Question 1

How to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D

Accepted Answer

How to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D

The Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D works for:

The Time saver consists of two distinct parts:

Batch creation of mazes
Advanced layouts options with grids up to 10x10 puzzles or solutions

Batch Creation of Mazes

There are several ways you can control the mazes that are generated by the Time Saver

Using Presets
Enter rows in the control grid
Add images for masks using the Quick Mask options

We'll discuss these different options in the paragraphs below.

Batch Creation using Presets

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Bgl3MfS42X/Mazes%202D%20Time%20Saver%20Presets.png (Mazes 2D Time Saver Presets)

To use this option, don't forget to click (check) the options "Use Time Saver" and "Use Time Saver - Preset Puzzles".

Click the tab "Preset Puzzles" on the Time Saver tab. At the left you can see all the presets for Mazes 2D. If they're not visible yet, click "Refresh List".

The presets shown here are presets that you have saved yourself. There are no built-in presets, since it's so very easy to create your own.

You can select one or more presets (using Shift / Ctrl to select multiple presets) and click "Add Selected". The default quantity for each preset is 1, you can change this by clicking on the number you want to change.

Preset puzzles can be combined with the "Fast" mode for the Time Saver.

Batch Creation using the Control Grid

When you use the Control Grid (the "Fast" option), The Time Saver will use most of the settings from the regular "Puzzle Settings". These will be overruled by the specific settings that can be entered in the grid.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/mOYcLeAuzp/Mazes%202D%20Time%20Saver%20Fast.png (Mazes 2D Time Saver Fast)

Select the maze type that you need, the quantity and the grid size (Rows / Columns)
Click "Add Row" to add a row to the Control Grid
Change options as needed in the Control Grid by clicking the number or item you want to change
Click "Create (TS)" to create the puzzles and optionally the Instant Puzzle Book

Batch Creation using Quick Masks in the Control Grid

If you have the Masks Add-On, you can use the Quick Masks option:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/v4rKADjwcp/Mazes%202D%20Time%20Saver%20Quick%20Mask.png (Mazes 2D Time Saver Quick Mask)

Set the maze type and grid size that you need. You should set the Quantity to 1, unless you want several puzzles with identical masks
Click "Add Quick Mask". This will open the file explorer on your computer, allowing you to select one or several images. For each image, a row in the Control Grid will be added
Change options as needed
Click "Create (TS)" to create the puzzles using the Time Saver.

Introduction to Letterbox Puzzles

A Letterbox puzzle consists of a grid filled with different letters. By removing all letters that occur twice or more, the resulting letters will form a word - read from top left to bottom right. The puzzle in the screenshot below is an example:

Letterbox Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/wkvZhTJViF/Letterbox%2001%20Overview.png (Letterbox Overview)

Letterbox Overview

Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox Overview

Here's the same screenshot, with some numbers to clarify the different options. Additionally, the general Puzzle Maker Pro features such as Preview, Preview Solution, Output Settings, etc. are available.

Letterbox Tutorial Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/bflYkRCNt8/Letterbox%2001B%20Overview.png (Letterbox Tutorial Overview)

Letterbox Tutorial Overview

Select "Letterbox" in the Puzzle Type dropdown menu or in the Word Puzzles menu
Set the number of rows and columns for the grid (see the preview [5]), and the quantity of puzzles you want to generate
Your word list. By default, a short word list is added, but you should always use your own word list (see also the next paragraph)
"Verify" your word list - check that all the words have unique letters
Preview panel for the puzzle or the solution

Using Your Word Lists

Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox works with word lists or text files that have a single word or short phrase on each line. If there's also a clue or description after the word (as in: "word:clue"), the clue will not be used.

Each word must consist of unique letters only, since the aim of the puzzle is to cross off all duplicate letters. (Actually, "duplicate" is a valid word).

After you type or copy your word list, or after selecting a word list file, you can click the "Verify" button to verify all the words in the word list. It will give a warning for words that have duplicate letters.

When generating puzzles, words with duplicate letters will be skipped.

Letter Options

Letter Options Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/fu7MzlOw08/Letterbox%2010B%20Letter%20Options.png (Letter Options Overview)

Letter Options Overview

On the "Letters" tab you can find several options to control the letters that are used in your puzzle:

Even though your word list may contain spaces and other characters, like hyphens or commas, you can easily remove these from the words
"Fill Characters": After the word is placed in the grid in random positions, the other squares are filled with 'noise', random characters from the set of "Fill Characters" that you provide. By default it's set to the regular English alphabet. Letters that also occur in the hidden word, will not be used as noise.

You can get creative with the Fill Characters, e.g. use only certain letters, or use digits as noise in the puzzle, like the example below:

Letterbox Using Digits

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/BC3lCZhxe1/Letterbox%2011%20Using%20Digits.png (Letterbox Using Digits)

Letterbox Using Digits

Using Multiple Fonts

There are several options to make the Letterbox puzzle a bit more lively and chaotic, you can find these on the "Fonts" tab:

Letterbox Font Options

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WCGeNoKOxI/Letterbox%2020B%20Font%20Options.png (Letterbox Font Options)

Letterbox Font Options

Select the main font by clicking the white panel that says "Arial". Here you can set the font, font color, and some other options.
If you want to use more than one font, you can set the number of fonts (up to 3). For each letter in the grid, the algorithm will randomly select one of the fonts:

Letterbox Multiple Fonts Grayscale

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/aSYjEkxKz4/Letterbox%2022%20Multiple%20Fonts%20Grayscale.png (Letterbox Multiple Fonts Grayscale)

Letterbox Multiple Fonts Grayscale

You can choose to add Bold and Italics letters to the puzzle. Random letters will be Bold or Italic, if the selected font supports this.
Add more color variations: Use up to five colors or gray shades in your puzzle (see next paragraph)
Click "Next Preview" to generate a preview with the changed settings. The preview will be shown in the preview panel at the right.

Using Multiple Colors

Letterbox Multiple Fonts Colors

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/BH8NJBwMB6/Letterbox%2024%20Multiple%20Fonts%20Colors.png (Letterbox Multiple Fonts Colors)

Letterbox Multiple Fonts Colors

You can also use multiple colors or multiple gray shades for the letters. In total you can use five different colors:

You can select a color in the font properties window. When you use three different fonts, you can select a different color for each font. These colors will be randomly assigned to each letter. (That means: If you select a red color for "Arial" and a green color for "Times New Roman", you can get four different combinations: Arial/Red, Arial/Green, Times New Roman/Red and Times New Roman/Green)
You can also add two more colors by selecting the "Color Variations" option. You can then use the two color panels to select additional colors
You can mix and match: You can select up to three different fonts and use the same color for each, you can also select "Arial" three times, but select a different color for each font.

Styling

The "Styling" tab offers several options to change the look and feel of your Letterbox puzzle, in addition to the differernt font options.

Letterbox Styling Colors

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/QN5bTfSSjc/Letterbox%2030B%20Styling%20Colors.png (Letterbox Styling Colors)

Letterbox Styling Colors

You can set the Canvas color and the Cell Background color. The "Cell" is the square in which each letter is placed. The Canvas color is only shown when padding is used [3]
You can set the width (weight) of the Cell Border and the Color. In the screenshot we have selected a red line of 20 pixels. (This may look different depending on the image size that you selected on the Output Settings tab)
Padding - You can choose to have each letter in its own square, with a little padding around it. The empty space will have the Canvas color:

Letterbox Styling Padding

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/r1y07BqFHR/Letterbox%2031B%20Styling%20Padding.png (Letterbox Styling Padding)

Letterbox Styling Padding

Solution Styling: You can either use an empty cell instead of the 'noise' characters, or use a symbol of your choosing, for example the "=" symbol:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/TUMiDKBAqV/Letterbox%2032B%20Styling%20Solution.png (Letterbox 32B Styling Solution)

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Cubism

This tutorial applies to Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Cubism and Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Cubism Variations Add-On.

The tutorial "How to use Mazes 2D Squares" describes how to use the generic options for Mazes 2D.

In this tutorial we'll explain the specific 'cubism' features.

This module works by splitting the entire canvas into smaller areas (squares, rectangles or triangles).

Note: Due to the algorithm used by Mazes 2D Cubism, the Masks Add-On is not available for this module.

Mazes 2D Cubism

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7pdkcni44w/Mazes%20Cubism%20Overview%20Fifty%20Fifty.png (Mazes Cubism Overview Fifty Fifty)

To use Mazes 2D Cubism, select "Mazes 2D" in the puzzle type dropdown menu, and then select "Cubism" in the Puzzle Control area. Next, click preview to generate a first maze.

The number of rows and columns defines the smallest possible square in the maze. However, due to randomization, it's not always guaranteed that this size will occur
The "Split Ratio" slider controls how often squares (or rectangles) will be split into smaller squares or rectangles. To keep many relatively large squares and rectangles, move the slider to the left. To get many small squares and just a few larger ones, move the slider to the right.

Mazes 2D Cubism Variations

The Mazes 2D Cubism Variations Add-On adds two new variations to the Cubism mazes:

Golden Ratio
Triangles

Golden Ratio

The Golden ratio (also sectio aurea / sectio divina) is a way to split a line in two sections, where the ratio between section 1 and section 2 is identical to the ratio between section 2 and section 1 plus section 2. This can be applied repeatedly.

Triangles

The addition of triangles will result in a completely different type of maze. In this case the maze will consist of squares, rectangles and triangles.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/MF8KmHwRjV/Mazes%20Cubism%20Overview%20Triangles.png (Mazes Cubism Overview Triangles)

To use Triangles, select the "Squares / Rectangles / Triangles option (1)

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin

This tutorial applies to Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin.

The tutorial "How to use Mazes 2D Squares" describes how to use the generic options for Mazes 2D.

In this tutorial we'll explain the specific 'log cabin' features.

Log Cabin is a type Patchwork design, resembling the way logs are stacked to build a log cabin.

This module includes:

4 different log cabin designs
3 colorization options (no colors plus two ways to add color accents, dependent on the log cabin design)
Several options to fill a larger grid (maze) with a smaller log cabin design, just the way it's done in patchwork designs.

In addition to the log cabin options, this module includes the 'standard' maze generation and style options in the Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D collection.

Note: Due to the specific algorithm for Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin, the Masks Add-On is not available for this module. It would go against the log cabin concept, and additionally, you wouldn't be able to mask smaller parts of the 'logs'. However, the Mazes 2D DIY Maze module can do all this and more.

Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin

Select Mazes 2D in the main Puzzle Type dropdown menu, then select Patchwork Log Cabin in the (maze) Type dropdown menu. Click "Next Preview" to quickly get a first impression. (Changing settings does not automatically create a new preview, because you may want to change multiple settings, and the mazes, especially at larger sizes, may take some time to generate).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/77E92SJ0ue/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Overview.png (Patchwork Log Cabin Overview)

On the special Log Cabin tab, you can see several groups of settings:

The Log Cabin settings Variation and Steps
Repeat settings
Colorization settings

Variation and Steps

Currently there are four different Log Cabin variations in this maze module:

Standard
Courthouse Steps
Chimneys and Cornerstones
Chevrons

For each variation you can customize the size ("Steps"), this will add more log levels.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/J4gJVE2Imb/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%204%20Variations.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin 4 Variations.JPG)

Repeat Settings

As you can see, these separate grids have quite long cells, which would result in fairly easy mazes. That's why there's the option to fill a larger grid with these log cabin patterns, and generate a maze for the entire grid. The grid size is determined by the Rows/Columns settings in the Puzzle Control area.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/fETY0Ty7Fp/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Repeat%20Patterns.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin Repeat Patterns.JPG)

There are several 'Repeat' options:

Copy - this will just copy the log cabin pattern until the grid is filled.
Rotate Clockwise (1x, 2x, 3x)
Mirror Vertically or Horizontally or both
Random - will randomly select one of the repeat options for each maze you generate.

Finally there's the "Full Repeats Only" option: When you want a 50x50 puzzle, but the log cabin size you selected is 8x8 squares, the log cabins at the right and bottom will be cut off. This may not be a problem, but especially when you use the colorization options, you may want to show only full log cabins. The Full Repeats Only option lets you do that. In the 8x8 log cabin example and a 50x50 maze, it would generate a 48x48 maze instead, using 6 log cabin patterns in each direction.

Colorization Settings

Colorization of your mazes is not required, but it can be a nice touch. In patchwork / quilting there's usually a kind of contrast in the different fabrics that are used, resulting in patterns like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hsLv9rHrj8/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Colorization.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin Colorization.JPG)

You can use this for a maze as well. There are three colorization options and a random option

No Color
Color Variation 1
Color variation 2
Random (Randomly choose one of the three options for each maze you generate)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/UQQLVJHdnl/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Maze%20Colorization.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin Maze Colorization.JPG)

The colorization can give a true patchwork log cabin look and feel to the maze, as you can see in these examples.

Just like other Puzzle Maker Pro modules, it's best to play around with the settings, generate previews of the mazes, and find settings that fit your style. Don't forget to save these settings as presets, for later reuse!

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 6

How to use Masked Word Search Puzzle Presets in the Time Saver for Word Search (for Puzzle Maker Pro version 1 to 2023.3.2)

Accepted Answer

This tutorials shows how to use Masked Word Search Puzzle Presets in the Time Saver for Word Search.

The tutorial applies to Puzzle Maker Pro version 1 to 2023.3.2 and modules:

Note: If you don't use masks, but specific layout settings, you can apply this tutorial without the mask setup.

Introduction

The Time Saver for Word Search has several options to specify the puzzles for your book:

"Fast" - Specify the dimensions and quantity for the word search puzzles
"Presets" - Specify your own existing presets to create word search puzzles
"Masks" - Specify which mask presets to use for your word search puzzles (to be released soon)

This tutorial describes the process to use "Presets" for your puzzle book. There are three steps to do this, in addition to the regular steps to create puzzles and puzzle books:

Create the Mask
Save the puzzle Preset
Select the Preset in the Time Saver

Creating a Mask for Word Search

To create a shaped puzzle using masks, first go to Standard Word Search. Then find the "Use Mask" tab and click "Set Mask".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/IsdlTUAINb/Masks%20TS%20-%20Word%20Search%20Set%20Mask.png (Masks TS - Word Search Set Mask)

This will open the Mask Editor. Here you can create a mask from scratch, or import an image (JPG or PNG) to define the mask.

Create a Mask from an existing image

The screenshot below shows the Mask Editor for Word Search.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lpB1FP8xTk/Masks%20TS%20-%20Mask%20Editor.png (Masks TS - Mask Editor)

There are several things you can do here:

Set the number of columns for the grid. (To keep the correct proportions for the mask, the number of rows is calculated automatically, based on the image you use)
Select an image - Click "Select File" to select a JPG or PNG image. As soon as it's selected, the grid will show the puzzle shape. Please be aware that a mask will usually remove many cells (spaces) from the grid. If you'd normally use a 10x10 grid with 100 letters, you may need to increase the size to 18x18 when you use a mask, to still have 100 letters in the grid. (You can change the number of Columns after the image is selected).
To make the mask available for further use or editing, click "Save Preset". If you don't save it, it can still be used for the word search puzzle, but you won't be able to reuse it. It's best to choose a name that reflect the image and size, e.g. "Spaniel 25" in our case.
Finally click "Use Mask" to go back to Word Search and apply the mask.

You can also edit the mask - just click the individual cells to switch them on and off.

Creating the Word Search Preset

Back in the Word Search settings, you'll immediately see a preview of a word searhc puzzle with the mask applied.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/o0NOJ8fYP2/Masks%20TS%20-%20Word%20Search%20With%20Mask.png (Masks TS - Word Search With Mask)

You can use the background image (silhouette) as a background image.
Save the Word Search puzzle WITH the mask as a preset. You can use any name, but again it makes sense to use the theme and the size. That way you can easily select the preset whenever you need it. Just type a name and click one of the 'disk' buttons.

Adding the Preset in Time Saver for Word Search

In the Time Saver for Word Search, you can first set up the Main options and the Word Lists. In this tutorial we'll explain the Batch Creation / Presets option.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZvRzwFi0Vh/Masks%20TS%20-%20Selecting%20Presets.png (Masks TS - Selecting Presets)

This should show you a list of your Standard Word Search presets.

Tips and Tricks

In this tutorial we've used two different presets:

Mask Presets - these are saved in a separate folder at 'my documents'/Puzzle Maker Pro/Mask Presets/ . Here you can manually copy or delete presets if needed.
Standard Word Search presets - these are saved in a different folder: 'my documents'/BookPublisherTools/Presets/PMP. In this folder you can find subfolders for each puzzle type.

A quick way to open Windows File Explorer to the general presets folder is to go to the Tools tab and click "Open Preset Folder".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/K62AtznBzM/Find%20the%20Preset%20Folder.png (Find the Preset Folder)

How to use the Time Saver for Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D

Getting Started with Puzzle Maker Pro - Letterbox

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Cubism

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Log cabin

How to delete or copy presets for Puzzle Maker Pro

How to use Masked Word Search Puzzle Presets in the Time Saver for Word Search (for Puzzle Maker Pro version 1 to 2023.3.2)

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