BUILDING WORDSEARCH PUZZLES

A typical WORDSEARCH puzzle consists of a matrix of letters in which a number of words are embedded. The words may run up or down, forward or backward, or in any diagonal direction. The Magnum Opus version of this puzzle takes its words from a Theme dictionary, and under normal circunstances the program will generate a puzzle in which every letter of the puzzle is linked into at least one of the words of the puzzle. This is sometimes referred to as a Full House puzzle. In addition, it will be normal for each word in the puzzle to intersect with at least one of the other words.

If your dictionary contains insufficient words for these requirements to be met, then the program will revert to a construction mode in which some of the letters will not be part of a word. This construction behaviour may begin immediately if it is clear that insufficient words are available to fill the puzzle completely, or it may commence after an attempt to build a Full House puzzle has proved to be unsuccessful. In any event, this is a decision which is taken care of automatically by the program.

Puzzles can also be constructed so that they contain a Hidden Message which can be read out from those cells which are not occupied by any of the words.

Menu Functions
  • File Menu
    • Select a Dictionary
      When loading a new puzzle into the Build screen, you begin by selecting the dictionary which was used to build the WORDSEARCH puzzle which you want to load.

    • Load a Puzzle
      Then you choose your puzzle from the pool of WORDSEARCH puzzles currently available in the selected dictionary.

    • SaveAs
      This option allows you to make an exact copy of the current puzzle using a different file name. The copy will be saved in the folder of the dictionary that was used to construct it. Alternatively, if you don't enter a new name for the puzzle, you can change the Puzzle Description, or any of the other descriptive items without changing the puzzle name.

    • Quit Construction
      Returns you to the Magnum Opus opening screen.

  • Build Menu
    • Select a Dictionary
      Use this option to select the dictionary which you want to use to build the new WORDSEARCH puzzle.

    • Start a New Puzzle
      This option presents you with a dialog into which you can enter a file name for your new puzzle. You can also enter several other pieces of information such as a Puzzle Title, Author and Copyright information.

    • Build Options
      Use this option to access a Build Options dialog where you can set some rules to be followed by the puzzle building function as it builds your puzzle.

    • Start / Stop Building
      Construction of the puzzle will commence when you select the Start / Stop Building option. If puzzle building is successful you will receive a message containing the name of the puzzle file, and the location where it was saved. If it becomes necessary, you can interrupt the building process by selecting this option a second time.

  • View Menu
    • Display Options
      This leads you to a dialog box in which you can change the colors of various elements within the puzzle, and control the fonts which will be used for the puzzle's text components. You can also decide if printing of the puzzle will be done in black and white or in color.

  • Tasks Menu
    • Print this Puzzle
      This will take you to a custom print screen where you can control the details involved with printing your puzzle.

    • Solve this Puzzle
      This will take you to a Solve screen which provides a fully interactive environment for solving the puzzle.

    • Export as Applet
      This option will export a set of files which implement a fully working interactive WORDSEARCH puzzle as a Java Applet. These files can be uploaded to your web server to enable you to publish interactive puzzles in your own web pages. Read the topic  Exporting an Applet  for more details.

    • Delete this Puzzle
      Use this option to eliminate unwanted WORDSEARCH puzzles from your file system.

  • Help Menu
    • Wordsearch Help
      Displays the Help screen which you are now reading.