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The index page for all Programs on the site?

The DFF Play CD?

Zipped file DFF Play CD.zip contains  executable version of about  75 of the 200+ programs from the site, mostly those I particularly liked or thought would be of widest interest for non-programmers.  The file is rather large, about 20mb..

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Not a programmer (yet)?

 That's OK -  the executable version for any puzzle or  game you find here is available for download.  Just scroll down to the bottom of most any description page and you'll find a "Download executable" link. Downloaded programs are in "zipped" format to reduce size and may require an "unzipper" program unless you are running Win XP or later.  Here's a link to a free one. 

Check  out  the Most Popular  Downloads from DFF   (updated weekly)

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Take a look at the Introduction page to see what this site is about

Notes for Teachers

 

WHAT'S NEW

August 24, 2010:  Some encouraging news for those of us waiting for an affordable "learners" version of Delphi.  I ran across this report today at this Network World site and at several others:  

Company officials discussed plans for Delphi at the Delphi Live conference in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, stressing the new technologies would be released in 2011 only if they are ready by then.  ...

... Later this year, the company also anticipates introducing starter kits to entice neophyte developers to the company's Delphi and C++ technologies.

I've tried for years to convince them that they need to do more to "spread the word", so this sounds good to me!

 

August 23, 2010:  Catching up on the backlog, here's some sample code posted in Delphi Techniques section showing how to Move String Grid Rows using arrow buttons to move a selected row up down by one row, one page, or to top or bottom of the grid.

August 21, 2010: There's no particular reason for the delay between programs this month.  Just slowing down I guess.  Today's program asks, How Many Triangles?  in this figure and takes a considerable amount of effort to  answer with pencil and paper or with a program. 
 

August 9th, 2010:   As regulars know, there are no advertisements in DFF.  I do get emails occasionally offering $ to place a link for this or that product or service.  I decline because I would not want to promote what I do not know and I don't aspire to be in the evaluation business.  Today however, I am recommending  The Cat Connection  as one of the "good guy" businesses because of recent experience.  I had purchased a clever device called the Loc8tor Pet from them several months ago ($99, free shipping).  It consists of two small tags that fit on the pet's collar and send a  radio signal response when they receive a locator request from a hand held radio direction finder device.   It works great for tracking the cat down when it's time go come in for the evening, although I'll admit that it is more for our peace of mind than his.  One of the tags stopped working last week while under warranty, the hang-up being that the device is manufactured in the UK and that's where the customer support is located.    I was dreading sending the tag across the big water for a replacement and before doing so, called Erin at the Cat Connection.  To my surprise, she offered to send me a replacement tag and a prepaid label to return the broken one, which she did.  When you call, a real human being answers the phone who actually wants to help!  That deserves a no charge recommendation.  If you have a cat (or dog, or other items you don't want to lose) check out the Cat Connection and the Loc8tor Pet.

                   

August 6, 2010:  

Drag the lettered blocks onto the template to form valid words reading across and down crossword style.  I only have this one example of this type of puzzle, but Version 2 at some future date will use our dictionary unit to help generate more.  In the meantime, Fit the Pieces, Version 1.0 was harder to solve (and to program) that I would have thought.  Maybe I am getting old! 
 

 

July 22, 2010: 

I'm not sure of the definition of "Dog days" but the hot, humid. weather recently seems to qualify.  The month has flown by as I work on planning a family reunion vacation over Christmas holidays.  As grandchildren grow up it becomes more difficult to coordinate availability around school schedules (three different states), summer jobs, band camps, etc. etc.  We're apparently not alone which explains why, for example,  cruise prices tend to double for the week between Christmas and New Years.  But it looks like it's going to happen!  Whew!

Here's a simple Compass Drawing Demo posted in our Delphi Techniques section today.   I adapted it from an aircraft instrument simulator which I never got around to post and demonstrates a few useful techniques like smooth animation, drawing text at angles, and the handy Sin and Cos trig functions.    
       

July 17, 2010:  I have been working on a "railroad shunt puzzle" solver in my spare time for the past week or two.  It's an interesting but challenging problem and I have ways to go.  Fortunately a sharp user has given me something to post.  Peg Solitaire Version 4.1 implements fixes for three bugs found and corrected by a sharp Delphi programmer from Sweden. (Last name spelled  Andersson with "ss" led to the Sweden guess).   

July 7, 2010:  Too hot here to do much outside so I have had an excuse to get back on the computer. It reached 86 degrees here today which is hot by mountain standards, but the flatlanders are suffering 100 degrees so I guess we shouldn't complain.

Validate Numeric Input  was one of the first programs posted on DFF and , frankly, I had not looked at it in years.  It described a coding technique to validate numbers as the user entered them.   A viewer wrote recently requesting the ability to validate multiple integers separated by commas in a single text string in the same manner.  Version 2 posted today provides that capability.  It also includes sample code to extract and convert multiple numbers from the string as required.  

  

June 25, 2010: 

7 - a winner!

Craps is a dice game with scoring based sum of rolling 2 dice.   Craps Odds calculates the theoretical chances of winning or losing for each of the eleven possible initial roll outcomes (2 through 12). It also has a page which simulates a million games to verify that the theoretical probability results are valid.
June 18, 2010:  The June 12th Mensa Puzzle-A-Day calendar puzzle asked for the two 2-digit numbers which are 3 times the product of their digits.  It took less than 20 lines of code to find the answers to this and for other multiples for all 2 and 3 digit numbers.  DigitProducts on the Beginner's page of our Delphi Techniques section has the source and executable to provide the answers.      

 

June 15, 2010:  

Saw 1" boards leaving 12" Cant from 24" Log

Have you seen a modern sawmill with a computer controlled saw on TV?  The computer analyzes and displays for the operator's approval, the optimal sawing pattern for converting each log into boards based on laser measurements taken.  Smaller sawmill operators without computers or lasers to control their mills must perform the same task using their experience or some other strategy.  I'm not privileged to own a sawmill, but as a woodlot owner with a  woodworking hobby,  a small band mill is sure tempting.  Here is a program, Log Sawing Patterns, which I imagine could be developed into something useful if I ever succumb to the temptation. 
          

June 5, 2010:  Last month's posting prompted viewer Erich to play with our Logic Problem Solver and expose a bug which has existed for years.  Did you know that given propositions "A implies B", "B implies C", and "A and C cannot both be true", then one can conclude that A is false?  My logical brain knew that back in 2002, but my programming finger slipped and I was declaring A to be true.  Logic Problem Solver Version 3.2 fixes it.     


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