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MISSING_LINK(6) 		  Games Manual			 MISSING_LINK(6)

NAME
     xmlink - Missing Link X widget

SYNOPSIS
     /usr/games/xmlink	[-geometry [{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]]
     [-display	 [{host}]:[{vs}]]   [-[no]mono]   [-[no]{reverse|rv}]	[-{fore-
     ground|fg}   {color}]  [-{background|bg}  {color}]  [-{border|bd}	{color}]
     [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7}   {color}]   [-tile   {color}]   [-frame	{color}]
     [-[no]stippleFrame]  [-[no]install]  [-picture  {filename}]  [-delay msecs]
     [-[no]sound] [-bumpSound {filename}]  [-moveSound	{filename}]  [-{font|fn}
     {fontname}]  [-tiles  {int}]  [-faces  {int}]  [-[no]orient]  [-[no]middle]
     [-[no]practice] [-base {int}] [-userName {string}] [-scoreFile  {filename}]
     [-scores] [-version]

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 tile.	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  "Z"  or "z" keys, to randomize the puzzle
     (this must be done first to set a new record).

     Press "G" or "g" keys to read (get) a saved puzzle.

     Press "W" or "w" keys to save (write) a puzzle.

     Press "U" or "u" keys to undo a move.

     Press "R" or "r" keys to redo a move.

     Press "C" or "c" keys to clear the puzzle.

     Press "S" or "s" keys to start the auto-solver.  Only works where tiles = 4
     and faces = 4.

     Press "O" or "o" keys to toggle the orient mode.  Slightly more challenging
     on (default is off).

     Press "M" or "m" keys to toggle the middle mode.  All the middle tiles  ro-
     tate together.  This is considerably more challenging on (default is on).

     Press ">" or "." keys to speed up the movement of tiles.

     Press "<" or "," keys to slow down the movement of tiles.

     Press "@" key to toggle the sound.

     Press "Esc" key to hide program.

     Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.

     Use the key pad or arrow keys to move without the mouse.
     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 reduce or enlarge 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>  <user
	    name>|"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 noaccess".

OPTIONS
     -geometry {+|-}X{+|-}Y
	     This option sets the initial position of the  missing  link  window
	     (resource name "geometry").

     -display host:dpy
	     This option specifies the X server to contact.

     -[no]mono
	     This  option  allows  you	to  display the missing link window on a
	     color screen as if it were monochrome (resource name "mono").

     -[no]{reverse|rv}
	     This option allows you to see the missing link  window  in  reverse
	     video (resource name "reverseVideo").

     -{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").

     -tile color
	     This  option  specifies  the tile color of the tiles in the missing
	     link window (resource name "tileColor").

     -{border|bd} color
	     This option specifies the border color of the tiles in the  missing
	     link window (resource name "orderColor").

     -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 let-
	     ter of the color name.  The 0th face is the last face face on miss-
	     ing  link because I wanted that one to remain white by default when
	     there are more or less faces.

     -frame color
	     This option specifies the color of the frame (resource name "frame-
	     Color").

     -[no]stippleFrame
	     This option allows you to toggle the frame stippling (resource name
	     "stippleFrame").

     -[no]install
	     This option specifies if the colormap should be  installed  or  not
	     (resource name "install").

     -picture filename
	     This option specifies the file for the picture (resource name "pic-
	     ture").

     -delay msecs
	     This option specifies the number of milliseconds it takes to move a
	     tile or a group of tiles one space (1-50) (resource name "delay").

     -[no]sound
	     This  option specifies if a sliding tile should make a sound or not
	     (resource name "sound").

     -bumpSound filename
	     This option specifies the file for the bump sound for  the  sliding
	     of (resource name "bumpSound").

     -moveSound filename
	     This  option specifies the file for the move sound for the twisting
	     of the puzzle (resource name "moveSound").

     -{font|fn} ontname
	     This option specifies the font that will  be  used  (resource  name
	     "font").

     -tiles <int>
	     This  option allows you to change the number of links in a row (re-
	     source name "tiles").

     -faces <int>
	     This option allows you to change the number of faces in column (re-
	     source name "faces").

     -[no]orient
	     This option allows you to access the oriented mode  (resource  name
	     "orient").

     -[no]middle
	     This  option  allows  you to access the middle rigid mode (resource
	     name "middle").

     -[no]practice
	     This option allows you to access the practice mode  (resource  name
	     "practice").

     -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").

     -scoreFile filename
	     Specify an alternative score file (resource name "scoreFile").

     -scores
	     This option lists all the recorded scores and then exits.

     -version
	     This option tells you what version of xmlink you have.

RECORDS
     You must randomize the puzzle before a record is set, otherwise an  assump-
     tion of cheating is made if it is solved after a get.

SAVE FORMAT
     Here is the format for the xmlink configuration, starting position, and the
     movement of its pieces.

	    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.

REFERENCES
     L. E. Horden, Sliding Piece Puzzles (Recreations  in  Mathematics	Series),
     Oxford University Press 1986, Plate X.

     you  are  about  to find the solution: The Missing Link, Ideal Toy Corpora-
     tion, 1981.

     James G Nourse, The Simple Solutions to Cubic Puzzles,  Bantam  Books,  New
     York, November 1981, pp 16-23.

SEE ALSO
     X(1),  xcubes(6),	xtriangles(6),	xhexagons(6), xbarrel(6), xpanex(6), xm-
     ball(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6),  xbevel(6),
     xabacus(6)

COPYRIGHTS
     (R) Copyright 1994-2024, David A. Bagley

BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES
     Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author:
	    David A. Bagley, <bagleyd AT verizon.net>

     The latest version is currently at:
	    https://www.sillycycle.com/puzzles.html
	    http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/games/strategy/

V8.8.4				   15 Aug 2024			 MISSING_LINK(6)

Want to link to this manual page? Use this URL:
<https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=xmlink&sektion=6&manpath=FreeBSD+Ports+15.1.quarterly>

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