A mouse gesture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_gesture) is a symbol, character or shape you draw with your mouse.

Examples of uses:

• It might be a letter - instead of typing it on the keyboard (perhaps you can't use a keyboard for some reason, or perhaps you're writing a program to teach children handwriting), you would hold down left and right mouse buttons, and drag the shape of the letter, which the computer recognizes.
• It might be a special shape or symbol which you have to draw with the mouse to represent a 'special move' in a combat game.
• It could be a particular pattern drawn out to represent a golf swing, or a tennis shot, or a gear change in a sport simulation.

The aim

The aim of this challenge isn't to write the entire game, or whatever in which the mouse gestures could be used - it's simply to demonstrate that your program can recognise certain mouse gestures.

Judging

It will not be judged on presentation - It will be testing the ability for the code to recognize the mouse gestures.

Guidelines

It was suggested that we included images of the gestures to be recognised - either coded into your entry, or by attaching a jpg to your post. Even if you are attempting letter recognition, you need to be specific as to how the particular letter is to be drawn - for example, an 'a' and a 'd' can have the same mouse movements if you aren't specific. Remember, no media to be used in your program, though.

It was also suggested that everyone used the same system whereby gestures are drawn with both left and right mouse-buttons held down; mouseclcik()=3

Difficulty

This sounded like a difficult challenge, but to make sure it wasn't too hard, the challenge setter had a go himself at writing a program that recognised the letters in the alphabet, and assured us it was possible. He spent about half an hour and had something working in about 60 lines. It didn't work brilliantly, but it did work, proving that it was possible!