MISSING(LINK) V5.5 MISSING(LINK)NAMExmlink - Missing Link X widget
SYNOPSIS
/usr/games/xmlink [-geometry
[{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display
[{host}]:[{vs}]] [-[no]mono] [-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg}
{color}] [-{background|bg} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-tile
{color}] [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} {color}] [-tiles {int}] [-faces {int}]
[-[no]orient] [-[no]middle] [-base {int}] [-username {string}]
DESCRIPTION
Ideal's The Missing Link, a 4x4 puzzle, riding on the wave of Rubik's
Cube craze. There are many variations on this theme, including the
"6x6" puzzle and Babylon Tower. What makes the Missing Link a harder
puzzle to solve is that the 2 center positions rotate together.
FEATURES
Press "mouse-left" button to move a tiles. Release "mouse-left" button
in the same row would move the tile towards the space (unless there is
no space in that row). Release on a different row will move the tiles
up or down.
Click "mouse-right", or press "R" or "r" keys to randomize (this must
be done first to set a new record). One must double click on "mouse-
right" if the puzzle is being worked on.
Press "O" or "o" keys to toggle the orient mode. Slightly more chal‐
lenging on (default is off).
Press "M" or "m" keys to toggle the middle mode. All the middle tiles
rotate together. This is considerably more challenging on (default is
on).
"S" or "s" keys reserved for the auto-solver (unimplemented).
Press "U" or "u" keys to undo move.
Press "G" or "g" keys to get a saved puzzle.
Press "W" or "w" keys to write or save a puzzle.
Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.
Use the key pad, "R" keys, or arrow keys to move without mouse clicks.
Key pad is defined for Missing Link as:
8 Up
^
4< >6 Left, Right
v
2 Down
Use the shift key and the up or down arrow keys to rotate all the
tiles.
Use the control key and the keypad or arrow keys to enlarge or reduce
the complexity of the puzzle.
The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
xmlink: <row>x<column> {norm|ind<control of movement of middle
tiles>} @ (<Number of moves>/{<Record number of moves>|"NEVER
noaccess"|"practice"}) - <Comment>
Movement of middle tiles are either move together or independent.
If there is no record of the current puzzle, it displays "NEVER noac‐
cess".
OPTIONS-geometry {+|-}X{+|-}Y
This option sets the initial position of the missing link win‐
dow (resource name "geometry").
-display host:dpy
This option specifies the X server to contact.
-[no]mono
This option allows you to display on a color screen as if
monochrome (resource name "mono").
-[no]{reverse|rv}
This option allows you to see the missing link window in
reverse video (resource name "reverse").
-{foreground|fg} color
This option specifies the foreground of the missing link window
(resource name "foreground").
-{background|bg} color
This option specifies the background of the missing link window
(resource name "background").
-{border|bd} color
This option specifies the border color of the tiles in the
missing link window (resource name "orderColor").
-tile color
This option specifies the tile color of the tiles in the miss‐
ing link window (resource name "tileColor").
-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} <color>
This option allows you to change the color of a face (resource
name "faceColorN"). In mono-mode, color is represented as the
first letter of the color name. The 0th face is the last face
face on missing link because I wanted that one to remain white
by default when there are more or less faces.
-tiles <int>
This option allows you to change the number of links in a row
(resource name "tiles").
-faces <int>
This option allows you to change the number of faces in column
(resource name "faces").
-[no]orient
This option allows you to access the orient mode (resource name
"orient").
-[no]middle
This option allows you to access the middle mode (resource name
"orient").
-base int
This option specifies the base used (default is base 10)
(resource name "base").
-username string
This option specifies the user name for any records made or
else it will get your login name (resource name "userName").
SAVE FORMAT
The format is not standard. The reason for this is that this is simple
and I do not know what the standard is.
tiles: 1-8 <number of tiles in a row>
faces: 1-8 <number of tiles in a column>
middle: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then middle moves as one
unit>
orient: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then chain linked in order>
moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>
startingPosition: <array of tile positions where 0 is the empty
space>
This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.
move #: <direction> <tile> <shift>
Direction is represented as 0 up, 1 right, 2 down, and 3 left.
Tile is the column of tile.
Shift is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole puzzle is moved at once
(here Tile does not matter), 0 if not. The xmlink record keeper does
not count a control move as a move, but here we do.
Caution: the program may crash on corrupted input.
REFERENCES
Sliding Piece Puzzles (Recreations in Mathematics Series) by L. E. Hor‐
den, Oxford University Press 1986, Plate X.
SEE ALSOX(1), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6), xmball(6),
xpanex(6), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexagons(6), abacus(1)COPYRIGHTS
® Copyright 1994-99, David Albert Bagley
BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES
Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author
David Albert Bagley, <bagleyd@tux.org>
The latest version is currently at:
ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/tux/bagleyd/xpuzzles
ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/games
20 June 1999 6 MISSING(LINK)
