|  Inside Technique : Using the Explorer Solitaire library : Defining Game Parameters
Now that you've played the game, and earned a bit of cash in the process,
the next step is to write the game. The game essentially consists
of 2 files. The data file, canfield.sol, holds the parameters
of the game and of individual cardpiles within the game. The actual
game page is canfield.htm, which will contain the Tabular
Data Control that accesses the data file, as well as custom scripts
that override the default behaviour of the Explorer Solitaire library.
The first step towards creating the data file is to define the parameters
of the game. Explorer Solitaire supports the following parameters-
- Deck Type
- This could hold the value "1" for a single-deck game, or "2" for
a two-deck game (104 cards). Since Canfield is played with one deck,
you set this parameter to "1".
- Deck Position
- The x and y co-ordinates of the deck's position on screen. This parameter
is set to "10,10" to position the deck at the top left corner of
the screen. Note that in some games like Yukon, the deck contains
no cards, since all of them have been dealt out to the cardpiles. In such
cases, you would set the y co-ordinate of the deck to "-100", to hide it
from view.
- Deal
- The number of cards dealt when the deck is clicked. This is usually
either "1" or "3", but the library does not prevent you from using another
number. For Canfield, this value is set to "1".
- Redeals
- The number of redeals the game permits. Set this value to 0 for No
redeals, 1 for a single redeal, etc. Since Canfield permits unlimited
redeals, we set this value to "-1".
- Structure
- The way the deck is painted on the screen. The library allows three
type of structures, Packed, where the cards are painted one on top
of the other, so that only the top card can be viewed, Vertical,
where the cards are painted one below the other, and Horizontal,
where cards are painted, well, horizontally. Decks and Foundation piles
are usually Packed, while Tableaux are normally Vertical
(pun intended:-). The value of this parameter can be "P", "V", or "H".
The structure of the Canfield deck is defined as "P" for Packed.
- EmptyGIF
- The GIF file to display when the deck is empty (i.e. holds no cards).
Do not include the extension ".gif" in this parameter.
For Canfield we define this to be "O", which represents the o.gif
file included with the Explorer Solitaire library.
- Win Screen
- The HTML or ASP page to display when the user wins the game. This
parameter is set to "winner.htm", the default Win Screen of the library,
but, if you're feeling adventurous, you could design your own custom
screen with playing-card animations using the SiteExperts
DHTMLLib CSS positioning library.
- AutoTarget
-
The Pile Type of the cardpile that receives cards when the deck is clicked.
In Canfield this parameter is set to "PW", which is the Pile Type
defined for the Waste Pile (More on this in the next page).
That's it! But hold on, don't reach for that Bud yet, there's still a little
more work to be done. You will now have to set the cardpile parameters individually
for each cardpile within the game.
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