Creating A Puzzle ©

Getting Started

This editor accompanies the Xword application and is for the writing and design of crossword puzzles which can then be run in Xword.  The puzzle is stored as a database, and the records are displayed in the main window.

The easiest way to create a new puzzle is to use the generator functions to start with a word list. To create a word list open the Word List Dialog from the Autogenerate Menu as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: the Autogenerate Menu with the first item Word List Edit Dialog selected

Selecting the first menu item opens the Word List Dialog before any items have have been entered in the list, as shown if Figure 2. 

Figure 2: The Word List Dialog

To begin entering items as a list simply type the words you want and type CTRL/ENTER when you have finished the word and to go to a new line.  Figure 3 shows a list of three words created in this way.

Figure 3: A Sample List

To generate a puzzle press the Generate button.  The Test Window will open with a puzzle created from the list, as shown in Figure 4.  The words are stored as a database and listed in the main window.

Figure 4: The puzzle created from the sample word list

You can either show the puzzle in the Test Window as numbers as in Figure 4 (which shows the default numbers) or as letters, displaying the words as in Figure 6.  To choose you can select between two buttons in the toolbar, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: The Toolbar Buttons for selecting numbers or letters in the Test Matrix

 Figure 6: The Test Matrix with Show Letters selected (as in Figure 5)

Without randomizing the puzzle is created in the order of the words in the list. If you select 'YES' to randomize this will change the order of the list and hence produce a different puzzle.  Figure 7 shows the same list randomized and the Generate button clicked - the resulting sequence of the words in the list is different from the original list, and the puzzle solution is different too.

Figure 7: The puzzle solution created from the same word list but with randomization on  

Opening an existing word list  Next page ->