CrossMate Overview

	CrossMate is a tool for Crossword Puzzle authors and solvers which was specifically designed to run on the Psion 3a hand-held pocket computer and has a variety of displays optimised around the relatively small screen of this type of device. CrossMate supports Classical and Bar-type Crosswords and performs a variety of checks as the puzzle progresses to ensure that certain rules are enforced. 

	The program is optimised around Crosswords of up to 18x18 but puzzles up to 34x34 are feasible, subject to the availability of memory and other resources on the 3a. Other features allow "Skeleton" crosswords to be attempted by solving the clues before their locations on the Grid have been established.

	This file gives an overview of the basic features of CrossMate, but an illustrated technical manual is available, price £8.50 from:-
	Brider Ltd.,
	PO Box 3562,
	Bracknell,
	Berks RG12 0YZ.


Software Installation

	Currently, CrossMate is available over the Internet or on a PC-style floppy disk. It will be necessary to use PsiWin to move the software to the Psion 3a. Referring to the PsiWin User Manual, place the file Xmate.opa in the \APP directory on any file structure on the 3a and use the Install option from the Applications menu of the System screen to install it. You can also assign a Fast-Key for this application (e.g. Control+Time). For additional information see the Psion 3a User Manual.

	The icon for CrossMate is a crossword-puzzle grid and, initially, you should see the word Xmate underneath it. The first time you activate CrossMate it will create the directory \XMT on the default file structure and this is where working files will be stored. Copy the supplied demo crossword files with the extension XMT to this area and these should appear on the system screen below the icon.



Getting Started

	First try one of the demo crosswords by positioning the cursor of the system screen over one of the filenames under the CrossMate icon and pressing Enter. CrossMate will now build the Grid and part of this will be displayed on the screen. Depending on the dimensions, a vertical position bar will probably be displayed to the left of the grid and this will indicate how much of the grid is being displayed on the screen and where the currently selected square is positioned relative to the grid. The current square will be highlighted with a flashing cursor, almost the same size as the square itself. Use the up, down, left and right arrows to move this cursor around the grid. Pressing the Psion key at the same time as pressing an arrow key will move the cursor to one of the extremities of the grid.

	You can type the answers directly on the grid by positioning the cursor over the first square and typing the first character. Notice that the cursor will try to move across or down after you have typed a character and the direction of this movement will be forwards in the direction last selected (i.e. Across or Down). Automatic cursor increment will cease if a Blank or grid edge is encountered. However, unlike the word-processor packages on most computers, CrossMate will always clear out the currently selected square if "Delete" is pressed and the cursor will then move to the previous square. Similarly, if a character is typed, it will always be placed in the current square and the cursor will then move to the next.

	But, of course, you need to read the clues before you can solve them. This can be done in two ways. One uses the Intersect Window and the other uses the Clue Screen.

	Move the cursor until it is positioned over the square with the number 1 in the top left corner. These numbers are called "Tags" in CrossMate and are always in numerical order. Now press the Tab button and the Intersect Window will appear. The upper half of this window shows the Across clue and the lower half shows the Down clue, if any, that intersect at the current square. A flashing cursor will appear over the character corresponding to the current square. The same character will be highlighted in the other half of the display. As you type in any characters the cursor will move along the display and the other half of the window will change to show the intersecting clue at that point. Use the up or down arrows to toggle between selecting the Across and Down clues. Pressing Tab will remove the Intersect Window from the screen.

	Pressing the diamond key toggles between viewing the Grid or the Clue Screen. When the Clue Screen is selected the full details of each clue is shown. A clue can generate an answer spreading over up to 8 "Cells" in either direction and can consist of up to 10 words. This is shown on the Clue Screen together with the clue string and space to type in the answers. Pressing Up-Arrow moves to the next lower numbered clue and Down-Arrow moves to the next higher numbered clue. In this way you can peruse and solve the clues without reference to the grid. But occasionally it helps to look back at the Grid or the Intersect Window to see the relationship between the clues. This can be done by pressing the Diamond key once more.

Creating Your Own Crosswords

	You can also try out CrossMate by feeding in a copy of your favourite crossword puzzle from a daily newspaper. Position the cursor of the system screen under the CrossMate icon and press Menu. From the File menu choose New and press Enter. You will be asked to give a filename and this assumes the extension XMT. After some initialisation you will see a box asking you to specify the Type and size of the grid. If you are using a standard puzzle, leave the Type set to "Classic", which enforces the mirror pattern common to most standard crosswords. Alternatively, you can specify "Free-Format", which can be any pattern, or "Symmetric" which enforces a mirrored symmetry in the four quadrants of the grid. Set the width and height to match the size of your crossword and press Enter.

	The first step is to insert the blank squares (i.e. the blacked-out squares) into the grid. Move the cursor to the top left of the grid and, with your newspaper copy of the crossword to hand, move the cursor until it highlights the first square to be blanked. Press the asterisk (*) and you should see that the square will be totally filled-in. Now move to the next square to be blanked and press the asterisk once more. If you make a mistake you can press the asterisk again to remove the Blank. As you move around the screen inserting Blanks you will find that CrossMate automatically places mirrored-copies of each Blank in the lower part of the grid to enforce the selected grid-type, unless you have selected "Free-Format". When you have reached the middle of the grid the process of laying out the Blanks should now be complete.

	Press the Menu key and look at the available options. If you move along to the "Tag" menu you will see that one of the options is "Auto-Tag". Select this and press Enter. In the confirmation box that appears, change the answer to "Yes". CrossMate will now scan the grid and automatically insert a small number in the top left of each of the squares where it is possible to start a word of two or more characters (this is called a "Cell"), in either the Across or Down directions. These numbers are called "Tags" and it is also possible to insert or remove them manually, but they must always be in numerical order and CrossMate will enforce this.

	When all the Tags have been inserted you should check that the grid matches exactly the crossword in your newspaper. If there are any discrepancies you can add or remove Blanks or Tags, and then Auto-Tag the grid once more. At this stage you could now use CrossMate in association with the clues in your newspaper to enter the answers directly as you solve them. You can erase the letters from the squares or replace them but you will be warned each time you over-type any character.

	If your favourite crossword is a Bar-Type you must set the grid Type to be "Free-Format" and then set the Right-Bar and/or the Lower-Bar in each square with Psion+R or Psion+L respectively (see the "Tag" menu). Examples of these crosswords can be found in the Daily Express (Small crossword) and the Daily Telegraph.


Clues

	Depending on the complexity of the crossword it may now be an advantage to insert the clues. This is easily done with the "Auto-Clue" option from the "Clue" menu. Again, CrossMate will scan the grid and ask for each clue in turn; Across first followed by Down. The "Clue Screen" is used for this and will allow complex clues to be defined, spreading over up to eight cells in either direction and generating up to ten words. The "Auto-Clue" option will assume, by default, that each clue generates an answer which occupies one cell and is one word in length. If there are any complex clues you can edit the Clue Screen by moving the cursor around with the up and down arrows. 

	The top part of the clue screen maps out the cells and the Total box at the right sums up the length of all the cells. The middle part of the screen holds the clue itself and the lower part concerns the word layout of the answer. The total of all the words should match the cell Total box. This procedure sounds rather complicated but is fairly simple in practice. When each clue has been defined correctly, use the down arrow to move on to the next until all have been done. CrossMate can now be used in full.

Other Features

	CrossMate supports Skeleton Grids, where you may be given the clues but must determine the placement of the Tags on the grid. If a clue is defined before the tag is placed on the grid CrossMate will allocate an area of memory where you can type in a solution. This is only visible from the Clue screen. When you finally place the tag on the grid CrossMate will try to paste your answer in the appropriate squares. It will report any problems. Similarly, if you remove a tag from the grid CrossMate will take a copy of any relevant squares and paste them into another "off-line" buffer. Unplaced tags show up in the clue screen as reverse images (white numbers on a black background) in the tag box.

	Try the Sunday Express Skeleton Crossword, which is a 15x11 cryptic puzzle utilising the Symmetric grid type. Usually, four squares and four tags are placed in the original version. The symmetric mode of CrossMate will automatically add three additional Blanks for each one you set.

	CrossMate allows you to save the current characters on the grid in an "answer" section. This can be done from the Change... option in the Grid menu. At the same time, you can clear the grid, tags and blanks and pass the file to a friend to solve.

	If you have registered your copy of CrossMate, you can import and export crosswords in the text format supported by Across, the PC-based Crossword package produced by Literate Software Systems of the New Jersey, USA.

	Also, a registered copy of CrossMate can save the Grid as a bit-map file (,BMP) which can be imported into a Word for Windows document on a PC and the clues can be saved to a text file which can also be incorporated into any word processor or publishing package. In this way, CrossMate can be used on the Psion 3a by the Crossword author to create and submit a puzzle for publication.