Content-type: text/html; charset=UTF-8

# MISSING_LINK

Section: Games and Demos (6)
Updated: 06 Nov 2023
Index Return to Main Contents

## NAME

xmlink - 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}] [-tile {color}] [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-[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 rotate 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").
-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.
-{border|bd} color
  This option specifies the border color of the tiles in the missing link window (resource name "orderColor").
-[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 "picture").
-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 (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 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 assumption 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 Corporation, 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), xmball(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6), xbevel(6), xabacus(6)

## COPYRIGHTS

® Copyright 1994-2023, 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/

## Index

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
FEATURES
OPTIONS
RECORDS
SAVE FORMAT
REFERENCES
SEE ALSO
COPYRIGHTS
BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES

This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 16:40:58 GMT, November 06, 2023