Startup
INSTALLATION
------------
Crossword Creator is not copy-protected and does not require a formal
"installation" before you can use it. Simply copy the distribution
files onto another floppy or to a directory on your hard disk. The
only ESSENTIAL files are CWC.EXE, CONFIG.CWC, and a language file
(*.CWL), but you will probably also want a HELP file (*.CWH) and a
printer definition file (*.CWP).
Once you get the program up and running, the first thing you should do
is execute the CONFIGURATION function. This is where you select a
printer, specify a path name to your puzzle files, set screen colors,
etc. This function will rebuild your CONFIG.CWC file with the options
you select.
Crossword Creator is distributed on two 5.25", 360K floppy disks, or
one 3.5", 720K micro-floppy disk. In the latter format, "Disk #1" and
"Disk #2" are the same physical disk. The following files should be
present on your distribution disk(s):
Crossword Creator PROGRAM disk
------------------------------
. CWC.EXE - the Crossword Creator program
. CONFIG.CWC - a sample configuration file
. REGISTER.CWC - registration/upgrade instructions
. README.CWC - miscellaneous notes (please read!)
. ENGL.CWL - English version language file
. ENGL.CWH - English version help file
. *.CWP - 80-column printer definition files
. *.PUZ - sample puzzle files
. *.CLU - sample clue files; paired with *.PUZ
Crossword Creator SUPPORT disk (registered owners only)
-------------------------------------------------------
. CWHPRINT.EXE - a program to print help files
. CWDTP.EXE - a desktop publishing utility
. *.CWP - additional printer definition files
. *.PUZ - additional puzzle files
. *.CLU - additional clue files; paired with *.PUZ
STARTUP
-------
To start Crossword Creator, type "CWC" at the DOS prompt and press
ENTER. CWC.EXE must be in the CURRENT directory unless you have a
PATH command that allows DOS to find it. CONFIG.CWC and a language
file must also be in the current directory unless you use the DOS
environment variable to indicate a specific directory.
Several optional parameters may be specified on the DOS command line
when you start Crossword Creator. The general form is:
CWC [puzzle name] [/L=language name] [/A] [/BW]
If you specify a puzzle name, CWC will load that puzzle for you on
startup. The "/A" tells CWC to assume that your WORDFIND dictionary
files are ALPHABETICAL. Use "/BW" if you are using a monochrome
monitor with a color video adapter. This forces CWC to use its "black
and white" color scheme for maximum contrast.
If you use "/L=", you must supply the PRIMARY part of a Crossword
Creator language filename, for example, "ESPA" (do not use the ".CWL"
extension). The program will read that language file on startup. You
CANNOT run CWC without a language file. The default is "ENGL", so you
do not have to use this option to run in English.
examples:
CWC movies (loads MOVIES.PUZ)
CWC /bw demo1 (loads DEMO1.PUZ, forces black and white colors)
CWC /l=espa /a (reads ESPA.CWL, assume WORDFIND alphabetical)
Read the "Environment Variables (CWC= and WF=)" help topic for
complete instructions on setting up the DOS environment.
Read the "Language Files (*.CWL)" help topic for more information on
using Crossword Creator language files.
&CWH04Screen Layout/Landmarks
+-------------------------------------------------+
| Action Bar |
+-----------------------+-------------------------+
| Puzzle Box | Reference Box |
| | |
| +---------------------------+ |
| | | |
| | Dialog or Message Box | |
| | | |
| +---------------------------+ |
| | |
| | |
| +-------------------------+
| | Status Box |
+-----------------------+-------------------------+
This graphic represents the layout of Crossword Creator's main screen.
Other help topics make references to these general areas, so use this
picture to orient yourself.
The ACTION BAR is the "control center" for the MENU SYSTEM. The group
names of the puzzle functions are listed in the action bar, and the
pull-down menus descend from there.
The color of the action bar and the pull-downs is defined by the
MenuFore=/MenuBack= configuration keywords. On color monitors, the
color of the hilited function in a pull-down is defined by
MessFore=/MessBack=. On monochrome monitors, the hilited function is
shown in reverse video.
The PUZZLE BOX is where you edit your puzzles. You cannot move the
cursor outside of the puzzle box boundaries, nor can you type in other
areas of the screen. The DOS filename of the current puzzle is
displayed in the top boundary.
The color of the letters in the puzzle is defined by the
PuzzFore=/PuzzBack= keywords, and the color of the unused, blank area
is defined by WorkFore=/WorkBack=.
The REFERENCE BOX displays a summary of the basic keyboard and mouse
edit actions. Use it as a "quick reference".
The color of the reference box is defined by the WorkFore/WorkBack
keywords.
The STATUS BOX contains status information about the current puzzle.
The values are updated continuously, so you always get
up-to-the-minute data.
"MEM=" displays two values separated by a vertical bar. On the left
is the total number of bytes of unused memory in your system. On the
right is the number of unused characters available for the text of new
puzzle clues.
"CLU=" displays two more values. To the left of the bar is the number
defined by the MaxPuzClues= configuration keyword. To the right is a
count of the actual number of clues defined in the current puzzle.
The current typing direction is displayed in the top-left corner, and
the row and column position of the cursor is displayed in the
top-right corner.
The color of the reference box is defined by the WorkFore=/WorkBack=
keywords.
DIALOG BOXES and MESSAGE BOXES are not fixed areas. They can open up
anywhere, but generally these boxes appear in the center of your
screen.
The color of a dialog box window is defined by the DlogFore=/DlogBack=
keywords. The color of the literal headings and labels in the dialog
is defined by DLitFore=/DLitBack=, and the color of the variable
information is defined by DVarFore=/DVarBack=.
The color of a message box is defined by MessFore=/MessBack=.
Read the "CONFIGURATION" help topic for instructions on how to change
the screen colors.
&CWH05Keyboard Operations
Crossword Creator is, essentially, a specialized word-processor and a
good deal of your time will be spent typing on the keyboard. Since
this tutorial is not intended to be a primer on computers, we'll
assume you already know what the keyboard is, how it works, and what
all the keys do. We will, however, need to hilite some special
keystrokes and explain the naming conventions CWC uses when it refers
to the keyboard.
One of the first things you should notice in CWC is the large,
rectangular REFERENCE BOX labelled "Keyboard/Mouse Editing" that takes
up almost the entire right-half of the screen. The keystrokes (and
mouse movements) listed in this box summarize the basic keyboard
operations available to you when you are editing a puzzle design -- a
"cheat sheet".
Although these keystrokes are undoubtedly familiar, you are probably
only used to thinking of them in a HORIZONTAL orientation, as in a
word-processor. But in Crossword Creator, everything applies to the
VERTICAL orientation as well. When you consider that crossword
puzzles contain both ACROSS and DOWN words, the necessity for this
dual nature becomes obvious.
The PLUS KEY ("+") toggles the program back and forth between the
ACROSS typing direction and the DOWN typing direction. Each time you
press this key, the orientation reverses. The current typing
direction is displayed in the STATUS BOX, just beneath the REFERENCE
BOX. Experience has shown that newcomers find this "sideways" typing
a little disorienting at first, but you will adapt quickly.
In addition to the standard QWERTY keystrokes, as you surely know, the
PC keyboard can generate dozens of "special" keystroke combinations.
For example, the Ctrl+Alt+Del sequence that reboots the computer.
Crossword Creator uses several special combinations, many of them as
menu "accelerators". What's important is that you interpret these
keystrokes correctly when you read about them in the HELP information
or see them displayed on the screen.
CWC uses a simple notational convention to describe multi-key
keystroke combinations -- Alt+F, for example. Notice that the keycap
names are joined together with a "+", indicating that you should first
press and hold down the ALT key, then press the F key. Likewise, if
you see the combination Ctrl+Right, you should press and hold down the
CTRL key, then press the RIGHT ARROW key.
It may seem silly to explain such "obvious" details, but these subtle
keyboard techniques can be frustratingly difficult if the ground rules
are not laid down explicitly. Don't dwell on them too long. An hour
or two at the keyboard and you'll have everything under your finger
tips.
Read the "Menu Operations" and the "Mouse Operations" help topics for
basic instructions on using those parts of Crossword Creator's
"user-interface".
&CWH06Menu Operations
Crossword Creator, like all computer programs, is simply a collection
of related functions that help you accomplish a specific task. In
that sense, CWC can be thought of as a "toolbox" for building
crossword puzzles, and to use those tools you must interact with the
MENU SYSTEM.
Every "tool" built into CWC is listed in the menu system. To use one
of those functions, you simply select it from the menu and ask the
program to execute it. When the function is complete, you can select
another tool, and so on.
The way that you use the functions, and the sequence that you use them
in, will be unique to your needs; Crossword Creator imposes no
pre-defined structure on your work. As you become more familiar with
the program, the location of the various functions in the menu system
will become second-nature to you and, as you'll see, the menus are
flexible enough to assist the novice without hindering the expert.
The menu system is composed of two parts: the ACTION BAR, and the
PULL-DOWN menus. The ACTION BAR is displayed along the top line of
the screen. Each word in the action bar is associated with a group of
related functions. To select a group, press the ALT key together with
the CAPITALIZED LETTER in the action bar word. For example, to select
the "File" group, press Alt+F.
When an action bar group is selected, a PULL-DOWN menu will appear.
Each word in the pull-down menu is associated with a specific function
to be performed. To select a function, press the CAPITALIZED LETTER
in the pull-down word. To execute it, press ENTER. For example, to
perform the "Print" function, press P, then ENTER.
There are also other ways to manipulate the menus. For example, you
can also use the ARROW keys to scroll vertically and horizontally
through the functions. When you find the one you want, just press
ENTER. Or, if you change your mind and decide not to do anything,
press ESC and the pull-downs will disappear.
As you will notice, some menu functions have a special keystroke
combination listed to the right of the function name. These are
called menu "accelerators" because they are a short-cut way of
executing a function WITHOUT going through the menu system.
You can use the accelerator keystrokes whenever the menus are in a
neutral state, that is, when no pull-downs are displayed. When you
press the accelerator keystroke, the associated function will be
immediately executed. As you begin to memorize these "accelerators",
you'll find that your interaction with CWC as a whole will speed up
considerably.
If you see a function name that ends with "...", it means that you
will have to supply further information in a DIALOG BOX before that
function will execute. Functions that do not use a dialog box are
executed as soon as you initiate them.
Lastly, if you want a detailed explanation about any of the menu
functions BEFORE you execute them, you can use the HELP key. First,
select a function using the techniques described above. Then, instead
of pressing ENTER, press F1. The HELP window for that function will
be displayed.
Read the "Keyboard Operations" and the "Mouse Operations" help topics
for basic instructions on using those parts of Crossword Creator's
"user-interface".
Read the "Dialog And Message Box Operations" help topic for a complete
explanation of how to manipulate those objects.
&CWH07Dialog And Message Box Operations
Crossword Creator's user-interface is based on the concept of
"windows". A window is a rectangular box that "pops-up" on top of
your work, asks you for some information, and then disappears.
The WINDOW has been adopted as "the" user-interface object by almost
all leading software manufacturers. CWC's user-interface was
re-engineered in Version 4.00 specifically to follow these "de facto"
industry standards.
The most common use for a window is to display a DIALOG BOX or a
MESSAGE BOX. In general, DIALOG BOXES are a way for you to give
information to the PROGRAM -- an INPUT. MESSAGE BOXES, on the other
hand, are a way for the program to give information to YOU -- an
OUTPUT.
When you see a dialog box or a message box, you should notice that it
contains (or more correctly, is composed of) one or more dialog
OBJECTS. One simple kind of object is a line of text, an error
message, perhaps. But there are many other, more powerful objects
that have been designed for specialized uses. Some of the objects
you'll see in Crossword Creator dialogs are INPUT BOXES, CHECK BOXES,
LIST BOXES, RANGE BARS, RADIO BUTTONS, and PUSH BUTTONS.
INPUT BOXES allow you to input freeform text, for example, the clues
that you provide for the words in your puzzle. You can think of an
input box as a "mini" word-processor because you can type words,
delete and insert characters, move the cursor, etc. When you've
finished typing, press ENTER to signal the end of your input.
CHECK BOXES allow you to select a subset of "options" from a larger
list. "Give me that, but NOT that", for example. Or, "Do this to all
of the items I've checked." A single check box has only two states:
ON and OFF. Pressing the SPACEBAR toggles these two states.
Like check boxes, RADIO BUTTONS also allow you to select from a set of
available choices. The difference is that you may select only ONE
item from the group -- they are all mutually exclusive. The term
RADIO BUTTON is borrowed from the design of old-style car radios.
Remember the station selector buttons ? When you pushed ONE in, all
the others popped out -- a single choice. To "push in" a radio
button, press the SPACEBAR.
A LIST BOX is another "single choice" object, but it is used in place
of radio buttons when the number of possible choices is quite large;
more than could comfortably be displayed together on the screen. For
this reason, list boxes are usually SCROLLABLE. To make a selection,
hilite your choice using the ARROW keys or the PGUP/PGDN keys, then
press ENTER.
Sometimes you need to specify a single numeric value that falls within
a specific range. For example, "Pick a number between 1 and 100." In
this situation, a RANGE BAR is the easiest object to use. Simply use
the LEFT/RIGHT ARROW keys to slide the "range pointer" over to the
desired value.
PUSH BUTTONS are a special class of radio buttons. They are the
"control panel" for the entire window because pushing one of them
causes some action to be taken on the dialog box as a whole.
All dialog boxes and message boxes will contain at least one PUSH
BUTTON. The word inside the push button indicates the action that
will be taken when you "push it" by pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR.
For example, "OK" would accept your input (or acknowledgement) and
complete the dialog, where "CANCEL" would simply exit without doing
anything at all. Pressing ESC is equivalent to pressing the "CANCEL"
button.
As you work within a dialog box, use the TAB/BACKTAB keys to hilite
individual objects (for MESSAGE BOXES, use the LEFT/RIGHT ARROW keys).
A hilited object is said to "have the INPUT FOCUS", meaning that your
keyboard input will affect it.
Only one object at a time can have the INPUT FOCUS, so you will have
to move it from object to object. If you press the PgDn key, the
INPUT FOCUS will move immediately to the first push button in the
dialog.
Read the "Keyboard", "Mouse", and "Menu Operations" help topics for
more instruction on Crossword Creator's user-interface.
&CWH08Mouse Operations
Crossword Creator has built-in support for Microsoft-compatible mice.
If the appropriate mouse software is installed on your system and a
mouse is indeed attached, CWC will recognize it automatically.
As with the "Keyboard" topic, this tutorial will not tell you how to
install a mouse, nor explain how it works. If the terms BUTTON,
CLICK, DOUBLE-CLICK, PRESS, RELEASE, and DRAG are unfamiliar to you,
spend some time with your mouse's owner's manual and practice these
techniques. It will be well worth your effort.
CWC's mouse support is extended primarily to the MENU SYSTEM and the
DIALOG BOXES. In addition, there are some simple short-cuts you can
use while editing your puzzle.
To operate the menus, place the mouse cursor on top of one of the
words in the ACTION BAR. PRESS BUTTON 1; a PULL-DOWN menu will be
displayed. DRAG the mouse cursor over the function names in the menu
until the one you want is hilited. RELEASE the button; the function
will be executed.
Inside a DIALOG or MESSAGE BOX, the mouse simultaneously moves the
INPUT FOCUS and manipulates the OBJECT. With "selection" objects like
RADIO and PUSH BUTTONS, and CHECK and LIST BOXES, just CLICK BUTTON 1
on the item you want to select. If a list box displays a SCROLL BAR
on one side, you can scroll forward and backward by CLICKing BUTTON 1
inside the SCROLL BAR or on the ARROWHEADS at each end.
With RANGE BARS, move the mouse on top of the "range pointer", PRESS
BUTTON 1, DRAG the pointer to the desired value, and RELEASE the
button. With INPUT BOXES, CLICK BUTTON 1 anywhere inside the edit
box, then move the cursor or type your text as needed.
There is also a special mouse operation that applies only to the HELP
dialog, the scrollable text window that is invoked by the F1 function
or by selecting a HELP TOPIC to read. This dialog does not have any
push buttons, and it is not obvious how to dismiss the dialog using
the mouse. The way to do it is to CLICK on the DIAMOND symbol in the
top-left corner of the window. This is equivalent to pressing a
"CANCEL" button.
Note that all of these mouse operations are accomplished with
BUTTON 1. This is a LOGICAL identification and does not always mean
the left-most button. Mice have different numbers of buttons, and
most allow you to specify which PHYSICAL BUTTON is BUTTON 1. If you
have problems using your mouse, check your owner's manual first.
There are three more short-cuts you can use with the mouse while you
are editing your puzzle. First, CLICKing BUTTON 1 anywhere in the
puzzle will move the cursor to that position. CLICKing BUTTON 2 on
any WORD in the puzzle will automatically execute the EDIT CLUES
dialog box. Lastly, CLICKing BUTTON 1 on the PLUS SIGN "(+)" in the
STATUS BOX will toggle the typing direction.
Read the "Menu Operations" and the "Keyboard Operations" help topics
for basic instructions on using those parts of Crossword Creator's
"user-interface".
&CWH09Registering With PC HELP-LINE
PC HELP-LINE believes that no one should have to pay for software
before they have a chance to try it out for themselves. But if you
like Crossword Creator and want to use it on a regular basis, you have
an obligation to register the program with PCHL.
Registration establishes you as a customer of PC HELP-LINE and
entitles you to the CWC Support Disk (Disk #2), discounts on future
upgrades, news about upcoming products, technical support, and other
privileges.
The registration fee is $20 U.S. dollars. Overseas customers should
add an additional $7 to cover postage. A registration form is
provided in the REGISTER.CWC text file. Simply print out the form,
fill in the information, and return it to PC HELP-LINE with your
registration fee.
Comments and suggestions for enhancements are always welcome at PCHL.
If you have an idea for a new feature or a new way to do something, or
even if you find a bug (gasp!), PCHL wants to hear about it.
Thank you for supporting shareware and PC HELP-LINE products.
&CWH11NEW - Start From Scratch
Menu: FILE Accelerator: none
The NEW function clears the current puzzle and erases all clues from
memory. You're left with a "clean slate".
If you have made changes to a puzzle already in memory, but have not
saved your work, NEW will warn you. Even if you choose NOT to save
your changes, your disk files are safe. NEW erases memory, NOT disk
files.
&CWH12OPEN - Retrieve Your Puzzles
Menu: FILE Accelerator: Ctrl+O
The OPEN function reads a puzzle file and its corresponding clue file
into memory so you can edit or print an existing crossword.
A dialog box is displayed containing a LIST BOX of all the available
puzzles. Select a puzzle name, press "OK", and CWC will load the
puzzle into memory.
CWC will only look for puzzles in the directory named by the
PuzDirName= keyword in the configuration file (CONFIG.CWC). If no
path name is supplied, CWC will look in the CURRENT directory.
Read the "CONFIGURATION" help topic for more information on the
PuzDirName= keyword.
&CWH13SAVE - Save Your Work
Menu: FILE Accelerator: Ctrl+S
The SAVE function takes the crossword data currently in memory and
writes it to disk.
If the puzzle was previously loaded from disk using the OPEN function,
SAVE overwrites that disk file with the new version. If the puzzle
has been built from scratch (an "UNTITLED" puzzle), CWC will execute
the "Save As" dialog box so can enter a puzzle name and title.
CWC will write all puzzle files into the directory named by the
PuzDirName= keyword in the configuration file (CONFIG.CWC). If no
path name is supplied, CWC will write into the CURRENT directory.
Two files are always created; a ".PUZ" file and a ".CLU" file. The
first contains an image of the puzzle itself. The second contains the
text of your word clues. These files are always paired and will have
the same primary DOS filename. For example, MOVIES.PUZ and
MOVIES.CLU.
Read the "SAVE AS" help topic for instructions on how to change a
puzzle's title, or save it under a new name.
Read the "Puzzle / Clue Files (*.PUZ / *.CLU)" help topic for a
complete description of the internal structures of the puzzle and clue
files.
&CWH14SAVE AS - Change Puzzle Name/Title
Menu: FILE Accelerator: none
The SAVE AS function is identical to the SAVE function, except that
you are given the opportunity to rename the puzzle and/or change its
title.
A dialog box is displayed containing two INPUT BOXES; one for the
puzzle name, and another for the puzzle title. If you wish to change
this information, simply type over it. When you press "OK", CWC will
save the crossword data to disk.
Note that if you change the puzzle name, the original disk files will
NOT be disturbed. This provides you with a convenient method for
copying puzzles, or saving different versions of the same puzzle.
In addition, SAVE AS will warn you if you are about to overwrite an
existing puzzle having the same name as the one you supplied in the
input box.
&CWH16PRINT - Print Your Puzzles
Menu: FILE Accelerator: Ctrl+P
The PRINT function formats and prints the puzzle currently in memory.
A dialog box is displayed containing a set of RADIO BUTTONS for
selecting the output format, and a LIST BOX of all the available
printer definition files. Default values will already be selected for
both of these objects, but you may, of course, change them. To begin
printing, press "OK".
As the puzzle is formatted, Crossword Creator calculates the number of
print columns that will be required to reproduce the crossword on
paper. The actual calculation is:
If HighestClueIndexNbr < 100, then PuzzleBoxWidth = 3
If HighestClueIndexNbr >= 100, then PuzzleBoxWidth = 4
NbrColumnsRequired = (PuzzleBoxWidth * NbrPuzzleLettersWide) + 1
Even though the maximum puzzle width is only 36 letters, many more
columns are required to print the outlines of the puzzle boxes and
other details that are not shown when editing a puzzle on the screen.
The number of AVAILABLE print columns is specified by the
MaxPrintCols= keyword in the printer definition file you've selected.
If this is less than the calculated number required, CWC presents you
with three choices: cancel the print routine, truncate the puzzle to
fit and continue printing, or ignore the warning and print the puzzle
anyway.
Depending on your printer, trying to print a too-wide puzzle will
probably result in garbled output. Most printers will perform an
automatic carriage-return if a print line is too long, throwing off
CWC's line spacing and "wrapping" the extra characters to the next
print line.
If you get a "Puzzle is too wide" warning and your printer has a
condensed-print mode, try using a different printer definition file.
Crossword Creator supplies both NORMAL and CONDENSED drivers for all
printers that support condensed printing.
Read the "Printer Definition Files" help topics for complete
documentation on MaxPrintCols= and the other printer control keywords.
Read the "Printer Support List" help topic for a list of the printers
supported by Crossword Creator.
&CWH18DOS SHELL - Execute DOS Commands
Menu: FILE Accelerator: none
The DOS SHELL function temporarily suspends Crossword Creator in
memory, and presents you with the DOS command line.
Use this function when you need to execute some DOS commands without
exiting the main program. Theoretically, you could run another
application, but remember that CWC is still consuming memory and you
will have a lot less RAM to work with.
To get back to Crossword Creator, issue the DOS command EXIT.
&CWH20EXIT - End The Program
Menu: FILE Accelerator: none
The EXIT function terminates Crossword Creator and returns you to DOS.
If you have made changes to a puzzle in memory, but have not saved
your work, EXIT will warn you.
&CWH21UNDO - Restore A Changed Puzzle Line
Menu: EDIT Accelerator: Ctrl+Backspace
The UNDO function allows you to reverse the effect of a recent puzzle
edit action.
UNDO works on a line-by-line basis. As long as you have not moved the
cursor off of the edited line, your action can be UNDOne. Once you
move to another line, however, your edit action becomes permanent.
For example, your current typing direction is ACROSS, and the cursor
is on row three, column five, of your puzzle. You accidentally press
Ctrl+End which erases all the letters to the right of the cursor. As
long as the cursor remains on row three, UNDO can restore the line.
A puzzle "line" as far as UNDO is concerned can be either a row or a
column, depending on the current typing direction. So, as long as you
do not move the cursor PERPENDICULAR to the typing direction, UNDO
will work.
Your edits will also become permanent if you execute one of the menu
functions. The only exception is the AUTO PLACE function. Even after
successfully placing a word in the puzzle, UNDO can still remove it if
you do so BEFORE moving the cursor off of that line.
Read the "Keyboard" and "Mouse Operation" help topics for a
description of the available puzzle edit actions.
Read the "AUTO PLACE" help topic for a complete explanation of the
AUTO PLACE function.
&CWH23EDIT CLUES - Enter Your Puzzle Clues
Menu: EDIT Accelerator: Ctrl+C
The EDIT CLUES function allows you to input the text of your puzzle
clues.
A dialog box is displayed containing a pair of 4-line INPUT BOXES, one
for ACROSS words, another for DOWN words. To the right of each input
box is a CHECK BOX titled "DELETE".
In Crossword Creator, puzzle clues are DEPENDENT on puzzle words.
This means that you cannot input a clue BEFORE its corresponding word
has been placed in the puzzle. Likewise, if you wish to delete a clue
from the puzzle, you must do so BEFORE removing its corresponding
word.
To edit a clue you must first select a word, then execute the
EDIT CLUES function. Selecting the word you want to work with is
easy; just place the cursor on ANY LETTER of the word. Then, press
the Ctrl+C "accelerator" combination or use the menu system to execute
the function.
When the dialog box is displayed, you may see the clues for TWO words.
If the cursor was at the intersection of two words, CWC will display
both the ACROSS clue and the DOWN clue. If the cursor was NOT at an
intersection, you will still see both INPUT BOXES, but only one of
them will be useable.
Four lines are available for each clue. Since each line is a separate
dialog object, there is no "word-wrap"; it is up to you to break the
lines between words. CWC will automatically "squeeze out" leading
blanks on each line and "close up" the entire clue if you leave a line
completely blank.
If you wish to delete a clue, it is not necessary to blank out all the
text; simply CHECK the "DELETE" BOX. Press the SPACEBAR to toggle the
state of the check box on and off. The ON state is indicated by an
"X" in the check box.
When you are finished editing a clue, press "OK". CWC will make the
changes you requested and update the clue count in the STATUS BOX.
Continue editing until you have supplied a clue for every word in the
puzzle.
Read the "REVIEW CLUES" help topic for an explanation of how to check
for "missing" and "orphaned" clues.
Read the "NEXT ACROSS" and "NEXT DOWN" help topics to learn about a
quick way to step through all the words and clues in your puzzle.
&CWH25NEXT ACROSS - Edit The Next ACROSS Clue
Menu: EDIT Accelerator: Ctrl+Right
The NEXT ACROSS function moves the cursor to the next ACROSS word in
the puzzle and executes the EDIT CLUES dialog box.
You will probably find this useful when entering the text of your
puzzle clues. Instead of manually jumping from word to word,
NEXT ACROSS will step you sequentially through each ACROSS word in the
puzzle.
The NEXT DOWN function provides the same capability for DOWN words.
&CWH26NEXT DOWN - Edit The Next DOWN Clue
Menu: EDIT Accelerator: Ctrl+Left
The NEXT DOWN function moves the cursor to the next DOWN word in the
puzzle and executes the EDIT CLUES dialog box.
You will probably find this useful when entering the text of your
puzzle clues. Instead of manually jumping from word to word,
NEXT DOWN will step you sequentially through each DOWN word in the
puzzle.
The NEXT ACROSS function provides the same capability for ACROSS
words.
&CWH28AUTO PLACE - Let The Program Do The Work
Menu: EDIT Accelerator: Ctrl+A
The AUTO PLACE function will build a puzzle automatically as you
supply words to the program.
To be honest, AUTO PLACE will probably be of little interest to the
puzzle "craftsman" who always insists on building a tight,
symmetrical, lexically correct crossword. AUTO PLACE caters, instead,
to the novice designer who cares little for symmetry, is short on
time, and probably has a very specific list of words to work from.
AUTO PLACE works like this. First, you give CWC a word, indicating
whether you want it to be an ACROSS word or a DOWN word. The program
then scans the PUZZLE BOX, looking for places where your NEW word can
be properly intersected with EXISTING words.
When a potential location is found, CWC shows it to you and asks if
you would like to have your word placed there. If you say "yes", it's
done. If you say "no", the search continues until another place is
found, and so on. If Crossword Creator can't find a place for your
word (or you pass up all the opportunities), you can try it again in
the other direction, or skip that word temporarily and try another.
CWC cannot AUTO PLACE a word into a blank puzzle, so you will have to
type the first word in yourself. After that, though, new branches and
intersection possibilities should spring up quickly. Even so, not
every new word will always fit the first time. You may have to skip
around in your list, trying words in a different order, maybe even
typing some in manually to create new branches.
Remember that the AUTO PLACE function is not a magic wand. It is
extremely unlikely that you will be able to build even a medium size
puzzle without any manual intervention. AUTO PLACE will mainly help
you find potential intersections that have been overlooked.
AUTO PLACE uses two dialog boxes. When you first execute the
function, a dialog box is displayed containing an INPUT BOX for typing
words, a set of RADIO BUTTONS for selecting the placement MODE, and
another pair of INPUT BOXES for specifying the placement LIMITS.
Simply type in the word you want to place, choose a MODE, set your
LIMITS, then press either "ACROSS" or "DOWN" to indicate the placement
direction.
AUTO PLACE will then dismiss the first dialog box and begin searching.
As each potential location is found, CWC will display another, smaller
dialog, asking for your confirmation.
An important feature of AUTO PLACE is the placement MODE. CWC
supports two modes, FREEFORM and TEMPLATE. FREEFORM is the simpler of
the two. In this mode, CWC will search the entire PUZZLE BOX looking
for potential intersections. This kind of placement has a high
"hit-rate", but it will ultimately produce a randomly-organized,
asymmetrical puzzle.
TEMPLATE mode, on the other hand, forces AUTO PLACE to constrain its
search to a shape you have drawn in the PUZZLE BOX. You draw the
shape by typing CWC's special "template character", the UNDERSCORE.
For example, suppose you want to design a symmetrical puzzle that has
a consistent letter pattern. Instead of typing LETTERS into the
puzzle box, draw the PATTERN you want to follow using the UNDERSCORE
key. As you type in the template characters, you'll see shaded boxes
appear, indicating the boundaries of your custom "template".
When your puzzle template is complete, try placing a word in TEMPLATE
mode. As you'll see, CWC will only propose placement locations that
lie within the shape you've defined.
This kind of placement has a much lower "hit-rate" than FREEFORM, but
it allows you to "tune" the AUTO PLACE function to your exact
specifications. You may even find it useful to keep your own
"library" of puzzle templates to use as starting points for new
crosswords.
Setting the placement LIMITS is another way to customize AUTO PLACE.
By default, CWC searches the entire PUZZLE BOX, but you can confine
AUTO PLACE to a smaller area by specifying an upper limit value for
rows and/or columns. This is especially useful for building puzzles
with specific dimensions. AUTO PLACE will NOT suggest word locations
that fall outside of the boundaries you establish.
&CWH31REVIEW CLUES - Show Missing/Orphan Clues
Menu: PUZZLE Accelerator: Ctrl+R
The REVIEW CLUES function helps you identify and correct errors in
your clue definitions.
Even in a small crossword, it's easy to skip a word and forget to
supply a clue. It's also common to "orphan" a clue by inadvertently
deleting or misspelling a puzzle word. REVIEW CLUES will find these
errors for you so you can correct them.
In addition, you will also be able to "preview" the clue index numbers
without actually printing the puzzle. This is useful when you want
one puzzle clue to reference another, for example, "Opposite of 12
across".
When you execute REVIEW CLUES, the first thing CWC does is format the
puzzle, just like the PRINT function. Then, a dialog box is displayed
containing the puzzle words, the text of their corresponding clues,
and the index numbers that will appear in the clue list when you
actually print the puzzle.
Clues are presented a page at a time, beginning with the ACROSS clues,
followed by the DOWN clues. Press "CONTINUE" to view each subsequent
page. If you see "*** missing ***" flashing on the screen, it means
that no clue has been defined for that word.
After the last page of DOWN clues, CWC will display any "orphaned"
clues it may have found. These are clues that were once legitimately
defined, but their corresponding words are no longer part of the
puzzle.
For example, suppose you type the word "DOG" into your puzzle and
define its clue to be "Man's Best Friend". If at some point you erase
the word "DOG" from your puzzle without first deleting "Man's Best
Friend", you've "orphaned" that clue. But it's easy to get it back.
Simply retype the word "DOG" back into your puzzle and the connection
to "Man's Best Friend" will be restored.
If some orphaned clues are identified AND you never press "CANCEL"
while paging through them, CWC will give you a chance to "clean house"
at the end. A message box will be displayed asking if you want to
delete all the orphaned clues that were found. If you press "OK", the
clues will be discarded. If you press "CANCEL", they will be
retained, thus giving you the chance to "hook them back up" if need
be.
REVIEW CLUES is a handy function to perform just before you save the
final version of a puzzle.
&CWH32WORDFIND - Find Just The Right Word
Menu: PUZZLE Accelerator: Ctrl+W
WORDFIND is a shareware program developed by Castle Oaks Computer
Services. It allows you to search through disk-based dictionary files
looking for words that match a letter-pattern you specify. This can
be quite useful for puzzle designers who need to find a word with just
the right combination of letters.
Crossword Creator's built-in, dialog box interface can read WORDFIND's
"Xnn" dictionary files DIRECTLY, without the need for Castle Oaks'
stand-alone search program. This allows you to conveniently lookup
words from INSIDE CWC, instead of exiting to DOS and running a
separate program.
When you execute WORDFIND, a dialog box is displayed containing a
single INPUT BOX. To search for words, type a letter pattern in the
INPUT BOX. A pattern may contain letters of the alphabet or a
question mark ("?"). For example, B??L??S. Since there are seven
tokens in this pattern, CWC will search through WORDFIND's "X7"
dictionary file (the one that contains all seven-letter words) and
display those that match the pattern.
Once you have supplied a pattern, press the "OK" button to begin
searching. CWC will display the matching words in a paged, columnar
format. At the end of each page you may continue searching by
pressing "CONTINUE", or you may begin a new search by typing in a
different pattern and pressing "OK". You can stop searching in the
MIDDLE of a page by pressing "CANCEL". Pressing "CANCEL" at the END
of a page will exit the dialog.
Two of the words displayed, in this example, would be BALLADS and
BOILERS. Notice that where a LETTER was specified in the pattern, the
words also contain a matching LETTER in that position. Where the
pattern contains a QUESTION MARK, any letter will do.
Remember that to use this function, you must already own a set of
WORDFIND's "Xnn" dictionary files. In addition, you must also tell
Crossword Creator where to find them on your system. This is done
with a DOS "environment variable".
Before you start CWC, supply a path name using the "WF=" environment
variable. For example, SET WF=C:\DATA\WORDFIND\. Crossword Creator
will then look for the WORDFIND files in that directory. If you do
not supply a path name in the DOS environment, CWC will look only in
the CURRENT directory.
One further point. By default, CWC will search the entire dictionary
file from beginning to end, looking for matching words. But suppose
your pattern, like the example, contains "leading letters" like the
"B" in position one. If the dictionary files are alphabetical (and
they should be if you have not modified them), it would obviously be a
waste of time to continue searching for matches once you've passed by
all the "B"-words.
If you want Crossword Creator to perform more intelligently with
"leading letter" patterns, start the program with the "/A" switch (for
ALPHABETICAL) on the DOS command line. With this option turned ON,
CWC will automatically stop searching when these "alphabetical
boundaries" are passed.
Technical support for WORDFIND is provided by Castle Oaks, but you may
purchase copies of the dictionary files directly from PC HELP-LINE.
Crossword Creator Version 4.00 supports WORDFIND Version 3.1 file
formats. If you already own a different version of WORDFIND, check
with Castle Oaks about compatibility. PCHL will make every effort to
support future changes in WORDFIND's dictionary files.
Read the "Environment Variables (CWC= and WF=)" help topic for more
complete instructions on setting up the DOS "environment".
Read the "Installation and Startup" help topic for a complete
description of all the available DOS command line switches.
Read the "ABOUT CWC" help topic for more information about
PC HELP-LINE and Castle Oaks Computer Services.
&CWH34CONFIGURATION - Customize The Program
Menu: PUZZLE Accelerator: Ctrl+F
In order for Crossword Creator to run properly, you need to supply the
program with a few important pieces of "configuration" information.
This data is stored in a special file called CONFIG.CWC and contains,
for example, the name of the directory where your puzzle files are
located.
Earlier versions of CWC came with a separate "installation" program,
or required you to build CONFIG.CWC yourself with a text editor. Now,
the configuration file can be created and maintained from inside the
main program. That is the purpose of the dialog box.
When you execute CONFIGURATION, a dialog box is displayed containing
several different dialog objects. When you have finished working with
all of the objects, press the "CONFIG.CWC" button. This will cause
CWC to write out a new configuration file containing the information
you supplied.
All the new settings will take effect immediately, with the exception
of the MENU colors and MaxPuzClues. To make these settings effective
you must EXIT Crossword Creator and start the program again.
The titles that identify each object are the actual keywords used in
the configuration file. Here's what each object is used for:
PuzDirName - An INPUT BOX. Type the DOS directory name where you
want CWC to look for your puzzle files. If you have
only floppy drives, you might want to supply just a
drive ID. If you leave this entry blank, CWC will look
for puzzle files in the CURRENT directory.
MaxPuzClues - An INPUT BOX. Type the maximum number of clues that
CWC will allow you to define in a single puzzle. The
program will allocate EXACTLY this many "slots" in
memory to hold the clues you supply, so give yourself
enough room.
Colors - A set of RANGE BARS. Use the LEFT/RIGHT ARROW keys to
specify the foreground and background screen colors for
each of the seven pairs of objects. Colors are
identified by a number between 0 and 7.
0=black 1=blue 2=green 3=cyan
4=red 5=magenta 6=brown 7=white
PrinterDef - A LIST BOX. Select the name of the printer definition
file that best supports your printer. Hilite your
choice using the UP/DOWN ARROW keys, then press ENTER.
The box is scrollable, so if you don't see your printer
right away, it may just be further down on the list.
Config.cwc - A PUSH BUTTON. Press this button if you want your new
settings to take effect. The configuration file will
also be updated. The SPACEBAR or the ENTER key may be
used to "press" a push button.
Cancel - A PUSH BUTTON. Press this button to EXIT from the
dialog without doing anything. Any changed settings
will be ignored.
Read the "Installation and Startup" help topic for an explanation of
the different ways to start Crossword Creator from DOS.
Read the "Configuration File (CONFIG.CWC)" help topics for complete
documentation on the configuration file keywords and their valid
values.
Read the "Printer Support List" help topic for a list of the printers
supported by Crossword Creator.
Read the "Dialog And Message Box Operations" help topic for a complete
explanation of how to manipulate dialog and message box objects.
&CWH41HELP TOPICS - An On-Line Manual
Menu: HELP Accelerator: Shift+F1
The HELP TOPICS function is a "Table of Contents" for the HELP file.
A dialog box is displayed containing a LIST BOX of all the available
help topics. The topics are listed in alphabetical order. Selecting
a topic will automatically display a scrollable text window containing
the corresponding HELP information.
To dismiss the text window, press ESC, or CLICK the mouse on the
DIAMOND symbol in the top-left corner. The LIST BOX will be
redisplayed and you may select another topic to read. Press "CANCEL"
to dismiss the LIST BOX and return to your edit session.
Many of the help topics listed are the ones that would be invoked
automatically by the F1 function if you were using a dialog box or the
menu system. But there are also many other topics that provide
valuable documentation on the more technical aspects of Crossword
Creator.
For example, there are detailed descriptions of all the file formats,
including CONFIG.CWC and the printer definition files. A list of
ERROR MESSAGES with explanations is provided, descriptions of the
command line parameters, and more.
As you have time, browse through these topics. Even if you don't read
every word, you will at least find it beneficial to know what
information is available. Crossword Creator's HELP file is its
PRIMARY documentation, and making it available on-line should increase
not only that information's accessibility, but its usability as well.
Read the "Help File Print Utility - CWHPRINT.EXE" for instructions on
producing a printed manual from this HELP file.
&CWH42ABOUT CWC - Author/Copyright Information
Menu: HELP Accelerator: none
CROSSWORD CREATOR is a product of PC HELP-LINE
Copyright 1988-90
Registration Fee: $20.00
PC HELP-LINE
35250 Silver Leaf Circle
Yucaipa, CA 92399
United States
Sales/Technical Support Hours:
------------------------------
M-F 6pm - 10pm, Pacific time
S-S 10am - 2pm, Pacific time
Telephone: 714-797-3091
Compuserve ID: 72357,3523
PC HELP-LINE 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 P.O. Box 5786,
Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536.
======================================================================
WORDFIND is a product of Castle Oaks Computer Services
Copyright 1988-90
Registration Fee: $15.00
Castle Oaks Computer Services
P.O. Box 36082
Indianapolis, IN 46236-0082
WORDFIND dictionary files are available from both Castle Oaks and
PC HELP-LINE.
Technical support for WORDFIND is provided by Castle Oaks.
======================================================================
The PC version of Crossword Creator was written using the Microsoft
BASIC Compiler, version 6.0. The development work and system testing
were conducted on both a Zenith SupersPort 286 laptop and an XT-clone,
running MS-DOS 3.2.
Additional BASIC functions were provided by these products:
String space management from "Mach2", by MicroHelp, Inc.
File/directory routines from "QuickPak", by Crescent Software
Window/mouse support from "QuickWindows", by Software Interphase
Many thanks to these talented developers.
&CWH50Configuration File (CONFIG.CWC) 1 of 2
If you use a "CONFIG.SYS" file when you boot DOS, you are already
familiar with the concept of a configuration file. In fact, Crossword
Creator's configuration file and DOS's configuration file are exactly
alike in principle. They differ only slightly with respect to the
number of recognizable keywords, and in the syntax of the commands.
Each keyword that CWC recognizes in the configuration file provides
some information that the program needs in order to operate correctly.
In some cases, the program contains a default value for the keyword if
it is not supplied, and in other cases you must explicitly provide the
information.
This concept is also similar to DOS -- in most cases you will need to
supply keywords only for the options you wish to change; the program
will supply default values for the options that are NOT changed.
Now, we need some definitions. A "keyword" is the name of a
configuration option that CWC recognizes. The keywords must be
spelled exactly as they are documented or the program will not
recognize them as keywords. Each keyword must end with an equal sign
("="), and may not contain any intervening blanks. Keywords are
case-insensitive, meaning you may use capital letters, lower-case
letters, or a combination of both.
A "keyword value" is the information you are supplying that
corresponds to a particular keyword. Crossword Creator will use this
NEW information instead of the default value that is coded in the
program. Keyword values must begin with a slash ("/"), and are also
case-insensitive. They must be typed to the RIGHT of a keyword, and
they must not contain any intervening blanks.
Each line in the configuration file may contain a comment, be
completely blank, or contain ONE keyword followed by its keyword
value. Comments may also be typed to the RIGHT of a keyword value on
the same line as long as there is at least one intervening blank
between the value and the comment.
A comment line is, by definition, any line that does not contain one
of the recognizable keywords. You will probably find it helpful to
document your configuration file by using comment lines.
For example, these lines would be considered valid in a Crossword
Creator configuration file:
PuzDirName=/c:\puzzles
PRINTERDEF= /HPLJET1
maxpuzclues=/50
These lines, however, are invalid and would be ignored:
PuzDirName =/c:\puzzles (intervening blank before the "=")
PRINTERDEF=/ HPLJET1 (intervening blank before the value)
maxpuzclues=50 (keyword value does not begin with "/")
As you can see, each keyword is meant to supply a particular kind of
information so the NATURE of each keyword value is different, but the
general syntax rules apply to all the keywords and their values.
Part 2 lists all the keywords that may be placed in the Crossword
Creator configuration file, the nature and/or range of their
respective values, and an example of how each might be used.
&CWH51Configuration File (CONFIG.CWC) 2 of 2
PuzzFore= PuzzBack= The values for these keywords define the
WorkFore= WorkBack= foreground and background colors used in
MenuFore= MenuBack= the program.
MessFore= MessBack=
DlogFore= DlogBack= Valid values are numbers between
DLitFore= DLitBack= 0 and 7.
DVarFore= DVarBack=
0 = black 1 = blue
2 = green 3 = cyan
4 = red 5 = magenta
6 = yellow 7 = white
example: MENUFORE=/7
MENUBACK=/2
default: COLOR MONOCHROME
Fore Back Fore Back
---- ---- ---- ----
Puzz 1 7 7 0
Work 7 1 0 7
Menu 0 3 7 0
Mess 7 4 7 0
Dlog 0 7 7 0
DLit 1 7 7 0
DVar 5 7 7 0
PrinterDef= Names the printer definition file to use.
Do not specify the ".CWP" suffix.
example: PRINTERDEF=/HPLJET1
default: none (cannot print puzzles)
PuzDirName= The path name where puzzles are to be loaded from and
saved to.
example: PUZDIRNAME=/C:\PUZZLES
default: none (use the CURRENT directory)
MaxPuzClues= Specifies the maximum number of clues that can be
defined for a puzzle.
Valid values are 1 to 300.
example: MAXPUZCLUES=/100
default: 200
Read the "Screen Layout/Landmarks" help topic for a visual map of
Crossword Creator's color scheme.
&CWH52Printer Definition Files (*.CWP) 1 of 5
In the same way that the configuration file allows certain attributes
of Crossword Creator to be controlled externally, printer definition
files allow the program to support a much broader range of output
devices than was possible in earlier versions.
If you have used a word processor, you are probably familiar with
printer definition files or printer "drivers". The concept is simple.
The application program is not written to support a SPECIFIC set of
printers because the addition of each new model would require a change
to the program itself. Instead, the program uses a GENERIC interface
and the specifics of how to use each particular printer are contained
in the external printer definition files.
For example, suppose a program like Crossword Creator wants to print
some numbers as superscripts. To accomplish this, the program needs
to know what combination of special characters it must send to the
printer in order to "turn on" that particular feature.
To learn what that combination is, the program reads the printer
definition file, locates the sequence of characters that will enable
superscript printing, and sends those characters to the printer. From
then on, every printable character that the printer receives will be
printed as a superscript.
Of course, the program may not want to leave the printer in
superscript mode forever so it will also have to find out how to "turn
off" superscript printing. And how to turn bold facing on and off.
And how to control spacing. And what character set to use. And on
and on and on.
As you can see, the information needed to effectively drive a printer
can be quite extensive. Word processors require fairly complex
printer definition files, often so complex that mere mortals like us
cannot even read them, let alone create new ones from scratch.
Fortunately, Crossword Creator's printer information requirements are
not so demanding and even a novice should be able to get the hang of
them with a little practice.
You can think of CWC's printer definition files as "configuration
files" for printers. The rules for creating them and the syntax of
the commands are exactly the same as those described for CONFIG.CWC in
the CONFIGURATION topic. The only differences are the names of the
recognizable keywords, and the nature of the keyword values.
Part 2 describes the general format of a printer definition file.
&CWH53Printer Definition Files (*.CWP) 2 of 5
This topic may get a little technical so if you feel yourself getting
in over your head, don't panic. Creating a printer definition file
requires a good understanding of the ASCII character set, the various
notations by which those characters can be represented (particularly
the decimal notation), and, of course, knowledge of your particular
printer's features and corresponding control sequences.
It is beyond the scope of this topic to explain these concepts fully.
If they are not familiar to you, you may wish to refer to the
documentation or owner's manual for your printer, your DOS manual, a
BASIC language manual that discusses the "CHR$" function, or a book on
microcomputer concepts.
Crossword Creator already comes with a full complement of printer
definition files and it is likely that your printer is already
supported. The files themselves are fully commented and are excellent
examples of what can be done if you ever want to customize the
original definitions, or need to create a driver for a printer that is
not currently supported.
A list of supported printers can be found in the "Printer Support
List" help topic. If you are a registered owner of Crossword Creator
and have a printer that is not yet supported, PCHL will be happy to
create a printer definition file for you if you send us a copy of the
documentation that explains the printer's control sequences.
In a printer definition file, each keyword value describes the
sequence of characters that must be sent to the printer in order to
invoke the function described by the keyword. Each character in the
sequence is represented by a three-digit number between 000 and 255
that corresponds to the ASCII decimal value of that character. Each
three-digit number must be preceded by a slash ("/"), and there may be
no intervening blanks between any of the numbers and slashes in the
sequence.
Many spreadsheet programs use a similar method to send a
"setup string" to the printer prior to actually printing the
individual cells. If you think of each command in the definition file
as an optional "setup string", you will get the idea.
Here are some valid lines that might be found in a printer definition
file:
BoxTLCor=/218
SpecialNumbersON=/027/069
SpecialNumbersOFF=/027/070
SpacingNormal=/027/065/012
Let's look at the last example in detail. It is derived from the
documentation on Epson printers that describes how to set vertical
spacing in increments of 1/72 of an inch. To set this kind of
spacing, the manual instructs you to send the ESC character, followed
by a capital "A", followed by a character whose decimal value
represents the number of "n/72" of an inch that you want for vertical
spacing.
By referring to a table of ASCII values, we see that the ESC character
is represented by a decimal value of 27, and that a capital "A" is a
decimal 65. In this example we are defining the sequence that will
return the printer to its normal line spacing of 6 lines per inch,
which is equivalent to 1/6 or 12/72 of an inch. Voile! We have the
information necessary to construct the sequence.
Every keyword value in the printer definition file is constructed in
the same way. Some sequences will require few characters, some will
require many. It all depends on the scheme that was used by the
manufacturer of the printer, and that is the beauty of external
printer drivers. The program does not have to know EXPLICITLY how to
talk to every kind of printer; but it knows IMPLICITLY by referring to
the information contained in the printer definition file.
Part 3 is the beginning of a list of all the keywords that may be
placed in a Crossword Creator printer definition file, an explanation
of their use, and whether the keyword is required or optional.
&CWH54Printer Definition Files (*.CWP) 3 of 5
PrintDest= This keyword specifies the device where printed
output will be sent. It may be a printer port, a
communications port, a disk file, etc.
Note that this keyword is an exception in that the
keyword value is NOT an ASCII character sequence.
It is the name of the device or file to which
Crossword Creator will direct its print output.
- REQUIRED -
example: PRINTDEST=/LPT1
PRINTDEST=/C:\CWC\SPORTS.PRT
ContinuousForms= This keyword specifies whether or not the printer
uses continuous forms.
- OPTIONAL -
Valid values are "Y" or "N".
example: CONTINUOUSFORMS=/N
default: Y
MaxPrintLines= This keyword specifies the maximum number of lines
that may be printed on a single page. When
"manual paper feed" has been indicated by
"ContinuousForms=/N", CWC pauses after printing
this many lines to allow a new page of paper to be
setup in the printer.
- OPTIONAL -
Valid values are 1 to 168.
example: MAXPRINTLINES=/45
default: 60
MaxPrintCols= This keyword specifies the maximum number of
characters that may be printed on a single line.
A warning is given BEFORE printing if a puzzle
requires more than this many columns.
- OPTIONAL -
Valid values are 1 to 145.
example: MAXPRINTCOLS=/137
default: 80
SeparateCluePage= This keyword indicates whether or not to send a
form feed to the printer just prior to printing
the puzzle clues.
- OPTIONAL -
Valid values are "Y" or "N".
example: SEPARATECLUEPAGE=/Y
default: N
Part 4 continues the keyword list.
&CWH55Printer Definition Files (*.CWP) 4 of 5
PuzzlePrint= This sequence is sent ONE TIME at the beginning of
the print job. It is handy for selecting special
fonts or printer modes that will be in effect for
the entire puzzle.
- OPTIONAL -
CluePrint= This sequence is sent ONE TIME just prior to the
printing of puzzle clues. This would be a good
place to change fonts if necessary.
- OPTIONAL -
EndPrint= This sequence is sent ONE TIME as the very last
sequence in the print job. You might want to send
a printer RESET code or a FORMFEED character here.
- OPTIONAL -
SpecialNumbersON= This pair of sequences is used just before and
SpecialNumbersOFF= immediately after printing a row of clue numbers
in the puzzle. They are intended primarily for
selecting SUPERSCRIPT mode or some similar font
that can print small numbers.
- OPTIONAL -
SpecialLettersON= This pair of sequences is used just before and
SpecialLettersOFF= immediately after printing a row of letters in the
solution. They are intended primarily for
selecting a special font.
- OPTIONAL -
SpecialTitleON= This pair of sequences is used just before and
SpecialTitleOFF= immediately after printing the puzzle title.
Again, they are intended primarily for selecting a
special font.
- OPTIONAL -
SpacingWholeBox= This trio of sequences is tricky, and they must be
SpacingTHalfBox= defined precisely to achieve the highest quality
SpacingBHalfBox= output. The WHOLEBOX value should set vertical
line spacing so that successive print lines will
have no gaps or "white space" between them, nor
will they overlap.
The tops and bottoms of the characters should just
barely touch. This will ensure that the lines and
other boundaries of the puzzles will look
continuous when they are printed.
The THALFBOX and BHALFBOX values also set vertical
spacing. The optimum values are dependent on the
design of the printer's character set, but in
general each should be about HALF the incremental
value specified by WHOLEBOX, and their SUM should
be EQUAL to the WHOLEBOX value.
- REQUIRED -
SpacingClues= This sequence sets the vertical line spacing to be
used when printing the puzzle clues.
- OPTIONAL -
SpacingNormal= This sequence sets the vertical line spacing to
the value you want the printer to remain in at the
end of the print job. You may not have to use
this sequence if you always RESET the printer with
the ENDPRINT value.
- OPTIONAL -
Part 5 continues the keyword list.
&CWH56Printer Definition Files (*.CWP) 5 of 5
BoxTLCor= The rest of these sequences define the character
BoxTRCor= set that will be used to print the puzzle boxes.
BoxBLCor= Each keyword corresponds to a ONE CHARACTER
BoxBRCor= component that is part of a puzzle box.
BoxTopBot= Therefore, each value should contain a single
BoxSide= ASCII decimal value.
BoxLTee= The IBM character set has a very rich collection
BoxRTee= of box-drawing characters and you will get the
BoxTTee= best results with printers that support that
BoxBTee= standard. Other printers will have to use the
BoxCross= plain ASCII characters "+", "|", and "-" to
draw the puzzle boxes.
BoxLFill=
BoxRFill= The first four CORNER characters are used to draw
BoxCFill= the extreme corners of a complete puzzle. The
BoxSpace= next two characters are used for the TOP/BOTTOM
and SIDES of individual puzzle boxes.
The TEE characters are used instead of CORNERS
where two boxes intersect on the edge of a puzzle,
and the CROSS character serves the same purpose in
the middle of a puzzle where four boxes intersect.
The FILL and SPACE characters are used to fill in
and around puzzle boxes that contain no letters.
The LEFT fill overprints the left boundary of a
box, the RIGHT fill overprints the right boundary,
and two CENTER fill characters are printed
side-by-side between the left and right
boundaries.
- REQUIRED -
&CWH57Puzzle / Clue Files (*.PUZ / *.CLU)
CWC uses very simple data file formats so advanced users can
manipulate them with word processors, or other software, external to
the program. All of these files are stored as pure ASCII text. If
you edit any of the files with a word processor, be sure to save them
as NON-DOCUMENT to eliminate any formatting characters.
PUZZLE files have an extension of ".PUZ", and are simply an image of
the puzzle itself. Each file contains 23 records (one for each puzzle
row). Each record contains 38 characters; a beginning quote, 36
letters (one for each puzzle column), and an ending quote.
example: (CATS.PUZ)
" PUPPY "
" U "
"YARN "
" R "
.
.
.
etc.
CLUE files have an extension of ".CLU", and have the same PRIMARY
names as their corresponding PUZZLE files. The first record in a CLUE
file is a HEADER record. It contains the puzzle title and a count of
the total number of clues defined in the puzzle.
Following the header is a record for EACH clue. A clue record
contains the word itself, followed by the text of the clue for that
word. The actual number of clue records is exactly equal to the count
stored in the header record. The character fields are, again,
delimited by quotes and separated by a comma.
example: (CATS.CLU)
"Felix's Feline Follies",3
"YARN","Cats ~ball it up~"
"PUPPY","worst enemy|but man's best friend"
"PURR","familiar feline sound"
Notice that if the clue text contains imbedded quotes, they are
represented as TILDES in the file. They are translated into real
quotes when the file is loaded.
The words themselves, obviously, are never longer than the maximum
dimensions of an actual puzzle. The clue text can contain up to four
"segments" of 33 characters each. Each segment represents one clue
"line", and each line is separated by the "|" character.
CWC makes no distinction between ACROSS words and DOWN words in its
clue file format. Therefore, if the same word is defined in both
directions in the puzzle, it CANNOT have two different clues.
&CWH58Help Files (*.CWH)
The format for HELP files is similar to the clue files. Each topic in
the file consists of a TITLE record, followed by up to 80 lines of
text.
The first six characters of a TITLE record must contain "&CWHnn",
where nn is a "help index" value between 01 and 99. The rest of the
record contains the title that will be displayed by the HELP TOPICS
function in Crossword Creator. The title may be up to 40 characters
long. The actual text records may be up to 70 characters long.
example: &CWH99My New Help Topic
Here is the text for the new help topic I added. This
will make it easy for me to remember something I
discovered.
If you wish to enhance the HELP information provided with CWC, simply
load the file into your word processor or text editor and make the
changes you want. Make sure, however, that all of the HELP records
for a particular topic are PHYSICALLY CONTIGUOUS in the file because
the HELP routine will stop reading records as soon as it finds the
next TITLE record. CWC will automatically present the HELP text in a
scrollable window, so the information can be as lengthy or as brief as
you want.
Crossword Creator uses about 70 of the available 99 index numbers. If
you add topics of your own, start with 99 and work backwards. That
will minimize your chances of overlaying an existing topic.
&CWH59Language Files (*.CWH)
Crossword Creator can support foreign languages. All the on-screen
text has been externalized into files that are read when the program
starts up. LANGUAGE files have a primary filename that identifies the
particular language. The extension name for a LANGUAGE file is
".CWL".
The default language is "English", but you can instruct Crossword
Creator to load other language files if they are available (refer to
the "Installation And Startup" help topic for instructions on how to
use the "/L=" command line parameter).
The format of a language file is relatively complex and modifications
should probably only be attempted with the aid and/or supervision of
PC HELP-LINE. Technical support will NOT be extended to problems
related to language files that have not been tested and approved by
PCHL.
If you have a need for a language that is not currently supported, and
are willing to provide the translation skills necessary to do the job,
contact PCHL for assistance in getting started. It is important that
the language file specifications be adhered to exactly, but they are
easy to follow and available for the asking.
&CWH60Environment Variables (CWC= and WF=)
DOS maintains an area in memory called the "environment" that can be
used as a kind of reference guide by application programs like
Crossword Creator. You can see the information stored in the
environment by issuing the DOS command "SET". Some things you might
notice are the "COMSPEC" variable which contains the path name to
COMMAND.COM, and the "PATH" variable which contains the path name you
specified in your last PATH command.
Crossword Creator's variable name is "CWC" and it is used to specify
the directory path name where the program should look for CONFIG.CWC,
help files (*.CWH), language files (*.CWL), and printer definition
files (*.CWP). Without this directory name, Crossword Creator will
only look for these files in the CURRENT directory.
If you use only floppy disks this may be of no consequence. But on a
hard disk system the Crossword Creator program may be stored in a
different directory than its support files. Or, for example, you may
choose to define more than one CONFIG.CWC file and place them in
different sub-directories.
To set the variable, issue the DOS command:
SET CWC=[path name]
In place of "[path name]", type the name of the path where Crossword
Creator's support files are located. Make sure there are no
intervening blanks anywhere except the required one between "SET" and
"CWC=".
example: SET CWC=C:\PROGRAMS\CWC
Crossword Creator uses a second variable, "WF=", to specify the
location of WORDFIND's dictionary files. If you already have a copy
of WORDFIND installed in another directory, you will find this more
convenient than keeping a second copy of the "Xnn" files in Crossword
Creator's directory.
example: SET WF=C:\UTILITY\WORDFIND
To remove a variable from the environment issue the SET command
without any characters after the equal sign:
SET CWC=
The use of Crossword Creator's environment variables is entirely
optional. They are provided merely as an aid in tailoring the program
to your needs. You may want to refer to your DOS manual for more
information on using environment variables and the SET command.
&CWH61Printer Compatibility Issues
If you can't get Crossword Creator to produce sharp, square boxes and
continuous lines on your printer, you may have a compatibility
problem. The following facts about PC printers should help you
determine the best way to use your printer with CWC.
When a printer manufacturer advertises a particular model as "IBM
compatible", they usually mean that the printer recognizes the same
control code sequences as IBM printers. For most word processing and
spreadsheet applications this is quite sufficient because only the
standard alphanumeric ASCII characters are required by these kinds of
programs. But letters and numbers are only a subset of the symbols
that make up a printer's "character set".
When IBM introduced the original PC, they endowed it with a special,
proprietary character set that included a nice set of line and box
drawing characters, and programmers used them to good advantage in
their software to spruce up their screens. Crossword Creator uses
them, for example, to draw the frame boundaries around the windows and
dialog boxes. All "IBM compatible" computers can reproduce these
characters on the screen, BUT NOT ALL PRINTERS CAN REPRODUCE THEM ON
PAPER.
That's the rub. Your printer may be IBM "control code" compatible,
but not IBM "character set" compatible. Now as far as Crossword
Creator is concerned, character set compatibility is much more
important than control code compatibility. A printer definition file
can be built for any printer, no matter how complex its control codes
are (witness the HP LaserJet's definition files), but if your printer
can't reproduce the IBM character set, you just won't be able to
produce the best possible output.
Which is NOT to say that you can't use an "oddball" printer AT ALL.
You CAN use the standard ASCII characters "|", "-", and "+" to draw
boxes, they'll just produce rougher looking output. In fact, drivers
are provided for printers that don't support EITHER level of IBM
compatibility, like the DIABLO 630 standard for daisy-wheels and the
Epson RX-80 dot-matrix. Some printers even have their OWN box drawing
characters that are different from IBM's, but Crossword Creator can
still use them effectively to print good looking puzzles.
The point is, CWC can use ANY characters that your printer knows how
to draw, but it can't give IBM CHARACTER SET COMPATIBILITY to a
printer that doesn't already have it.
If you're in doubt about your printer's capabilities, try this simple
test. Startup Crossword Creator, and when you get to the
copyright/intro screen, press Shift+PrtSc on your keyboard. If the
Crossword Creator logo prints out just like it appears on the screen,
your printer is IBM "character set" compatible. If you get italic
characters or something else besides the double-outline boxes, you'll
probably have to use the standard ASCII characters to draw your
puzzles.
One last important point. Crossword Creator uses a printer technique
called "overprinting". This means that the program "layers" different
characters on top of each other by making multiple "passes" on a
single line of print.
To accomplish this, CWC sends a "carriage return (CR)" character to
the printer WITHOUT an accompanying "line feed (LF)" character. This
causes the printer's printhead to return to the left margin, but does
NOT advance the paper. Another layer of characters is then printed on
top of the existing line.
Printers equipped with an "auto line feed" feature can defeat CWC's
overprinting because they insert a LF character after every CR
character received. Since the paper is advanced before CWC has
finished its overprinting, your output will look VERY STRANGE. The
most obvious symptom of this problem are puzzles that look
"double-spaced" and are regularly broken up by horizontal lines of
"white space".
There is virtually no way that Crossword Creator can adapt to or
correct for an "auto line feed" problem because it occurs "behind the
program's back", at the hardware level. Check your owner's manual.
This feature is usually enabled/disabled by positioning a hardware DIP
switch somewhere on the printer.
Read the "Printer Support List" help topic for a list of the printers
supported by Crossword Creator.
&CWH62Printer Support List 1 of 2
This list was last updated on 09/19/89.
If your printer is not explicitly supported, you still have two
options. First, check your owner's manual to see if your printer
EMULATES any of those listed. If so, you can probably use THAT
driver. Second, PCHL will build custom drivers free of charge,
provided you have REGISTERED your copy of Crossword Creator.
All printer definition files have an EXTENSION name of ".CWP". The
naming conventions used in the PRIMARY part of the filename are as
follows:
The FIRST two characters are an abbreviation of the
manufacturer's name.
The LAST character is a numeric digit. Every printer will have
at least a type "1" definition file, with a MaxPrintCols= value
of 80. If multiple drivers are provided for the same printer,
they will be numbered sequentially, beginning with "2", and the
MaxPrintCols= value will be larger, as well.
The five (or fewer) characters in the MIDDLE are an abbreviation
of the printer's model name.
example: EPFX86E1
|~|~~~~|
| | | type "1", 80 columns
| |
| | model name, FX-86e
|
| EP, Epson manufacturer
Read the "Printer Definition Files" help topics for complete
documentation on MaxPrintCols= and the other printer control keywords.
Manufacturer CWP Name Model Name / Description
============ ======== =======================================
PC HELP-LINE CWDTP special driver for use with CWDTP.EXE
---------------------------------------------------------------------
all DABLO631 any, DIABLO 630 standard printers
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Epson EPFX86E1 FX-86e
EPFX86E2
EPLQ8501 LQ-850
EPLQ8502
EPLX8001 LX-800
EPLX8002
EPPLAIN1 early FX, no IBM character set
EPPLAIN2
EPRX801 RX-80
EPRX802
---------------------------------------------------------------------
HP HPDJET1 DeskJet Plus
HPDJET2
HPDJET3
HPLJET1 LaserJet Series II
HPLJET2
HPLJET3
HPSF99P HP generic PCL printer, soft font ID 99
HPSF99L
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IBM IBGRAPH1 Graphics Printer, Proprinter
IBGRAPH2
Part 2 continues the printer support list
&CWH63Printer Support List 2 of 2
Manufacturer CWP Name Model Name / Description
============ ======== =======================================
NEC NEP22001 P2200, P6/P7 Pinwriters
NEP22002
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Panasonic PAKX1081 KX-P1080, KX-P1090
PAKX1082
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanyo SAPR2411 PR-241
SAPR2412
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tandy TADWP221 DWP-220
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Toshiba TOP13511 P1351
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Star STGM10X1 Gemini 10-X
STGM10X2
&CWH64Error Messages 1 of 3
When Crossword Creator encounters an error, it informs you with a
MESSAGE BOX. The text of the message will describe the NATURE of the
error, name the DEVICE or FILE involved (if any), and show the error
NUMBER.
Common error messages are listed alphabetically below, along with the
possible causes and remedies. If you encounter an error that is not
listed, or if you cannot resolve a documented error yourself, contact
PC HELP-LINE Technical Support.
Can't load language file; insufficient memory
---------------------------------------------
You don't have enough memory in your system to run CWC. The
minimum memory requirement is 320K. You need to make more memory
available to CWC.
Number: 248
COMMAND.COM not available
-------------------------
CWC could not create a DOS SHELL because it could not locate the
DOS command processor. This is usually only a problem with
floppy-based systems. Put your original boot disk back in the
drive and try again.
Number: 252
Device (device name) disk is write-protected
--------------------------------------------
The disk drive named in the message has been write-protected.
Remove the write-protect tab, or use another disk.
Number: 70
Device (device name) drive not ready
------------------------------------
The disk drive named in the message was not on-line and
available. Make sure it is powered up, and that the drive doors
are fully closed.
Number: 71
Device (device name) not ready
------------------------------
The device named in the message was not on-line and available.
Make sure all your peripherals are powered up and ready.
Number: 24, 25, 57, 68
Device (device name) out of paper
---------------------------------
CWC is trying to use the printer, but it is out of paper. Try
printing again after you've put in more paper.
Number: 27
Disk (device name) is full
--------------------------
The disk drive named in the message does not have enough free
space to store the data you are trying to save. Use a new disk,
or delete some existing files to free up more space.
Number: 61
Part 2 continues the error message list
&CWH65Error Messages 2 of 3
File (drive\path\filename) access error
---------------------------------------
CWC attempted to alter or delete a "read-only" file, or violated
a network access rule. Use a different drive\path\filename.
Number: 75
File (drive\path\filename) input past EOF
-----------------------------------------
CWC tried to read past the end of a file. Report this error to
PCHL.
Number: 62
File (drive\path\filename) not found
------------------------------------
The file named in the message does not exist. Check that the
drive, path, and file names are spelled correctly. You may also
have forgotten to use CWC's environment variables, or used them
incorrectly, causing the program to look for its support files in
the wrong directory.
Number: 52, 53, 64, 76
File or device I/O error
------------------------
No explanation. CWC encountered an error it was not expecting.
Report this error to PCHL.
Number: 1-255
Language file (drive\path\filename) contains an invalid PCHL language
code
---------------------------------------------------------------------
All CWC language files are assigned a unique code by PCHL, once
they have been thoroughly tested for compatibility. The language
file you are trying to use has either not been tested, or has
been corrupted in some way. Report this error to PCHL.
Number: 251
Language file (drive\path\filename) incompatible with this version of
CWC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
All CWC language files contain a "version number" that
corresponds to the internal version of CWC.EXE. The format of
the language files has changed with each new release of Crossword
Creator. You are trying to use a language file that is in the
wrong format. Contact PCHL to obtain a "matched" set of CWC
program and support files.
Number: 253
Mach2 (memory type) Error
-------------------------
This is a special "out of memory" error. It usually indicates
that CWC did not (or could not) allocate enough memory for
LANGUAGE, HELP, or CLUE data. Report this error to PCHL.
Number: 244, 245, 246, 247
Maximum clues exceeded
----------------------
You have exceeded the upper limit on the number of puzzle clues
imposed by the MaxPuzClues= configuration keyword. Save your
puzzle, increase the MaxPuzClues= value, and exit the program.
Start CWC again and reopen your puzzle. This should enable you
to create more clues.
Number: 250
Part 3 continues the error message list
&CWH66Error Messages 3 of 3
No HELP available for this topic
--------------------------------
A "header" record for this topic was found in the HELP file, but
there was no accompanying text.
Number: 243
No PRINT destination specified
------------------------------
You have not selected a printer definition file, or the *.CWP
file you are using has no destination specified by the PrintDest=
keyword. You must select a printer definition file to use BEFORE
printing, and the PrintDest= keyword in the file must specify a
device name or a file name. To select a default printer, update
your CWC configuration file (CONFIG.CWC) by executing the
CONFIGURATION function in CWC.EXE.
Number: 255
No puzzles found
----------------
No puzzle files were found in the directory specified by the
PuzDirName= configuration keyword. Check that the drive and path
names are spelled correctly. To use a different directory,
update your CWC configuration file (CONFIG.CWC) by executing the
CONFIGURATION function in CWC.EXE.
Number: 254
Out of MEMORY
-------------
CWC could not allocate enough memory to run properly, or all
available memory has been consumed by the text of puzzle clues.
The minimum memory requirement is 320K. You need to make more
memory available to CWC.
Number: 7
Out of STRING SPACE
-------------------
The text of puzzle clues has consumed all of the memory allocated
for that purpose, approximately 40K. This is an absolute limit.
Decrease the length of your puzzle clues.
Number: 14
Pattern requires at least 2 tokens
----------------------------------
The WORDFIND search pattern you specified is less than 2
characters long. The minimum word length is 2 letters, so you
must specify a pattern containing at least that many tokens.
Number: 242
Too many words in the puzzle
----------------------------
Your puzzle is too complex for CWC to format properly. You will
have to remove some words from the puzzle in order to continue.
Report this error to PCHL.
Number: 249
&CWH67Help File Print Utility - CWHPRINT.EXE
PC HELP-LINE no longer supplies a typeset manual for Crossword
Creator. Instead, the complete documentation has been made available
on-line via the HELP TOPICS function.
However, PCHL recognizes that not everyone suffers from DOCUPHOBIA.
So, for those of you who really WANT to curl up in your favorite
easychair with a copy of CWC's manual, you can easily produce one of
your very own.
CWHPRINT.EXE is stand-alone program that will read a Crossword Creator
HELP file and print a custom manual, complete with numbered pages and
a Table of Contents. It recognizes the same "/L=" command line
parameter and the same DOS environment variables as CWC.EXE, so if you
run CWHPRINT.EXE from the same directory as you do the main program,
it should have no trouble finding your HELP files.
The program formats the manual for a generic text printer at 59 lines
per page, 80 columns per line. Printer definition files are not
needed because there is nothing "printer specific" about the output.
CWHPRINT.EXE will work with any printer that uses continuous forms or
a cut-sheet feeder.
Crossword Creator's documentation comprises some 60 pages, so be
prepared.
Read the "Installation And Startup" and the "Environment Variables
(CWC= and WF=)" help topics for complete explanations of CWC's command
line parameters and DOS environment variables.
&CWH68Desktop Publishing Aid - CWDTP.EXE
Crossword Creator's puzzle output cannot be used directly by desktop
publishing programs like PageMaker and Ventura Publisher. It IS
possible to "print to disk" in CWC, but the printer control codes
imbedded in the output never import properly and CWC's "overprinting
tricks" do not translate well.
CWDTP.EXE is a stand-alone program that can read a specially-formatted
puzzle file that has been "printed to disk", and produce a plain ASCII
text version of the crossword. This "fixed" puzzle file can then be
easily imported and manipulated by DTP applications.
Instructions for using CWDTP.EXE are contained within the program.
Simply run it and follow the directions.
Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!
This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.
But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/