Java program to alert Wordle players if they're about to waste a guess on a previous solution
Dependencies (in addition to JDK 8): https://github.com/kwhat/jnativehook (Release used here is jnativehook-2.2.2.jar)
Resources: WordleSolutions.txt Major update on this, written 15 Dec 2022: See note 2a below
NB: This is my first upload to GitHub (made an account late May 2022), and consists of just the latest version of the code for this program (re-uploaded now as I was unsure how the addition of a package structure would be handled by git). I'm still trying to get a better idea of what files should be uploaded, how to indicate dependencies, and how to make 'releases'...update: thanks to Stephan van Hulst (nibsi) for advice on this, and converting it to a Maven project, though due to technical difficulties on my end I may not be able to continue with this build tool myself at the moment. On my website, embyrne.c1.biz, I link to a zipped folder containing the three items needed for execution as understandable by someone like me (JARs/bytecodes of NotAgain & JNativeHook, WordleSolutions.txt) and also a folder with previous iterations/versions of NotAgain which were made without version control and are probably not worth retrofitting into a repo. There are also other small programs on the site, some of which I may upload to GitHub later.
Back to NotAgain:
Your finger is poised above the Enter key. A nagging sense of familiarity. Yes - definitely a recent one. Why would you waste the full value of a Wordle guess on a previous solution (unless desperate)? Backspace! Over days and months the scenario recurs, but each time you're less certain. It haunts you. So you make a list of previous Wordles (cheaty? no! why should you memorise them? it's not a memory game! :D Check against it each time, by eyeball, then by searching as it lengthens...Ctrl+F, typing, Enter...each doggone time. It breaks the flow :(
So here's a small program, which can run on Java-enabled computers[1], that pops up an alert if you type a five-letter word that has been a previous Wordle solution[2], before you press Enter[3]. Backspace removes letters one-at-a-time just like for the Wordle entry field. After each entry (if there hasn't been a backspace, as might happen if you enter a word rejected by Wordle and need to re-type), it resets and processes the next set of keystrokes.
Footnotes (re limitations, known issues etc.):
[1] "But I play on a phone!", I hear you protest. That's on my radar, though I need to investigate, a lot (...perhaps a web-based solution could cover all platforms?).
[2a] The program used to work with a file containing the full list of Wordle solutions, reading up to the previous day's word. However in Dec 2022 the New York Times decided that future solution use would be 'curated' and no longer follow the fixed order of the original list. For this reason, I can only provide a list of previous solutions up to the point of this upload, and users will have to update it with 'new previous solutions' as they go for full checking. Words can be added anywhere as long as they are seperated from other text by at least one space or any non-letter character; the current list is in the form of one word per line, with the most recent solution at the bottom, so for look-back clarity it would be best to keep that format. If you miss some days, lists of previous solutions can be found online, e.g. at https://wordfinder.yourdictionary.com/wordle/answers/. (The part of the code that used to make sure solutions were only up to that point is now redundant, but does not interfere with the new usage.)
[2b] Note that if you have left the Wordle browser open across a 'day transition' (through midnight) to continue working on what is now 'yesterday's puzzle', closing and reopening NotAgain will load that solution and warn it's a previous solution...so best to keep the browser page and program in sync!
[3] At least, if you wait for the alternative message, ":) not a repeat :)" to appear in the main display area after the word. This will happen instantly, unless there is a delay in processing, in which case it would be best to wait until one or other message appears.
[4] Latest version (220612_1813) uses most recent version of JNativeHook dependency (2.2.2); import statements for fields in that updated to align.
[5] Since a keylogger is involved, you may get a warning from your system about malware (as I did); there is nothing malicious involved, but I realise this may put off many potential users.
[6] Note that the program cannot distinguish between keystrokes made in the Wordle website interface and those in any other contexts, or independently detect which letters are present there. Therefore, if using your computer for other input (e.g. another browser tab, a text document) between Wordle guesses you can get a mismatch between Wordle and NotAgain display. In that case, just backspace and re-type as necessary to realign. Alternatively, use the Pause feature before leaving Wordle, then Restart when returning. (Also, in the unlikely event that you press backspace after entering a word accepted by Wordle, NotAgain will delete from the existing word in its display rather than starting a new word, so backspace all the way to clear letters to sync with Wordle.) If I find a way around these limitations I will re-code; again, a web-based alternative might help...perhaps making an altered version of the Wordle page that could be played offline-only.