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Java Puzzle Applet - Usage
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Back to the Main Page
First off, make sure you have puzzle_full.zip downloaded. Now, to include
the applet in your web page, you need to include some special tags. A lot
of them are optional, and a lot are difficult for me to explain, but are
really simple once understood.
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code
This is the relative URL where the puzzle.class file is placed.
* The file puzzle.class must not be renamed. It's a weird Java
thing.
num, numx, numy
These refer to the number of pieces in the puzzle. num is the
total number of pieces, numx is the amount across (horizontally),
numy is the amount up and down (vertically).
* Only two of these can specified. I'd suggest numx and numy
* If all three are specified, and numx times numy doesn't equal
num, an error will be generated and the puzzle won't work.
* If two are specified, and num is one of them, and if num isn't
evenly divisible by numx or numy (whichever one was specified), an
error will be generate and the puzzle won't work.
width, height
The width and height of the applet, respectively.
* It is recommended, for less image distortion, to multiply the
image's width and height by some number to make the applet's width
and height.
* If you have the bar on the applet (enabled by default), add 20
to the height to avoid distortion of the image.
src
Relative URL of the image to load. This must be on the same site
as the puzzle.class file. It's a weird Java thing.
soundsrc
Relative URL of a sound file (in .au format) to play when the
puzzle has been completed. If not specified, no sound will be
played. Must be on the same site as puzzle.class.
type
Type of puzzle. If not specified, it defaults to 0.
0 = Swap type.
1 = Slide type, with the 'empty' square starting in a random
position
2 = Slide type, with the 'empty' square in the lower right-hand
corner.
url, prefixurl, postfixurl
Relative URL of the web page to display when the puzzle has been
completed. Convenient if you want to allow the user to be able to
download the whole picture or if you want to do something special
with the number of moves it took.
If url is specified, the page will be shown (and some extra
information will be appended to the URL). If not, no page will be
shown.
The URL that is generated looks like this:
url?prefixurlMOVESpostfixurl. You can safely omit prefixurl and
postfixurl if you so desire. MOVES will be replaced with an
integer, being the number of moves it took to solve the puzzle.
For simple entry to a CGI script, an example would have url set to
"my_results.cgi", prefixurl set to "moves=", and postfixurl left
unset. If I solved the puzzle in 12 moves, the resulting URL
generated would be "my_results.cgi?moves=12"
The sample CGI script in puzzle_full.zip should give a bit more
detail. Also, there's scripts in there that will deter cheating,
or at least make it a bit more difficult to do.
xstyle
When someone presses the Reveal button, this will determine how
the incorrect pieces get marked. If not specified, the default is
0.
0 = Thin blue lines making an X over the incorrect pieces
1 = Big, bold, red X over the incorrect pieces
bar
This tells the applet where to draw select portions of the bar. By
default, it is set to 1357. If you set it to 0, you will not have
a bar displayed on top of the puzzle. Whether or not you have this
bar affects the height setting.
The first number is the position of the "Moves" field, then comes
the number correct, the Reveal button and lastly the Mix button.
Each field uses the following numbers for placement. They can
easily overlap or cover each other, so be careful when deciding
where things go.
0 = Not displayed
1 = Left aligned
2 = Centered 1/4 from left side
3 = Centered 1/3 from left side
4 = Centered in middle
5 = Centered 1/3 from right side
6 = Centered 1/4 from right side
7 = Right aligned
resize
If the image specified doesn't fit into the applet's displayable
area (the width and height - the size of the status bar [if any]),
then the image is resized to fit. This will mess up the
proportions of the image, so make sure that you specify the width
and height of the applet properly! If not specified, this defaults
to 0.
Since resizing is based on the implementation of Java (I have no
control over it), and all I get are these silly names for how
resizing is done, that's all I can provide to you. If you use this
option, test out the different resize methods until you find one
that you like.
0 = Do not resize (whew!).
1 = Use the 'default' resize method.
2 = Use the 'fast' resize method.
3 = Use the 'smooth' resize method.
4 = Use the 'area averaging' resize method.
website
Due to the number of messages I have received over the years
pertaining to a messed up puzzle installation on a web site, I
have realized that adding a contact at the web site to my puzzle
display would be a good idea. If you set this, the entire value
will be displayed on the puzzle screen while it is loading and if
there is an error.
Since this message comes after a line saying "Direct comments
about this website to:", I would suggest you put "Your Name " as the value of this applet parameter.
If you mess up, or if there is some sort of problem, the applet will
generate an error code. All error codes are shown on the Java Console,
along with some debugging information. The Java Console can be viewed in
Netscape by looking under the "Options" menu. Mozilla can do that too.
Internet Explorer, at the time of this writing, can not do that.
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Tyler Akins < Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address>