Question 1

Can you explain the names of the new sudoku bundles?

Accepted Answer

This FAQ clarifies the names of the recent sudoku bundles that have been released for Puzzle Maker Pro.

This tutorial applies to

Puzzle Maker Pro - Sudoku - New Grid Rules Bundle
Puzzle Maker Pro - More Clues Add-On for Sudoku 9x9 Regular
Puzzle Maker Pro - More Clues Add-On for Sudoku Multidokus
Puzzle Maker Pro - More Clues Add-On for Sudoku Other Grid Sizes
Puzzle Maker Pro - More Clues Add-On for Sudoku Bundle

New Grid Rules and More Clues

Some of the new sudoku products and bundles have names that may not be instantly clear or intuitive. We've tried to use better names than "Bundle 13" and "Bundle 14", but had to invent new names that weren't used yet for sudokus. We'll explain the logic behind this names here:

New Grid Rules means that there are new rules applied when constructing the sudoku grids. Checkerboard and Nonconsecutive both have restrictions of the values of each cell in the grid. The grid does not follow the normal sudoku rules (1-9 in each column, in each row and in each 3x3 subgrid), but has additional restrictions.
More Clues means that additional clues are added to the sudoku puzzle. The sudoku grid is constructed using the normal sudoku rules, but when the sudoku puzzle is constructed (removing clues from the grid), additional clues are added.

New Grid Rules

New Grid Rules consists of two different puzzle types:

Checkerboard Sudoku: Cells are colored in a checkerboard pattern. White cells have only odd numbers (1,3,5,7 for 8x8 sudoku), while gray cells have only even numbers (2,4,6,8 for 8x8 sudoku). Due to the nature of checkerboards, these sudokus are only available for even grid sizes (6x6, 8x8, 10x10, 12x12, 14x14 and 16x16).
Nonconsecutive Sudoku: Consecutive numbers, such as 1-2, 4-5, etc can never be next to each other in the grid. For this puzzle, 9 and 1 are considered consecutive as well.

More Clues

The More Clues products each offer 5 different sudoku additions:

Odd/Even - Mark the even cells in the grid
Consecutive - Mark some of the cell borders where the cells have consecutive numbers
Difference - Indicate the difference between some of the cells
Compare - Indicate which of two bordering cells has a larger value than the other
Threshold - Innovative sudoku variation where numbers greater than a threshold are marked.

Preset Locations

All the presets that are saved from within Puzzle Maker Pro are stored on your computer, in subfolders for "Documents\BookPublisherTools\Presets\PMP".

An easy way to find that folder is to click the "Open Presets Folder" button on the Tools tab in Puzzle Maker Pro:

Tools tab Open Preset Folder

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/MLH4neHFkw/Tools%20tab%20Open%20Preset%20Folder.png (Tools tab Open Preset Folder)

When you click this button, it will open Windows File Explorer for the Presets folder:

Presets Folder Word Search

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/2SRRBHFHic/Presets%20Folder%20Word%20Search.png (Presets Folder Word Search)

In this folder you'll find subfolders for each puzzle type and Time Saver add-on. You can double- click a folder to see which presets are saved in it. For example you can double-click the Word Search folder to see all the Word Search presets.

Tips and Tricks

You can delete presets and copy them to a different computer. Please be aware that if the presets refer to other files on your computer, you'll have to copy those too, to exact the same location.

For example, if you have a Word Search preset that refers to a word file "D:/Word List/Occupations.txt": You'll need to copy that file as well, and put it in exact the same location. Otherwise it cannot be found.

For JigSaw, Sudoku and other modules that use images: You'll need to make sure that all the images that are referred to in a preset, will be available in the same locations when you copy a preset.

Question 3

Getting Started with Nonconsecutive Sudoku

Accepted Answer

Getting Started with Nonconsecutive Sudoku

This tutorial applies to:

https://www.bookpublishertools.com/product/puzzle-maker-pro-nonconsecutive-sudoku-9x9
Puzzle Maker Pro - Nonconsecutive Sudoku Other Squares

Nonconsecutive Sudoku

Nonconsecutive Sudoku is a sudouk variation with additional rules for the grid: consecutive numbers cannot be adjacent. In other words, when there's a 3 in a cell, the cells next to it - horizontally and vertically - cannot contain a 2 or a 4.

In our modules for Nonconsecutive Sudoku, the highest and lowest numbers are considered consecutive as well: In a 9x9 grid, the 1 and 9 can also not be adjacent to each other.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/tEiJuBOOHT/Nonconsecutive.PNG (Nonconsecutive.PNG)

This image illustrates the impact of this rule: In a regular sudoku, if the numbers 2, 4 and 6 would be placed like this, there would be 6 available numbers for the center cell: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9. (in a 9x9 grid sudoku).

For Nonconsecutive Sudoku there are quite a few restrictions:

the 2 removes the 1 and 3 from the options
the 4 removes the 3 and 5 from the options
the 6 removes the 5 and 7 from the options

Instead of 6 different numbers, there are only 2 options for the center cell: the 8 and 9.

As you can see the nonconsecutive rule hugely diminishes the number of options for the grids. As a result, there are significantly fewer nonconsecutive sudoku puzzles available.

Find Nonconsecutive Sudoku in Puzzle Maker Pro

To create Nonconsecutive Sudoku puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/GYxuecZjSI/Nonconsecutive%20Sudoku%20Overview.png (Nonconsecutive Sudoku Overview)

Go to Sudoku Variations
Select one of the Sudoku Grid Sizes that are available for Nonconsecutive Sudoku (6x6, 8x8, 9x9, 10x10, 12x12, 14x14, 15x15, 16x16)
Select "Nonconsecutive" in the Variation menu.

There are quite a few tutorials about all the regular features of Sudoku in Puzzle Maker Pro, ranging from grid setup to symbol options, please check the tutorials below.

Note: Even though it's possible to use images for Nonconsecutive Sudokus, it doesn't make much sense, and the sudokus may be impossible to solve, since there are no odd and even images.

Checkerboard Sudoku

Checkerboard is a sudoku variation with a specific grid setup: Like a checkerboard.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FNWEI47XeO/Checkerboard%206x6.png (Checkerboard 6x6)

To solve a Checkerboard Sudoku, you apply the same rules as for regular sudoku, and additionally you have the Checkerboard rule: The white squares contain only odd numbers, the gray squares contain only even numbers.

This is a fun innovative sudoku variation. Because it's easier to solve - it has less options for each square - it's a great variation to include in activity books for children and adults.

Because Checkerboard Sudoku requires an even number of rows and columns in the grid, this variation is not available with a 9x9 grid.

Checkerboard Sudoku math

To compare the number of options of Checkerboard Sudoku with regular sudoku, here's the math for the first 3 squares in a 8x8 sudoku grid:

In a regular sudoku, you have 8 options for the first cell, 7 for the next, 6 for the next, and 5 different options for the fourth cell, which would be 8 * 7 * 6 * 5 = 1680 different options for the first 4 cells. (for a full grid, the math becomes increasingly more complex, and the number of options are bilions.

For Checkerboard sudoku, you have 4 options for the first cell: just 1, 3, 5, 7. Then 4 options for the next (2, 4, 6, 8). For the third and fourth cells there are only 3 options. For just the first 4 cells you have 4 * 4 * 3 * 3 = 144 options, which is less than 10% of the regular sudoku options. The difference gets increasingly larger when we add more cells.

Find Checkerboard Sudoku in Puzzle Maker Pro

To create Checkerboard Sudoku puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/uoaWRSeyqD/CheckerBoard%20Sudoku%20Overview.png (CheckerBoard Sudoku Overview)

Go to Sudoku Variations
Select one of the Sudoku Grid Sizes that are available for Checkerboard Sudoku (6x6, 8x8, 10x10, 12x12, 14x14, 16x16)
Select "Checkerboard" in the Variation menu.

There are quite a few tutorials about all the regular features of Sudoku in Puzzle Maker Pro, ranging from grid setup to symbol options, please check the tutorials below.

Note: Even though it's possible to use images for Checkerboard Sudokus, it doesn't make much sense, and the sudokus may be impossible to solve, since there are no odd and even images.

Puzzle Maker Pro - Time Saver for Word Puzzles

This Time Saver is still being beta tested. An upgrade is expected ultimately on June 1st 2023.

Time Saver Basics

Word File Processing

Combining Word Lists

Layout Options (Instant Puzzle Books)

Creating Images/Memes

In addition to the text output that's used for Instant Puzzle Books, there's also an option to directly create Images for your puzzle words. To do this, select the "Images/Memes" tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/S1GQqhqTLa/Images-Memes.png (Images-Memes)

This is an easy way to create simple puzzle images that can be used on social media or elsewhere. (For more advanced images, use the CSV output and your favorite editing software).

The options you have here:

Click "Create Images" to automatically generated these images when you create puzzles.
The Description or Title can be printed at the top. You can switch this off. If there's a description for the word, that will be used. Otherwise, the title for the set of words will be used. If neither is available, the Description will be left blank.
You can select the background color or keep it transparent. If the background color is transparent, you can layer it with other images in your favorite editing software, or use the background images feature in Puzzle Maker Pro: Output Settings -> Background Images tab).
You can set the border width and color.
For social media posts, you can add your own watermark text. if you don't need this, switch it off. (Unless you want to print "www.BookPublisherTools.com" on all your images.

The settings from this tab will also be used for the puzzle preview image when you click "Next Preview".

Simple Word File Format

For simple puzzles like Word Search, you can use a list of words without any embellishments. However, for the puzzles we call "Word Puzzles" - puzzles consisting of a single word, it's often needed to add a description or other information. Especially Word Guess puzzles are impossible to solve without a clue, and for Cryptograms it's usually required as well.

The easiest way to do that is to add a description for each word:

In this case the word and the description are separated by a colon (:).

This is sufficient for generating puzzles and creating an Instant Puzzle Book.

Extended Word File Format

There are additional options for the word files, that will help you to create better puzzle books or activity pages. These options are available when you use the Time Saver for Word Puzzles. Without this, you cannot use the automatic way of adding custom titles and descriptions, but you can still easily edit the created puzzle books.

The extended format:

For example:

Note: Without the Time Saver, the additional options #title and #description will be ignored.

TXT file output

The TXT file output consists of one line for each word or phrase, for example:

This file is for your own use, you can copy the words to other software, or not use it at all, if you create Instant Puzzle Books as well.

Encoded puzzle - the first part is the encoded puzzle, ending with "||"
Solution - after the "||" you see the solution, the original word
Description - if there was a description in the source words file (or a set title if you use word sets), this will be added after a colon ":". To use sets, see: Word List format for Word Puzzles

CSV file output

CSV is a standardized file format that can be used with many applications. The example above in CSV format would look like this:

You can import this file in Excel (or other spreadsheets), for example to use it with our Replicator software, and you can even import this file into Canva (with a Pro subscription) to quickly generate a batch of images. (Note: at the moment of writing, somehow the automatic import into Canva doesn't work properly, but as a work-around, manual import will work - Open the CSV file in Excel, then select all the rows / columns and past it in the manual bulk import area in Canva).

Puzzle Maker Pro - Easy Cryptograms

This tutorial applies to Easy Cryptograms

The add-on "Time Saver for Word Puzzles" adds additional options for puzzle generation and Instant Puzzle Book layout.

Easy Cryptograms Explained

Our module Easy Cryptograms creates puzzles where the letters of a word, a set of words, or a phrase, are replaced by a different letter. For example each A is replaced by a D, each B by an E, and so on.

Easy Cryptograms is an implementation of a letter encoding (letter replacement) puzzle, is a word puzzle where the letters of a word, a set of words, or a phrase, are replaced by a different letter. For example each A is replaced by a D, each B by an E, and so on.

In Puzzle Maker Pro - Easy Cryptograms, there are some basic rules that are applied for encoding words and phrases:

Letters in a word are replaced by other letters. For example: Sudoku may result in tveplv,
Each word in a phrase is changed consistently, with the same key,
Spaces, punctuation marks and other special characters are not scrambled,
Optionally you can use a different key for each set of words, or for each word in a word list,
The key can be customized or randomized

Encoding where each letter shifts 3 letters in the alphabet is also known as Caesar code.

Easy Cryptograms Overview

To use Easy Cryptograms, select the puzzle type in the drop down menu, or in the regular menu.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Pmwwb3HXih/Easy%20Cryptograms%20Overview.png (Easy Cryptograms Overview)

When you select this puzzle type for the first time, a default list of words is shown, and the preview shows an image using the first word.

In addition to the 'basic' easy cryptograms functionality this module has quite a few options:

Word List: you can add additional text to the word list. In the example you can see "word:description", additional options can be found here: Word List Format for Word Puzzles;
Algorithm: You can specify how letters are replaced (see below)
Styling: Styling options are covered below;
Image Output: In addition to the 'standard' text output, you can also create images/memes for social media or activity books. This is described in a separate tutorial: How to create Images/Memes for Word Puzzles;

Generating Easy Cryptograms

The total number of puzzles can be set ("Quantity"), or you can use the entire word list ("Entire List").

When generating puzzles, and when generating a new preview (click Next Preview), a meme style image is shown as a preview. You can configure and style these images using the Images/Meme tab.

Hoewever, for Instant Puzzle Books, the images are not used, but instead the text output is used. That means you do not need to create the image output for your Instant Puzzle Books.

The text output consists of a TXT file and a CSV file, see also "Text Output for Word Puzzles". The CSV file can (for example) be used in Canva Pro to quickly generate images (in addition to the built-in Images/Memes option).

A default layout for Instant Puzzle Books will be used (just click "Create" to see this). With the Time Saver add-on, you can adjust the layout, using columns and customize other layout options.

Algorithm

You can control how the letters will be replaced / substituted:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/v12xLREBHO/Easy%20Cryptograms%20Algorithm.png (Easy Cryptograms Algorithm)

Use a Caesar Code - Letters are shifted a certain amount of positions in the alphabet. Or choose Random, in which case there won't be a clear order of replacement - this makes the puzzles harder to solve;
Set the shift amount for Caesar Code cryptograms, or optionally make it random - this will generate a random shift amount from 1 to 26)
Configure when a new randomization will be generated. (This will not work for Fixed Shift)

Fixed - the same encoding will be used for all words,
Vary Per Set - a new randomization will be generated for each set of words (see also Word List Format for Word Puzzles for more information about sets,
Vary Per Word/Phrase - for each word in the words list, a new random offset or randomization will be generated. For a phrase (multiple words on a single line in the text file), each word will always be encrypted with the same key (offset).

Styling

Styling the puzzles and puzzle books for Easy Cryptograms can be configured in several places:

Font Styling - The selected font will be used for the Images/Memes and for Instant Puzzle Books (see below),
Output Style - How to display the puzzle (see below),
Image/Meme Styling - This can be set on the Images/Memes tab (see also: How to create Images/Memes for Word Puzzles)
Instant Puzzle Books - Styling and layout options for Instant Puzzle Books can be customized using the Time Saver options. If you don't have the Time Saver, default options will be used.

Font Styling

You can customize the font by clicking the white panel (or the looking glass icon) in the Font Settings area. You can set both the font and the font color.

For the Instant Puzzle Books you can set the exact font size.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/umTwRURKAG/Fixed%20Font%20Size.png (Fixed Font Size)

For Images/Memes the font size is determined automatically, since this will vary depending on the image size (the number of pixels).

Output Style

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/spbhuqbVb8/Easy%20Cryptograms%20Output%20Styling.png (Easy Cryptograms Output Styling)

You can choose if you want the output in letters (A-Z), numbers, or double digit numbers.

When you choose numbers, the space between characters will be at least 1, otherwise it's impossible to distinguish between single digit and double digit numbers.

For Double Digit Numbers, the space between characters is optional. No spaces between the different numbers will make a puzzle quite a bit harder to solve. Compare 041717131823041411211007202217171421 to 04 17 17 13 18 23 04 14 11 21 10 07 20 22 17 17 14 21.

Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Guess

This tutorial applies to Word Guess

The add-on "Time Saver for Word Puzzles" adds additional options for puzzle generation and Instant Puzzle Book layout.

Word Guess Explained

Word Guess, also known as Guess the Word, is a word puzzle where some letters of the word are shown as clues. The other letters have to be guessed. This format is known to be used in tv quizzes, but it's also apparent in crossword puzzles, where some letters of a word have already been solved.

In Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Guess, there are some basic rules that are applied for encoding words and phrases:

Letters in a word are changed by placeholders, except for a number of clues. For example: Sudoku may result in _ U _ _ _ U,
Each word in a phrase is changed separately,
Spaces, punctuation marks and other special characters are not scrambled,

Word Guess puzzles require a description or category to be available for each word, which is an additional clue.

Word Guess Overview

To use Word Guess, select the puzzle type in the drop down menu, or in the regular menu.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Ipq26ikqB4/Word%20Guess%20Overview.png (Word Guess Overview)

When you select this puzzle type for the first time, a default list of words is shown, and the preview shows an image using the first word.

In addition to the 'basic' word guess functionality this module has quite a few options:

Word List: you can add additional text to the word list. In the example you can see "word:description", additional options can be found here: Word List Format for Word Puzzles;
Algorithm: You can specify how many and which letters are hidden (see below)
Styling: Styling options are covered below;
Image Output: In addition to the 'standard' text output, you can also create images/memes for social media or activity books. This is described in a separate tutorial: How to create Images/Memes for Word Puzzles;

Generating Word Guess Puzzles

The total number of Word Guess puzzles can be set ("Quantity"), or you can use the entire word list ("Entire List").

When generating Word Guess Puzzles, and when generating a new preview (click Next Preview), a meme style image is shown as a preview. You can configure and style these images using the Images/Meme tab.

Hoewever, for Instant Puzzle Books, the images are not used, but instead the text output is used. That means you do not need to create the image output for your Instant Puzzle Books.

The text output consists of a TXT file and a CSV file, see also "Text Output for Word Puzzles". The CSV file can (for example) be used in Canva Pro to quickly generate images (in addition to the built-in Images/Memes option).

A default layout for Instant Puzzle Books will be used (just click "Create" to see this). With the Time Saver add-on, you can adjust the layout, using columns and customize other layout options.

Algorithm

You can control how many and which letters are hidden:

Select the Number of Clues - 1/2 means every 1 out of 2 letters will be hidden. The labels Easy, Normal and Tough are just a rule of thumb, not a fixed rule;
You can configure which letters will always be hidden. In other words: which letters will noet be used as clues. To do this, click the 'Do Not Show Vowels as Clues" option. (Note: even though it says "Vowels", you can choose any set of letters you want.

Styling

Styling the puzzles and puzzle books for Word Guess can be configured in several places:

Font Styling - The selected font will be used for the Images/Memes and for Instant Puzzle Books (see below),
Letter Replacement - How to display the hidden letters (see below),
Image/Meme Styling - This can be set on the Images/Memes tab (see also: How to create Images/Memes for Word Puzzles)
Instant Puzzle Books - Styling and layout options for Instant Puzzle Books can be customized using the Time Saver options. If you don't have the Time Saver, default options will be used.

Font Styling

You can customize the font by clicking the white panel (or the looking glass icon) in the Font Settings area. You can set both the font and the font color.

For the Instant Puzzle Books you can set the exact font size.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/umTwRURKAG/Fixed%20Font%20Size.png (Fixed Font Size)

For Images/Memes the font size is determined automatically, since this will vary depending on the image size (the number of pixels).

Letter Replacement

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1ezyojtN5L/Word%20Guess%20Styling.png (Word Guess Styling)

Can you explain the names of the new sudoku bundles?

How to delete or copy presets for Puzzle Maker Pro

Getting Started with Nonconsecutive Sudoku

Getting Started with Checkerboard Sudoku

How to use the Time Saver for Word Puzzles

Creating Images for Word Puzzles

How to set up word lists for word puzzles

Word Puzzle Output

How to Create Cryptograms with Puzzle Maker Pro

How to Create Word Guess puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro