Problem 5.3: A Crossword Puzzle Board

For this problem you will build a CrosswordBoard class with a board represented as a two-dimensional array of characters, and with methods for adding words written horizontally (left to right) and vertically (top to bottom) starting from any board position. You will also learn to use the StringBuffer class.

CrosswordBoard

Complete the implementation of the class CrosswordBoard that is started in CrosswordBoard.java. You must fill in the missing code of the constructor and the missing methods placeWordAcross and placeWordDown.

Placing words

The rules for placing a word on the board are:

• The valid board positions are from (0,0) to (rows-1, columns-1).
• If placeWordAcross or placeWordDown returns false, indicating the word cannot be placed in the indicated position, the board is unchanged.
• A word cannot be placed on the board unless it fits entirely within the valid board positions.
• A word cannot be placed on the board if any of its letters would cover a different letter. (It is ok for a letter to cover the SAME letter, e.g., an 'a' may cover another 'a' that is already on the board).

A Test Program

To test your implementation, use the test driver program TestBoard.java. Feel free to add your own tests to make sure your code works correctly.

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