htetris documentation

#
User Manual For htetris Version 1.0
Henrik Sandin 1999

Main page

## The interface

The graphical user interface of this application has several parts. These include:

1. The game playing area.
   This is the rectangular area to the far right on the interface. This is where the bricks fall and the action resides during a game.
2. The next brick display.
   During a game, the next brick to come up is showed here. That way the player has an opportunity of planning ahead one step.
3. Convenience buttons.
   These are the four functions that are applicable when a game is in progress. They are also availible in the Game menu and as keyboard shortcuts.
4. Level of difficulty display.
   This shows the current level if a game is in progress. If a game is not in progress it shows the most recently played level or, if the Pick level option described in Menu items and features. has been used, the level at which the next game will start.
5. Current score display.
   This shows the current score if a game is in progress. If a game is not in progress it shows the final score of the most recently played game.
6. Highscore display.
   If the application is ran for the first time from the current directory or if the file highscore.dat has been deleted, the initial highscore is zero. Otherwise, the highscore is read from the above mentioned file. If a game results in a score higher than the current highscore, the highscore display is updated and the new highscore is saved to file. This does not happen if a game is stopped, a new game is started or the application is closed when a game is in progress.
7. The menu bar.
   There are five menus on the menu bar, each of which holds a category of options and features. The menus are named after the category they contain. Each menu and its different menu items are described in detail in Menu items and features.
8. Initial animation area.
   When the htetris application is started, an animation of bricks is performed here. This is just for show and has no other function.