crossword 0.1.2

Python library for handling crossword puzzles

crossword
=========

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Python library for handling crossword puzzles. This library provides a canonical data structure
that can be used to represent crosswords in your application. It provides a Pythonic way to
perform common operations on the grid, the words and the clues of the puzzle.

The library is intended for American crossword style puzzles, such as the New York Times
crossword, though variations within reason will also be supported.

The library handles reading and writing the following files:

* Across Lite .puz files
* ipuz .ipuz files


Installation
------------

You can install using pip:

.. code-block:: bash

$ pip install crossword


Creating and modifying crosswords
---------------------------------

You can create a crossword:

.. code:: python

from crossword import Crossword

puzzle = Crossword(15, 15)

You can iterate over rows and cells:

.. code:: python

for row in puzzle:
for cell in row:
pass

You also iterate using 'cells' (left-to-right, top-to-bottom):

.. code:: python

for x, y in puzzle.cells:
print(puzzle[x, y])

You can store cell content by using attributes such as 'cell' and 'solution':

.. code:: python

puzzle[x, y].cell = " "
puzzle[x, y].solution = "A"
puzzle[x, y].style = {'background-color': 'red'}

You can access a metadata attribute:

.. code:: python

creator = puzzle.meta.creator

Each puzzle has the attributes specified in the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set,
Version 1.1, which include creator, date, description, identifier and title. By default
these attributes have the value None.

You can iterate over metadata:

.. code:: python

for key, value in puzzle.meta():
print(key, value)

You can set a clue for an entry:

.. code:: python

puzzle.clues.across[1] = "This is a clue"
puzzle.clues.down[2] = "This is a clue"

You can iterate over all clues (first Across, then Down):

.. code:: python

for direction, number, clue in puzzle.clues.all():
print(direction, number, clue)

You can iterate over clues in a particular direction:

.. code:: python

for number, clue in puzzle.clues.across():
print(number, clue)
for number, clue in puzzle.clues.down():
print(number, clue)

By default these functions iterate over the clues by numerical order
of the specified clue numbers. If you wish to iterate over the clues in the
order that they were inserted you can specify sort=None:

.. code:: python

puzzle.clues.all(sort=None)

You can also specify a function yourself that will be used for sorting:

.. code:: python

puzzle.clues.all(sort=lambda entry: ...)

You can use the following attributes as dictionaries (e.g., for conversion to JSON):

.. code:: python

puzzle.content (the cells, clues and metadata in one dictionary)
puzzle.clues
puzzle.clues.across
puzzle.clues.down
puzzle.meta

You can use the following constants for values that represent block cells and empty cells:

.. code:: python

puzzle.block
puzzle.empty

A value of None may indicate that the default value is used (e.g., "#" for blocks in
.ipuz puzzles).

Reading and writing crosswords
------------------------------

You can read a crossword from an .ipuz file using:

.. code:: python

with open('puzzle.ipuz') as puzzle_file:
ipuz_dict = ipuz.read(puzzle_file.read()) # may raise ipuz.IPUZException

puzzle = crossword.from_ipuz(ipuz_dict)

This requires the "ipuz" package to be installed: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/ipuz.

You can write a crossword to an .ipuz file using:

.. code:: python

ipuz_dict = crossword.to_ipuz(puzzle)

with open('puzzle.ipuz', 'w') as puzzle_file:
puzzle_file.write(ipuz.write(ipuz_dict))


Contributing
------------

Contributions are very welcome. If you've found an issue or if you'd like to
suggest a feature please open a ticket at: https://github.com/svisser/crossword/issues.

You should create a virtual environment first before installing the
packages as described below. This keeps the dependencies separate from other Python packages
on your system. See: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenv and, optionally,
https://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenvwrapper.

You can install the packages needed for developing and testing this library by running:

.. code-block:: bash

$ pip install -r dev-requirements.txt

There are also various tests included. You can run these with:

.. code-block:: bash

$ tox

This will run the tests in various Python versions to ensure that the library
works properly in each of them.

Ideas for new features
----------------------

* Add support for Crossword Compiler .ccw files (http://crossword-compiler.com)
* Add support for CrossDown .xwd files (http://www.crossdown.com/)
* Add support for XPF files (http://www.xwordinfo.com/XPF/)