CrossWord - Crossword Puzzle Editor

by Graham Crow

CrossWord is a program that creates crossword puzzles. It provides an editor in which you enter a grid of blanks or bars, together with the solutions.  Numbering of the squares is automatic.

Crossword requires RISC OS 3.1 or greater. It works with hard or floppy discs. Click on the !CrossWord icon in the RISC User master menu system in the usual way to place the CrossWord icon on the icon bar. Click Select on the icon to display the default crossword which comprises 15 x 15 blank squares. Later, when crosswords have been saved, you can double-click on their icons to load them into CrossWord, automatically running the application if it is not already installed.

The output, with or without the answers, is in the form of a Drawfile which may be exported to a DTP package.  There is also a facility for entering the clues which may be saved separately as a textfile, also for export to a DTP package.  Data for the complete crossword is saved in a special datafile (provisionally types &3BB for squares and &3BC for bars).

Many features are provided to give you control over the process, for example:

 - the crossword may be any size up to 21 x 21
 - the grid may be made up of squares or bars
 - the scale may be adjusted to suit the mode you are using
 - you may choose which font to use and its point size
 - the size of the drawfile may be specified
 - the width of the bar may be specified
 - the drawfile can include numbers or answers or both
 - your preferences may be saved in a Choices file

An Examples directory is included.


Changing size
To change the size of the crossword, slide off Size on the main menu, make the required adjustments, and click on OK.  The range is 5-21 with a default of 15.  The columns and rows do not have to be the same.  Choosing Size from the top level menu opens the window and closes the menu.

Changing scale
To change the scale to suit your preferred mode, slide off Scale on the main menu, make the required adjustments, and click on OK. The measurement is in OS units with a range of 30-130 and a default of 50. Choosing Scale from the top level menu opens the window and closes the menu.

Changing font name/size
The default font is Homerton.Medium. To change this, slide off Font from the main menu, click on the pop-up menu icon and choose a font from the list. To change the size, make the required adjustments in the Size box. This governs the size of the letter within the square and also applies to the drawfile. The range is 8-14 with a default of 12. To implement any changes click on 'Apply' or press Return: to abort click on 'Cancel'. Choosing Font from the top level menu opens the window and closes the menu.

The cursor
The cursor shows as a cream square when active, and a grey one when inactive. To make the cursor active, click on any letter square. The cursor becomes inactive when another window has the input focus, or if you click with adjust on the icon bar icon. You can move the cursor in a number of ways:

 - use the arrow keys
 - press Return
 - press Delete
 - place the pointer over a letter square and click select
 
The first three methods have auto-repeat. The effect of Return and Delete is governed by the orientation of the arrow button at the top of the crossword. If it is pointing to the right then the cursor moves right/left. If it is pointing down the cursor moves down/up. The arrow's position is changed by clicking on it with select or adjust.

Entering text
To enter text, make sure the cursor is active and in the required square, and type! You may use upper or lower case - the crossword entry will always be in upper case. The cursor advances to the next blank square: right or down according to the arrow's setting.

Entering blanks or bars
Whether you enter blanks or bars is determined by the button at the top left. You can toggle between blanks and bars by clicking on the button with select or adjust.

To enter a blank click with Adjust with the pointer over the required square: a second click removes the blank. To enter a bar click with Adjust on (or near) the appropriate line; a second click removes the bar.

Most crosswords have symmetrical grids. Choose Reflect from the main menu to cause the corresponding square/bar to be entered automatically.

Adjusting the thickness of the bar
If the 'bars' option is set, you can change the thickness of the bars from the main menu. Slide off Bar Size, make the required adjustments, and click on OK. The measurement is a percentage of the length of a square's side, so that the thickness remains in proportion if you rescale the crossword.  The range is 5-15 with a default of 10. This setting also applies when you save the crossword as a drawfile. Choosing Bar Size from the top level menu opens the window and closes the menu.

Entering numbers
The numbers are inserted automatically by choosing Renumber from the menu. The algorithm used depends on the setting of the blanks/bars button.

Entering clues
Choosing Show Clues from the main menu opens a window in which you can type the clues.  The across/down clues relate to the position of the cursor, and the icons are inactive if not applicable. To enter the clue into memory you must click on Save. The clues are saved to disc when you save the crossword.

Clearing a crossword
You may clear the crossword by choosing Clear from the menu. There is an option to keep the grid, clearing only the letters.

Adding a title
There is a writable area to the right of the arrow button. Click here to type in a title.  The title is saved as part of the datafile.

Saving a crossword
Slide off Save on the Menu and there are three options: DataFile, DrawFile and Clues.

DataFile saves all the crossword information in a special file of type &3BB (for squares) or type &3BC (for bars) with the relevant crossword icon. Pressing F3 pops up the DataFile save box (providing the cursor is active).

DrawFile leads to a dialogue box to allow you to specify whether to include the answers and/or numbers.  You may also set the size of a single square in mm, with a range of 3-18 and a default of 6. This in turn governs the overall size of the crossword, and the corresponding width and height are shown for information. Clicking on the arrows increases or decreases the size by 1mm, but you can also enter a value (to one place of decimals) and press Return for accurate sizing.

There is an option to save the drawfile in draft mode. This gives a low density of fill for squares and bars and therefore saves printing ink. Note that for barred crosswords, the thickness of the bar is set from the main menu option Bar Size.

The resulting drawfile is grouped. If, within Draw, you select the crossword by clicking on it and then ungrouping the objects (Ctrl U), you will see that there are three separate subgroups - one for the grid, one for the letters, and one for the numbers. This enables you to make further adjustments to colours, fonts, and so forth.

The Clues may be saved as a separate textfile.

Loading a crossword
Either double-click on the crossword file icon or drag the icon onto CrossWord. You have the option to include or exclude the answers. If there is unsaved data in the editor a warning is given. Example datafiles are included with the application.

Saving your preferences
Click on Save Choices on the icon bar menu to save your preferences. The following features are saved and will be active the next time you run CrossWord.

 - font name and size
 - blanks/bars
 - thickness of bars
 - whether to show clues
 - whether to reflect blanks/bars
 - whether to load a file with or without answers
 - whether to include answers in a drawfile
 - whether to include numbers in a drawfile
 - size of crossword (across/down)
 - scale of crossword
 - width of drawfile

Putting it all together
The main purpose of CrossWord is to produce quality output simply. The Examples directory shows how the various features may be combined to produce a full crossword, together with the clues and the previous day's solution. You could, of course, use packages such as Ovation and Impression or do the whole job in Draw using Text Areas for the clues.


 Copyright RISC User, 1995


