Co(py)•Editor+
a RegEx Puzzle Game
Copy Editor Guide
View this Copy Editor Guide to learn how to play this addicting puzzle game that teaches you Regular Expressions.
AREAS OF THE GAME
Output and Objective
Your Output is the text with which you are working. Words to be changed to meet the Objective are in red. As you create rules, the Output adapts to your RegEx usage. However, it may not be a result you expect; you may have to try again.
The Objective panel shows the goal words as highlighted in green.
Find and Replace
These boxes are for your RegEx rules. You will learn how to employ matches, operators, and captures in Find and Replace as you progress. Add Rule: you can only add a certain number of rules during each level. If you reach your maximum, you will need to delete a rule before you can enter another.
The Menu icon will highlight the text you indicate in the Find box. The eye shows you how the text looked before the rule was employed. The delete, of course, allows you to delete that rule if you exceed the number permitted.
Chat / RegEx / Menu Box
Your amusing and sometimes annoying editors run a Chat Box. Read this first! This will give you ideas of what the level involves and may provide tips about the puzzle. You are not a supervisor, so you may not type in the box--it isn't real. However, at the bottom of the Chat, you can Ask for Hint. Note that hints may also pop up onscreen as you use the Find and Replace boxes.
The RegEx tab shows expressions you will need in the puzzle. You will definitely want to check this area early in the level.
Menu leads you to the Level Select and allows you to play User Levels created by other gamers, as well as to Create Levels to share with the community. The RegEx Help tab links to RegEx101, an app which posts a Quick Reference Guide to many types of expressions. At the end of the Menu, Reset Data takes you back to the first level to restart your Copy Editor game.
COMPLEXITY
Challenges
Copy Editor involves a carefully designed escalation of puzzle mechanics. Process text by building more complex rules as you go through the levels. You will want to read the clues provided by your editors in the Chat Box, and don't forget that you can Ask for Hint.
You will notice an additional challenge in some levels: non-functional keys. This may take you some trial and error before you find the work-around! It might be a good time to recheck your Chat and Hints or go to the Menu/RegEx Help section.
Puzzles with Multiple Sections
Later puzzles have multiple parts, representing different segments of text within one book. In a four-section challenge, you will see four white circles above the Chat Box. If your rules solve a page, the circle will show a green check. As you complete one part, you will automatically move to the next. You can toggle between segments by clicking the circles.
Note that the rules you use will affect all pages of the puzzle. Changes you make in one section could invalidate expressions from another part. If your checked circle reverts to a blank white one, you will have to fix a rule on the other page.
LEVEL CREATOR
In the Chat Box, go to Menu and select Create Level.
Remember that you cannot use any copyrighted material. You can include public domain works--for example, see gutenberg.org--or write your own passages.
It is sometimes easier to enter the Objective first, since that is the "real" text which is the goal for the applied RegEx rules. Click in the righthand area. A box will open for you to enter the ending text.
Your input will be the challenge you have created, the puzzle before any rules are applied. Click in the lefthand area. A box will open for you to enter your starting (input) text. Enter it and save.
To submit the level, you must solve it yourself. This will post your challenge to the community and give you social media bragging rights.
USER-CREATED LEVELS
In the Chat Box Menu, choose User Levels.
You can see our Top Picks and the Top Rated user-created levels. You can also search for a User or a Level ID, or browse by Difficulty.
Copy Editor's upvote system means that higher-rated levels are more likely to be played, while lower-rated levels will generally lose visibility. However, levels are always able to be searched, so your puzzle will not disappear if you want to challenge your friends later.
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