HTML5 Canvas, 2nd Edition

The “Guess The Letter” Game Variables

Here is a rundown of the variables we will use in the game. They are all defined and initialized in canvasApp(), so they have scope to the encapsulated functions that we define locally:

guesses

This variable holds the number of times the player has pressed a letter. The lower the number, the better he has done in the game.

message

The content of this variable is displayed to give the user instructions on how to play.

letters

This array holds one of each letter of the alphabet. We will use this array to both randomly choose a secret letter for the game and to figure out the relative position of the letter in the alphabet.

today

This variable holds the current date. It is displayed on the screen but has no other purpose.

letterToGuess

This variable holds the current game’s secret letter that needs to be guessed.

higherOrLower

This variable holds the text “Higher” or “Lower,” depending on where the last guessed letter is in relation to the secret letter. If the secret letter is closer to “a,” we give the “Lower” instruction. If the letter is closer to “z,” we give the “Higher” instruction.

lettersGuessed

This array holds the current set of letters that the player has guessed already. We will print this list on the screen to help the player remember what letters he has already chosen.

gameOver

This variable is set to false until the player wins. We will use this to know when to put the “You Win” message on the screen and to keep the player from guessing after he ...