BUILDING FREEFORM CROSSWORD PUZZLES

A FREEFORM puzzle differs from a standard crossword in the following ways:-
  • It is constructed from a very limited set of words. The Theme dictionaries are usually used for this purpose, and may have as many as several hundred words, or as few as 10 words. Such dictionaries usually follow a specific theme such as Football, Surfing, Great Composers, Botany, or any other topic you may care to name.

  • It is constructed on a blank grid, with the program inserting black squares as required, so that the end result does not in general exhibit any symmetry.

  • The degree of interlinking of words is quite low, with less than half of the total letters actually interlinking.

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 FREEFORM puzzle which you want to load.

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

    • Create a Dictionary
      The Theme dictionaries used to build these puzzles are usually quite small, and can be typed in quite quickly. This option allows you to create a new Theme dictionary, type in a number of words and clues, and to save it for future use.

    • Edit Dictionary
      You can return at any time to a Theme Dictionary created by the previous option, and edit it in any way that suits your needs.

    • 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 FREEFORM 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.

    • Print Gemini Crossword
      You should only ever attempt to print this style of puzzle using a Free-form crossword generated according to the Gemini criteria as set in the Build Options. The program will print two versions of the puzzle on consecutive pages. One of these versions has all of the across words in place, while the other contains all of the down words. Such puzzles are especially useful in language education, and ESL teachers will find them indespensable. Full instructions on how to make use of them will be found on the puzzle sheets when they are printed.

    • 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 FREEFORM 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 FREEFORM puzzles from your file system.

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