Question 1

How to create Reverse Word Search puzzles?

Accepted Answer

This tutorial shows how to create Reverse Word Search puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro - Reverse Word Search.

This tutorial is for:

Puzzle Maker Pro - Reverse Word Search

What is Reverse Word Search

Reverse Word Search is a puzzle where a list of words must be placed in an almost empty grid, instead of Standard Word Search where you have to find words that are already placed in the grid.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/AvNQwkSm0O/0-20240925072051786-1-W-P.png (0-20240925072051786-1-W-P)

In this example you can see that some words are already placed in the grid. For each unplaced word, one or more letters will be shown. With each puzzle you also get the complete list of words for that puzzle, in this case:

Astonishing, Blessing, Compelling, Delight, Discovery, Dream, Energetic, Enrich, Exclusive, Ferocious, Hero, Life-Changing, Now, Overwhelm, Passion, Pleasure, Power, Quality, Renewal, Results, Sensational, Service, Sexy, Soul, Thriving, Transforming, Unlimited, Whole.

If you already know Puzzle Maker Pro - Standard Word Search, or Zig Zag Word Search, the options and features of this module will be familiar to you.

Set up the Word List

Every word puzzle starts with your word list. You can either type / copy the words, or select a txt file with the words. Each word should be on a separate line.

The screenshot shows that a word list file was selected, and also shows a preview of a puzzle and solution that were generated from the word list:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/yzP6rYhoLb/Reverse%20Word%20Search%20-%20Overview%201.png (Reverse Word Search - Overview 1)

Reverse Word Search Complexity

The complexity / difficulty of Reverse Word Search depends on several settings, such as:

The words in your word list
The size of the grid
The number of clues in the grid
The number of words that are already shown

The number of clues and the number of words can be set on the Advanced tab:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ntp6Scjq9B/Reverse%20Word%20Search%20-%20Overview%202%20Clues.png (Reverse Word Search - Overview 2 Clues)

There are five settings for the number of Clues:

Very Easy (1 clue for each 3 letters) - a 9 letter word will show 3 letters
Easy (1 clue for each 5 letters) - a 9 letter word will show 2 letters
Normal (1 clue for each 6 letters) - a 12 letter word will show 2 letters
Hard (1 clue for each word)
Very Hard (1 clue for each two words)

The letters will be selected randomly. Because of overlapping words, it's possible that more than the number of clues are shown for a specific word.

It's best to play with these options after setting the grid size and the word list, to determine which number of clues works best.

Puzzles for Kids

There are several features that allow you to create puzzles specifically for kids. Of course it starts with selecting a suitable word list and grid size. Additionally there are options for:

Limiting the number of diagonals
Switch off Reversed words
Kids Diagonal: An option to enforce that diagonal words are always printed from top left to bottom right.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hmq0ZGymUO/Reverse%20Word%20Search%20-%2002%20Kids%20Diagonals.png (Reverse Word Search - 02 Kids Diagonals)

(The word list in this example is obviously not a great fit for younger kids, it's just used to demonstrate the Kid's Diagonal feature).

Solution Options

In contrast to Standard Word Search there are no options to set the 'noise' letters to fill the grid, since empty square will be shown as black squares. (Otherwise the puzzle would be unsolvable).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Jzq4h7531k/Reverse%20Word%20Search%20-%2005%20Solution%20Style.png (Reverse Word Search - 05 Solution Style)

You can set the style of the lines that indicate the words in the solution, along with the line color and thickness.

Puzzle Styling Options

You can customize the styling of the puzzle by selecting your own font (and font color) and setting the colors for the lines and squares. For Reverse Word Search Puzzles it's necessary to print the lines in the grid, otherwise it will become really hard to solve.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/6EG56rtVfv/Reverse%20Word%20Search%20-%2006%20Style.png (Reverse Word Search - 06 Style)

You can change the font by clicking on the white panel that shows the font name (it also shows the text "Click to Edit Font Settings").

Word List Styling Options

Additionally there are some options to control the way the word list is displayed in Instant Puzzle Books.

If your word list has hints / descriptions in addition to the words, you can choose to display those. That adds a significant bit of complexity. This feature can also be used to create language translation puzzles. (instead of just typing a word on each line, type the word and description, separated by a colon, like this "word:description")
Words can be aligned left, center or right.
Words can be sorted in several ways

Here's an example of a Reverse Word Search page in an Instant Puzzle Book (this example uses the Time Saver features):

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1ddRcvonnD/Reverse%20Word%20Search%20-%2007%20Output%202%20Per%20Page.png (Reverse Word Search - 07 Output 2 Per Page)

Word Lists in Columns

Each column (in Excel) has a title for the word list, and a list of words below it, for example:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EzwY8uF3gZ/CSV%20Example%201.png (CSV Example 1)

In Excel, Export to CSV by selecting File -> Save As, and then select CSV (comma delimited). In Puzzle Maker Pro select Tools -> "CSV Splitter (Columns to Files)" and select the file you want to split.

After processing, Puzzle Maker Pro will automatically open the folder with the newly generated txt files, that are ready for use in the Word puzzle or Word Search modules in Puzzle Maker Pro.

Word Lists in Rows

Each Row (in Excel) has a title for the word list, and a list of words to its right, for example:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/NXk24jyjH1/CSV%20Example%202.png (CSV Example 1)

In Excel, Export to CSV by selecting File -> Save As, and then select CSV (comma delimited). In Puzzle Maker Pro select Tools -> "CSV Splitter (Rows to Files)" and select the file you want to split.

After processing, Puzzle Maker Pro will automatically open the folder with the newly generated txt files, that are ready for use in the Word puzzle or Word Search modules in Puzzle Maker Pro.

Question 3

How to create Mixed Puzzle Books with the Ultimate Puzzle Books module in Puzzle Maker Pro

Accepted Answer

How to create Mixed Puzzle Books with the Ultimate Puzzle Books module in Puzzle Maker Pro.

This tutorial applies to the Ultimate Puzzle Books module in Puzzle Maker Pro, which is part of:

Introduction

Ultimate Puzzle Books Menu Option

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/aPpH0I5ezP/01%20Ultimate%20Puzzle%20Books%20Menu%20Option.png (01 Ultimate Puzzle Books Menu Option)

Ultimate Puzzle Books is a separate module, integrated in Puzzle Maker Pro, to create puzzle books or activity books with different types of puzzles. These puzzles can be generated by Puzzle Maker Pro when you create the puzzle book, or imported from other puzzle makers.

When you use puzzles that are generated by Puzzle Maker Pro, the puzzles will be generated when the puzzle book is created. Each time you create a new puzzle book, new puzzles will be generated. This makes it an extremely powerful tool to create a series of mixed puzzle books that have the same mix of puzzles and difficulty levels.

Because the sizes of puzzles can differ, you can specify the layout for each set of puzzles.

Workflow Overview

Ultimate Puzzle Books uses the presets you save for the different puzzle modules, Time Saver add-ons or Imported puzzle sets.

By adding presets to the 'job' table, you'll add all the different puzzles and puzzle types that you want to include in the puzzle book.

Ultimate Puzzle Books Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/VXdbGVBk8t/02%20Ultimate%20Puzzle%20Books%20-%20Overview.png (02 Ultimate Puzzle Books - Overview)

The first step for you is to create the presets that you want to use for each puzzle type. Although it is an additional step for Ultimate Puzzle Books, it also makes it a very powerful tool. You can use and combine all the features of the different puzzle modules in these mixed puzzle books.

The next step is to select the Puzzle Type you want to add, select the preset(s) you want to use for that puzzle type, and then click "Add" to build the 'job' table.

The third step is to customize some of the settings, such as the "Type in Title" and "Override Layout" settings.

Type in Title - If you use a title setting like "Puzzle # %TITLE%", this will replace the "%TITLE%" part with the puzzle type. For example, this can result in "Puzzle 13 Latin Squares". This is especially useful if you mix several types of sudoku or logic puzzles, or different types of word puzzles. On the other hand, for word puzzles, it's also possible to use the Word List name in the title.
Override Layout - To use a custom layout for a specific row in the Job table, click the "Special Layout" cell for that row, and then edit the settings.

Final step: Click "Create" to create all the puzzles and create the puzzle book.

Pro Tip: Save the puzzle book setup as a Preset, for later reuse, or in case of issues. Although we do everything we can to eliminate errors and other issues in the software, with the Ultimate Puzzle Books module you can use almost each and every feature that's available in Puzzle Maker Pro. Therefor it can be impacted by any issue anywhere in the software.

Using Puzzle Presets

The first step is to select a puzzle type, for example Sudoku Variations or Standard Word Search.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZqCSefHOTE/04%20Select%20Puzzle%20Type.png (04 Select Puzzle Type)

After selecting the puzzle type, the dropdown menus for TS Preset and Puzzle Preset will now show all the presets you have for that puzzle type. (TS Preset stands for Time Saver Preset, it will be set to N/A by default).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/DvhAbkWxNr/03%20Select%20Puzzle%20Preset.png (03 Select Puzzle Preset)

Select one of the presets, optionally change the quantity, and click "Add". The new 'job' will be added to the table.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EdwkggbKx4/05%20Add%20Preset%20to%20Job%20Table.png (05 Add Preset to Job Table)

Adding Word Lists

For all word puzzles, you can select "Add With Word List" instead of "Add". This will allow you to select one or more word lists on your computer (using Windows File Explorer). If you select more than one word list, several rows will be added to the job table, one for each word list. (You can change the word lists later).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/H44aOtlfHG/06%20Add%20Word%20Lists.png (06 Add Word Lists)

The word list(s) you select here will be used to replace the words or word list that may have been saved as part of the preset.

Using Time Saver Presets

Time Saver presets contains a part of the setup to create puzzles. Depending on the puzzle type, the Time Saver presets may contain word lists, grid sizes and other settings. However, the Time Saver presets never contain the basic styling settings of the puzzle type. That means that in addition to the Time Saver preset that you select, you will also have to select a puzzle preset that contains the specific layout settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/tJh1jGL7Za/07%20Add%20TS%20Preset.png (07 Add TS Preset)

For Time Saver rows in the job table, the Quantity will be set to 1 (one), because the Time Saver presets also contain quantity settings. For Time Saver presets you can also not add Word Lists, since the Time Savers for word puzzles also include specific word lists.

Using Imported Sets

We completely understand that you also want to include puzzles that have been created with other software than Puzzle Maker Pro. To enable this, we have included an option to import puzzle sets. An "Imported Set" includes of puzzle and solution images in JPG or PNG format. Even though the concept is simple, it's a very powerful feature that enables you to create an endless variety of puzzle books.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/s9s93nF5RJ/02%20Ultimate%20Puzzle%20Books%20-%20Imported%20Sets%20button.png (02 Ultimate Puzzle Books - Imported Sets button)

Manage Import Sets

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/kPSfItwnbR/08%20Manage%20Imported%20Sets.png (08 Manage Imported Sets)

When you open this window using the "Manage Import Sets" button, you'll see an empty list (3). You can then open an existing preset for editing (1), or add a new one.

To add a new one, type the name (or 'puzzle type') (2), then select Puzzles and Solutions.

If the puzzles and solutions are in different folders, first click "Add Puzzles", then click "Add Solutions" (4) and select the puzzles and solutions you want to use. They will be added to the table from top to bottom. Make sure you select the right puzzles and solutions that will be matched.

If the puzzles and solutions are in a single folder and grouped together (e.g. puzzle 1, solution 1, puzzle 2, solution 2, etc), use the "Add P+S Files" button (5). This will expect the selected file list to be alternating puzzle and solution files, and fill the table accordingly.

Save the list as a preset (1) with a name that clearly indicates which type of puzzle, difficulty level, style, etc, it is.

Close the window by clicking OK.

In the main Ultimate Puzzle Books window, use the Puzzle Type "Import Puzzle Sets", select the preset you just created and click "Add". When creating the puzzle book, this set will be used along with all the puzzles that are generated with Puzzle Maker Pro.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nVSmnY6W2a/09%20Add%20Imported%20Puzzle%20Set.png (09 Add Imported Puzzle Set)

Editing the Job table

At the moment of release, there are several items that you can edit after a 'job' has been added to the table:

Type in Title - this can create a result like "Puzzle 1 - Latin Squares", "Puzzle 2 - Word Search"
Preset - Click the preset you want to replace
Time Saver Preset - Click the Time Saver preset you want to replace
Word List (if applicable)
Quantity (only for Puzzle Presets, for TIme Saver presets this is set to 1)
Override Layout
Special Layout

Page Layout

In the Layout Settings area of Ultimate Puzzle Books, you'll see a short, coded, summary of the current Page Layout, for example:

P:2x2, S:2x2, W:5 - this means that solutions will be collated, both puzzles and solutions will use a page layout with 2x2 puzzles / solutions per page, and the Word Search / Crosswords layout is set to style 5
P/S:3x2, W:1 - No collation, 3x2 puzzles/solutions per page, Word Search / Crosswords layout style 1.

You can click the "Edit Default Layout" button to set the default layout, or click the "Special Layout" cell for a row in the job table that you want to change. This will display the new Layout Edit Window with all the different layout options.

Randomize / Mix the puzzles

With Ultimate Puzzle Books you can mix the puzzles. This will be based on the layout settings. For example, puzzles with a 2x2 puzzles per page layout can be mixed, but will be generated separately from pages with 3x3 puzzles or puzzles with a word list.

Although the system will try to balance the puzzles and pages, randomized mixing of the puzzles works best when there are more or less equal quantities of each puzzle type. (The algorithms will continue to evolve and create better results for unbalanced sets of puzzles).

It's best to just try this option and take a look at the results and see how this works best for your puzzles.

Advanced/Pro Strategies

Layout Considerations

The current version(s) of Puzzle Maker Pro will adjust the puzzle size to the available space for the puzzle. It will never enlarge the puzzle, only make it smaller. However, if you create mixed puzzle books, and especially if you make randomised mixed puzzle books or activity books, it's best to use puzzles with similar grid sizes on each page. For example, if a 4x4 sudoku and a 9x9 sudoku will be printed next to each other, the squares in the 4x4 sudoku will be twice as large as the squares in the 9x9 sudoku. It makes sense to use a different layout setup for the two puzzle variations.

Preset Naming Strategies

The Ultimate Puzzle Books module is completely based on the presets you save for the different puzzles types and Time Saver add-on's. To reduce guesswork when you create these mixed puzzle books, it's best to add information to the presets that will allow you to quickly select the right presets here. For example "9x9 Sudoku Level 4 Arial Font", or "15x15 Word Search Animals Theme - Young Kids".

Themed Puzzle Book Variations

Once you have a setup for your mixed puzzle book or activity books with the right quantities and layouts for all the puzzles, it's relatively easy to change the theme. For example you set up the mixed puzzle book for "Animals" and now you want to create a mixed puzzle book for "Occupations".

For all the word puzzle presets, such as Word Search, Word Scramble, etc, you can just change the word list that needs to be used.

Introduction

There are quite a few options to add information to your word lists and word list files. If you want more and specific control over the puzzles that are created, you can use all of the options. Alternatively, Puzzle Maker Pro - Crossword Variations can also generate puzzles when you only provide the words.

For example, a word list consisting of just a list of animals:

You can save it just like this in a text file, e.g. animals.txt, and use this to create puzzles. Puzzle Maker Pro can use the built-in dictionary to retrieve clues (descriptions). You can use the word fill or word scramble options, which only need these words.

Word Descriptions

For more control, you can also add the clues for each word, like this:

As you can see, the words and clues are separated by a colon (":"). Optionally you can add multiple clues for each word, Puzzle Maker Pro will randomly pick one of the clues when needed.

Adding Secret Words or Phrases

For certain puzzle types, such as the acrostic puzzles, you can add a secret word or phrase. Use the tag "#secret", as in this example:

For acrostic puzzles, you can also choose to randomly use a word from the word list as the secret word.

Word Sets in a single file

It's possible to add multple word lists in a single file, however, it is usually more flexible to save each word list in its own file.

For each word set, wether it's in a separate file or combined in a single file, you can set a title and description, which can be used with certain puzzle types.

Multiple word lists in a single file can be separated by blank lines:

Introduction

The additional 'Image' output was introduced to make it possible to create puzzles with an improved layout for social media or printables. To make this possible, we created an 'Image Settings' layout option that has all the settings for these images. Here's an example of what's possible (the puzzle in this image is a Criss Cross puzzle):

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WxQGD5xMbx/Image%20Settings%20Puzzle%20Only.png (Image Settings Puzzle Only)

Setting the Title and Description

The title and description for this puzzle are part of the word list that's used for this puzzle, using the "#title" and "#description" options:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ODGv25G7ka/Image%20Settings%20Example.png (Image Settings Example)

Editing the Image Settings

When a puzzle in Puzzle Maker Pro supports these new Image Settings, there is an option on the Output Settings tab to edit the settings:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/O1fwKTFuAV/Image%20Settings%20Button.png (Image Settings Button)

In the next sections we'll explain all the different options for the Image Settings.

Layout Settings

The first tab has the Layout Settings. This is where you can enable or disable the different settings and add padding.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ysezj02Sq2/Image%20Settings%20Puzzle%20Only%20-%20Marked.png (Image Settings Puzzle Only - Marked)

Padding and sizing is specified as a percentage of the total size of the puzzle. The exact size in pixels is calculated, based on the Puzzle Size.

Top Padding - optional empty space at the top of the image
Title Height - The font for the title will be adjusted automatically to make the text fit in the allocated space
Title Bottom Padding
Description Height
Description Bottom Padding - The description can be placed at the top or at the bottom of the puzzle
Puzzle Padding - empty space on all four sides of the puzzle, when it is added to the image. The actual empty space will also depend on the size and format of the puzzle. For example, when fitting a square puzzle in a rectangular space, there will be more white space on some of the sides
Watermark Top Padding
Watermark Height - The actual watermark is set on another tab, by default it's set to "www.bookpublishertools.com"
Bottom padding

You can enable or disable the different areas, depending on your styling preferences.

Colors and Fonts

You can set background color for the entire image (the canvas color) and the background color for the puzzle. (If the puzzle module has it's own canvas color settings, these will be used as well). Additionally you can add an outer border to the image.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hrOttMcLIv/Image%20Settings%20-%20Colors.png (Image Settings - Colors)

You can set the fonts for the Title, Description and Watermark. (The Watermark font can be found on the Watermark tab). The font name, color and case will be used when printing the Title, Description or Watermark in the image.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7zgRuiHY0O/Image%20Settings%20-%20Fonts.png (Image Settings - Fonts)

Size Options

By default the image settings from the "Output Settings" tab in Puzzle Maker Pro are used. You can override this by selecting one of the size settings on the "Size Options" tab. This allows you to configure specific size settings for your social media platform.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/d5KWGezzvB/Image%20Settings%20-%20Size%20Options.png (Image Settings - Size Options)

Watermark

The Watermark option allows you to add an url or brand name at the bottom of each image automatically. It's best to switch off the Watermark (on the Layout tab) when you are creating puzzle books, but it's a handy feature when you are creating images for social media.

Question 6

How to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox

Accepted Answer

This tutorial describes how to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox. It applies to:

Introduction

With the Time Saver for Letterbox you can combine multiple word lists, randomise word lists, and use more flexible layout settings for your Instant Puzzle Books. To use the Time Saver, you should have a basic understanding of Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox. The Time Saver will overwrite the grid size and the word list, all other options of Letterbox will be used as set in the Puzzle Settings.

Time Saver for Letterbox

With this Time Saver, you can select multiple word lists. Each word list will add one row to the 'job' table. You can then edit some settings for each row, and when you're done, generate all the puzzles.

Letterbox Time Saver

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lRv14SRvgv/Letterbox%2050B%20Time%20Saver.png (Letterbox Time Saver)

Letterbox Time Saver

To use the Time Saver, you have to click the "Use Time Saver" option, to let Puzzle Maker Pro know what you want to create. The button "Create" [8] will then change into "Create (TS)"
Set the Rows and Columns setting for your puzzles. By default it's set to 6 by 5, but you can use different sizes to change the complexity of the puzzle, or to accomodate shorter or longer words. (This value will be used in each row when you click "Select/Add Word Lists")
Set the number of puzzles or choose Unlimited to use the entire word list. (This value will be used in each row when you click "Select/Add Word Lists")
Select word lists to use for your puzzles. Each word list should be TXT file, as described in the Letterbox tutorial. You can select multiple files at once.
After selecting word lists, rows will be added to the table. You can edit the Rows, Columns, Quantity and Unlimited settings for each word list
If you selected too many files, you can delete rows from the table
Optionally you can randomize the word order for each file, to create puzzles in a different order each time you use the same word list
Create all the puzzles and optionally the Instant Puzzle Book.

Layout Options

In addition to the Time Saver automation features, the Time Saver also unlocks the advanced layout options in Puzzle Maker Pro. On the Instant Puzzle Books -> Layout tab, you can select the number of puzzles and solutions on each page.

Time Saver Layout Setup

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/VDUPnRhcEt/Time%20Saver%20Layout%20Setup.jpg (Time Saver Layout Setup)

Time Saver Layout Setup

Introduction

The time saver does exactly what it says on the tin: It saves you time. It does so by allowing you to batch create puzzles. You get less control over the details, but if you have your lists set up, you can create puzzles much faster than if you did it manually.

Sounds pretty nifty right? Let's switch to the Time-Saver tab, and see how it's done.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/3c06l0tQ5l/Time%20Saver%20Criss.jpg (Time Saver Criss)

Main Options

The main options are very similar to the style panel in the normal version. You can choose the font size. Here you can select a uniform font size for every puzzle, or a variable font size. It's automatically on variable. This way, if you create multiple criss cross puzzles with different sizes, it will automatically look for the optimal font size.

You can also select "One Size Fits All", where it uses the largest possible font size that fits in every puzzle. This can create funky looks if you're using multiple very different sizes, but it also creates a more uniform look in terms of font.

Third, you can select the fixed font size. Everything will be the font size you select. If you know how big your puzzles are, and what size font you're going to need, or if you are creating books for people with sight problems, you could want this. However, keep in mind that if your math is off, this can create very strange effects.

Next, you can select the puzzle alignment. Because it's near impossible to create puzzles that fit exactly within the grid size you chose, you can choose your own alignment for the puzzles. You can choose to have them all aligned at the top, the bottom, the middle, and if you want them aligned to the left side of the page, the right side, or, again, the middle. You can also choose to align the words with the puzzle.

Word List Options

Now for the fun part: Adding word lists! Add as many or as few word lists as you want (1).

Reminder: for this software, you want the word lists to have a colon in between the word and the description. As you can see in the starting screen of the crossword module, you want your word lists formatted like this:

BookPublisherTools: Popular software company

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/h7dt7oEZy5/time%20saver%20word%20lists.jpg (time saver word lists)

You can set if the word lists can be merged or not (3). If you have themed word lists and want to create themed puzzles, you probably don't want to mix them. However, if the puzzles do not have a theme, merging them can create more unique puzzles, which is good too.

You can also choose if a word can be re-used (2). Using auto or repeat, the wordlists will slowly be used, and words cannot be reused. With repeat, they can be reused.

Puzzle Control Options

Time for batch creation! This is the fun part of the time saver. You've done your prep work, now you can select how many puzzles you want, what the sizes of the puzzles are, you can load in presets, et cetera.

Simply change the quantity(1), select the size you want(2), and click "add" (3) to add them to the list of puzzles the software has to make.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/c4YWdAVw57/adding%20a%20puzzle.jpg (adding a puzzle)

If you've made presets for criss cross crosswords in the past, you can load those in too!

You can select which word lists each batch pulls from, or if it doesn't really matter and they can pull from everything here too, and you can change the amount of words that can be in each puzzle. Simply change those settings after you've added them to the list.

Then finally, you just click "Create (TS)" to generate all the puzzles! Don't forget to make sure you have "use Time Saver to generate puzzles" (located at the top of the screen) selected.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/9HWj6wUWdq/timesaver%20lists.jpg (timesaver lists)

Introduction

A requirement for all Crossword style puzzle is that they have clues. It's best to vary the clues between puzzles, and not have identical clues for the same word in all the Crossword puzzles you generate. For example: If you have "Longest river in the USA" (8 letters) in each and every puzzle, that's not very exciting for your customers.

There are two main functions for word lists and clue management. First of all, with the clue editor you can edit the clues for your word lists, before or after (!) generating puzzles. Additionally, there's an option to add your own main word list or dictionary, instead of adding the clues to each theme word list separately.

Editing Clues for Puzzle Maker Pro - Crosswords

The three options to set the clues for your words are:

Edit the word list in your favorite software.
Edit the word list in Puzzle Maker Pro, after copying or selecting it in the Word List area
Edit the clues for your puzzles AFTER generating the puzzles. You'll get this option automatically if some words are missing clues.

Editing your Word List in your own software (Notepad)

The words are listed in a simple format:

In other words: Each line in the text file has a word and a clue, separated by a colon. You can easily edit this file in Notepad on Windows. It should be a standard ".txt" file, without any kind of layout or control characters. If you're using MS Word to edit the file, make sure to select "Plain Text (.txt)" as the format, when you save the file.

This way, when you add the clues, they will be part of your word list, and can be reused each time you use the word list.

Edit Word List (in Puzzle Maker Pro)

In Puzzle Maker Pro - Crosswords (also for Criss Cross) there's an option to edit the word list you've selected. This will work both when you have copied a list of words in the words area, or if you have selected a Word List file to use. Click the "Edit Word List" button to go to the Clue Editor.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/pMF8shgxL5/Criss%20Cross%20-%20Clue%20Editor.png (Criss Cross - Clue Editor)

Here you'll see a table with the words and the clues. Once you click a word or clue, you can edit the clue. (see the screenshot below). Click "Close" on the Clue Editor window to close and save all clues and return to the Crossword module.

Edit Clues

You can even edit the clues AFTER generating the puzzles. This is how most other crossword software works as well, but Puzzle Maker Pro will also generate your Puzzle Book in PDF or Powerpoint format after adding the clues.

If you want to edit the clues after generating the puzzles, make sure the "Edit After Create" box is checked. Alternatively, if any of the words is missing its clue, you'll see a warning like this, allowing you to edit the clues:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/u9RirZS6yt/Criss%20Cross%20-%2051%20Clue%20Editor%20Warning.png (Criss Cross - 51 Clue Editor Warning)

If you click "No", then some words in the puzzle book will have blank clues. You can always edit the PDF or Powerpoint document after it's created.

If you click "Yes", you'll see the following window:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/eXunFAG2RN/Criss%20Cross%20-%2053%20Clue%20Editor%20Puzzle%20Clues%20-%20Numbered.png (Criss Cross - 53 Clue Editor Puzzle Clues - Numbered)

Select the file you want to edit. The file name may seem a bit cryptic, the dropdown list shows all the word / clue files for the puzzle. By selecting them one by one, you'll be able to check or edit the words for each puzzle.
The words and clues are shown, along with the position in the puzzle (V 3 means Vertical word 3). By clicking the word CROSSSUM or the empty clue field, you'll be able to edit the clue
Textbox to edit the clue
Click "Save Clue" to save the clue to the table. Alternatively you can click the "Auto Save Changes" box, this will automatically save changes when you change to a different word or file
Select a clue from the list - these clues are taken from the main and custom dictionaries (if you have the dictionary add-on)
Add changes automatically to the custom dictionary, or "Add All" words and clues to the custom dictionary at once, for future re-use. (This requires the dictionary add-on)
Save / Close: Leave the Clue Editor Window. After this, Puzzle Maker Pro will automatically generate puzzle books for you.

Using a Dictionary Word List

The use of main and custom word lists, is available as a separate add-on: Word List Editor for Puzzle Maker Pro. Not everybody may need or want this.

Our Dictionary system allows you to set up a main dictionary that has many words the clues for the words. Additionally you can add a 'custom' dictionary, that will be used to add all the new clues you add in Puzzle Maker Pro.

The main dictionary and the custom dictionary are separate files, this allows you to use dictionaries (clues) that you download or purchase elsewhere, and still save your own custom clues separately.

Theme Word List

In the (theme) word list for your puzzles, it's allowed to include only the words and not the clues. For the dictionaries, the clues are mandatory, since the main purpose of the dictionary is to provide you with clues.

When you use the Time Saver for Crossword, you can add multiple word lists, to create a large set of themed puzzles with a single mouse-click.

Main Dictionary

The main dictionary, or main word list, can consist of millions of words with corresponding clues.

For puzzles like Criss Cross, this dictionary is used to provide you with clues for the words that are used in the puzzle. This way you don't have to add clues in your theme word lists. Of course you still can add clues to the theme word list, which will have priority over the clues in the dictionaries.

The format of the main word file is identical to the theme word list format:

The main dictionary will never be changed by Puzzle Maker Pro.

At the time of writing, we do not include dictionaries with Puzzle Maker Pro.

Custom Dictionary

The custom dictionary is used to save clues that you add while creating puzzles. You can edit the word list before creating puzzles, and add all the clues to the custom dictionary, you can also edit the puzzle clues after creating the puzzles (but before generating a puzzle book), and add the clues to the custom dictionary.

Using Multiple Languages

Like all other Puzzle Maker Pro features, you can easily use different languages with the Crossword modules. However, you should make sure that you change the main dictionary and the custom dictionary when you use word lists for other languages. Otherwise Puzzle Maker Pro may for example add English clues from the dictionaries to French words from your word list.

Workflow options

There are different ways to use word lists in Puzzle Maker Pro - Criss Cross (and future modules):

You can create Criss Cross puzzles using your own word lists, including clues. In which case there is no need to use the built-in Clue Editor. (Note: It's faster to edit clues and descriptions in Notepad or Notepad++ or any other text editor. Our Clue Editor needs to do some extra checks because it can be linked to your dictionaries).
You can create Criss Cross puzzles using your own word lists, and add clues before or after creating the puzzles. Before your puzzle book (Powerpoint or PDF) is created, there's an automatic check to verify that each word has a clue, and you'll get the option to edit the clues with the clue editor.
Optionally you can also edit the puzzle clue files in your favourite text editor, but you have to make sure that required parts, such as word positions, remain in place
If you use a dictionary, Puzzle Maker Pro will automatically retrieve missing clues from your dictionary. You can still choose to edit the clues before creating a puzzle book.

Why so many options? First of all: With professional crossword software, it's best practice to create the puzzle(s) first, and edit all the clues after that, to create the best possible puzzle and clues. We definitely wanted to support this workflow.

How to create Reverse Word Search puzzles?

How to use the CSV Splitter in Puzzle Maker Pro

How to create Mixed Puzzle Books with the Ultimate Puzzle Books module in Puzzle Maker Pro

How to set up Word Lists for Crossword Variations

How to create Social Media Images with Puzzles using Puzzle Maker Pro

How to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox

How to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Crossword

How to use the Word List Editor for Puzzle Maker Pro?

What are Presets in Puzzle Maker Pro

What exactly is the Time Saver in Puzzle Maker Pro?