Spoonbill Crossword Compiler (.xwc) Format Specification

Here is the Spoonbill Crossword Compiler (.xwc) format specification, written by Ian Humphreys, creator of BG Crossword Puzzle.

Spoonbill Crossword Compiler File Format

• Important Notice - Spoonbill Crossword Compiler is not the same product as the commercially available program also entitled Crossword Compiler.

Spoonbill Crossword Compiler files have a .xwc file extension. They are stored as simple text files which can be opened by such programs as Notepad, WordPad, Word, and other Microsoft Windows word processing programs.

Spoonbill Crossword Compiler format is freely available to be used by anyone.

#File Format Description

• Line 1: Version number followed by Author name.

• Line 2: Crossword Title

• Line 3: Crossword Mode: Skeleton, Solution, Clue, Solve

• Line 4: Number of rows in the crossword grid

• Line 5: Number of columns in the crossword grid

• Next lines contain the Solution grid - one line for each row of the grid. Each line containing one character for each column. Lower case letters are used for the solution words, with a '1' for each black square. If all the words have not yet been entered, there will be a '0' (zero) for each empty white square. This depends on the Mode. If the Mode is Skeleton, then there will only be zeroes and ones in the grid. If the Mode is Solution, some or all of the zeroes will have been replaced by lower case letters. If the Mode is Clue, all of the solution words will be present together with '1's representing the black squares. If the Mode is Solve, the grid will look the same as for Clue mode, but there will be an additional Solve grid at the end of the file.

Immediately following the Solution grid, if the Mode is Clue or Solve, are the Across and Down clues.

The first line after the solution grid contains the number of Across clues. For instance, in the example this is 23. This means that the next 23 lines contain the twenty-three Across clues, one per line. Each clue line has the following format: [R-J = Right-justified. L-J = Left justified.]

Chars 1-3 R-J Clue number
Char 4 Vertical bar
Chars 5-6 R-J Row number of the first letter of the solution word in the grid.
Char 7 Vertical bar
Chars 8-9 R-J Column number of the first letter of the solution word in the grid.
Char 10 Vertical bar
Chars 11-12 R-J Number of letters in the solution word.
Char 13 Vertical bar
Next characters contain the uppercase solution word L-J followed by a vertical bar.

If the clue has been defined, the words of the clue optionally followed by the word length in parentheses.

Immediately following the Across clues is the number of Down clues. In the example, this is 16. This means that the next 16 lines contain the sixteen Down clues, one per line. Each clue line has a format identical to that of the Across clues.

If the Mode is Solve, immediately following the Down clues is the Solve grid, one row for each row of the crossword. It is similar to the Solution grid except that the solved words are in upper case characters.

An Actual Example

TXWordGrid3 Peter Humphreys  
Petes Cryptic 4  
Solve  
15  
15  
saves1m1physics  
p1i1meet1y1t1r1  
igloo1r1bedevil  
r1l1kick1n1a1e1  
image1h1earmark  
t111stall1e1v1e  
lilac1n1e1plane  
e1y1radical1i1p  
verse1i1t1allow  
e1i1e1serac111i  
licence1i1ethic  
1n1y1o1scam1o1k  
schisms1i1exude  
1a1n1m1yarn1s1t  
anagram1n1tress  
23  
  1| 1| 1| 5|SAVES|Broken vases are not goals (5)  
  5| 1| 9| 7|PHYSICS|What's with the matter of old medicines (7)  
  9| 2| 5| 4|MEET|Get together, then rain heavily going back (4)  
 10| 3| 1| 5|IGLOO|Dome building is almost large at the front, and has a toilet at the back (5)  
 11| 3| 9| 7|BEDEVIL|Confuse furniture that is very bad (7)  
 12| 4| 5| 4|KICK|Thrill from putting the boot in (4)  
 13| 5| 1| 5|IMAGE|I am, for a time, what is seen (5)  
 14| 5| 9| 7|EARMARK|Reserve for hearing the gospel (7)  
 18| 6| 5| 5|STALL|Defer sales outlet (5)  
 19| 7| 1| 5|LILAC|Lillian with current colour (5)  
 21| 7|11| 5|PLANE|Surface aircraft (5)  
 22| 8| 5| 7|RADICAL|Revolutionary that is free once suitably charged? (7)  
 23| 9| 1| 5|VERSE|A stanza, or a few more, of Gaelic (5)  
 24| 9|11| 5|ALLOW|Do not prevent Albert being unhappy (5)  
 25|10| 7| 5|SERAC|Cares the wrong way for an ice pinnacle (5)  
 26|11| 1| 7|LICENCE|Have the right to do something with insects by the end of fence (7)  
 30|11|11| 5|ETHIC|Moral principle of foreigner not from the north (5)  
 32|12| 8| 4|SCAM|Mac's back with another deceitful enterprise (4)  
 33|13| 1| 7|SCHISMS|Splinter groups caused scams, replacing an article with something belonging to him (7)  
 34|13|11| 5|EXUDE|Spill out former partner with rude finish (5)  
 35|14| 8| 4|YARN|The thread of the story (4)  
 36|15| 1| 7|ANAGRAM|A rag man?  Exactly! (7)  
 37|15|11| 5|TRESS|Lock provides an end to stress (5)  
16  
  1| 1| 1|11|SPIRITLEVEL|Hardware item to determine the amount of whisky left in the bottle? (6,5)  
  2| 1| 3| 5|VILLA|Sick in Virginian house  (5)  
  3| 1| 5|11|SMOKESCREEN|Row of burning trees used to hide a sinister motive (11)  
  4| 1| 7|11|MERCHANDISE|Unbearable ache reminds of items for sale (11)  
  6| 1|10| 5|HYENA|Ha! this animal says around Oriental money (5)  
  7| 1|12| 5|STEAM|Impulsive is a head of this competitive group trailing southwards (5)  
  8| 1|14| 5|CRIER|Spruiker is an uncomfortable baby (5)  
 14| 5| 9|11|ELECTRICIAN|Call to vote for Ricardo and Ian, and thus get a job that gives power to others (11)  
 15| 5|11|11|REPLACEMENT|Note positioning for new person in the role (11)  
 16| 5|13| 5|AVAIL|Sounds like a face covering would be of assistance (5)  
 17| 5|15|11|KEEPWICKETS|A role in the cricket team - to have pet stumps? (4,7)  
 20| 7| 3| 5|LYRIC|Cyril messed up expressive poem (5)  
 27|11| 2| 5|INCAN|Locked up old American (5)  
 28|11| 4| 5|EYING|Looking to Orient with no yang (5)  
 29|11| 6| 5|COMMA|Monsieur in a state of unconsciousness caused a pause mid-sentence (5)  
 31|11|13| 5|HOUSE|Dwelling which Santa says to utilise (5)  
SAVES1010000000  
P1I1M0001010101  
IGLOO1010000000  
R1L1K0001010101  
IMAGE1010000000  
T111S0000101010  
LILAC1010100000  
E1Y1R0000001010  
VERSE1010100000  
E1I1E1000001110  
LICENCE10100000  
101010100001010  
000000010100000  
101010100001010  
000000010100000