Main

Wordsearch Mania!   Version 1.1

For context-sensitive help at any time inside the program, press F1

Choose a help category for further assistance:

What is Wordsearch Mania!

Menu Help

Toolbar Help

Index of General Topics

Product Information, Including Registration

How to Get Help from the Author


Product Information

Registration online through Compuserve

Registration with a Credit Card

Registration

     THIS PROGRAM IS NOT FREE!  You are invited to try Wordsearch Mania! v1.1 for an evaluation period not to exceed 15 days.  If you continue to use the program after the time is up, YOU MUST REGISTER!

     To register, please send the completed Order Form along with a check or money order (No CASH please!) for $19.99 + $4.00 S/H to the following address:

                                                Michael J. Baker

                                                18002 N. 12th St. #24

                                                Phoenix, AZ.  U.S.A.  85022-1208

Make out all checks to 'Michael J. Baker'.  Foreign orders will be accepted, as long as the registration check is drawn on a U.S. or Canadian bank  (Click on 'Registration online through Compuserve' or 'Registration with a Credit Card' if you cannot meet this criterion).  Registration entitles you to the following three things:

     1)  A free upgrade to the next version.  It will automatically be sent to you the second it is finished!

     2)  All registration screens will be disabled in the program!

     3)  More Puzzles!  An archive full of puzzles (the number varies from day to day, but there will be a lot!) will be sent with your registration disk.  When the next version of the program is sent to you, a brand new archive of puzzles will be sent along with it!

Copyright Notice

     Wordsearch Mania!  Version 1.1   Copyright  © 1994  Michael J. Baker   All Rights Reserved

Distribution License

     Wordsearch Mania! may be freely distributed via Bulletin Board Networks or other Shareware

     vendors provided that the following files are included and not altered in any way:  WS.EXE, WS.HLP

     WS.CFG, THREED.VBX, ANIBUTON.VBX, WS.ICO, README.1ST, ORDER.FRM, DICTIONA.RY,

     FILE_ID.DIZ, HISTORY.TXT, all .WAV files and all puzzle files (.WSP extension).

Warranty

     This program is provided "AS IS" without any warranty, expressed or implied.  Any person using this

     software assumes the risk involved in doing so.  The author cannot assume responsibility for any

     hardware or software damage caused by the proper or improper use of this program.


Menu1
Menu Help

Choose a menu to get help on:

File Menu

Show Menu

Options Menu

Build Menu


Index1
Index of General Topics

Choose a topic to get help on:

Building a Puzzle from Scratch

Changing the Circling Method

Changing the Puzzle Font

Closing a Puzzle

Closing Multiple Puzzles

Creating more puzzles to solve

Edit an Existing Puzzle

Finding Hidden Words in Puzzles

Get Information About a Puzzle

Highlight All the Words in a Puzzle

Highlight a Word You Can't Find

Loading a Puzzle

Loading a Previously Saved Puzzle

Loading Mutiple Puzzles

Neatly Arranging Multiple Puzzles

Printing a Puzzle

Randomly Choosing a Puzzle to Solve

Save a Puzzle, Work On Later

Setting Puzzle Directories

Solving a Puzzle

Sound

What are Hidden Words/Phrases?

Word selection in puzzles


Menu2
File Menu

Choose a File Menu Item:

New (Clear All Puzzles)

Open (Get a New Puzzle)

Load (Get a Saved Puzzle)

Save (to Work On Later)

Close (a particular puzzle)

Print (a particular puzzle)


Menu3
Show Menu

Choose a Show Menu Item:

Show a Word

Show Entire Puzzle

Show Hidden Word/Phrase

Puzzle Stats

Arrange Puzzles

Get Puzzle at Program Start

Show Stats When Loading Puzzle


Menu4
Options Menu

Choose an Options Menu Item:

Puzzle Font

Set the Timer

Circling Method

Set Paths

Sound

Drag and Drop


Menu5
Build Menu

Choose a Build Menu Item:

Build a New Puzzle From Scratch

Build a New Puzzle - Use a Supplied Wordlist

Build a New Puzzle - Use a Dictionary


Order Form
Registering Wordsearch Mania!

To print this form, select Print Topic from the File menu.

           Item                     US/CANADA               Amount

Wordsearch Mania! Version 1.1     $19.99/$26.99           $ _______

Shipping and handling               $4.00/$5.00           $ _______

                                       Subtotal           $ _______

ARIZONA orders please add Sales Tax (6.7%)                $ _______

                              TOTAL   US$ _______ / CANADA$ _______

Name: __________________________________________________________________________

Street Address: __________________________________________________________________

City: ___________________________________________  State: ______  Zip: ________-_______

Phone Number: (         ) ______ - _______

Check Disk Type:  (  ) 5.25" HD   (  )  3.5" HD

BBS Downloaded From (if any) _____________________________________________________________

BBS Number: (          ) ______ - _______

If not obtained from a BBS, then where? _____________________________________________________________

General Comments on the Program ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Are there any features you would like to see in future versions of the program? ________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Would you be willing to BETA test future versions of this program?  (  ) Yes  (  ) No


What is Wordsearch Mania!

Wordsearch Mania! is a program that allows you to solve ' Word Search' or 'Word Circle' Puzzles.  A 'Word Search' puzzle is a grid of letters (or numbers, or a mix of the two) that contain hidden words.  To solve a puzzle, you must find all of the hidden words in the grid.  A list of words to look for is provided for you, you must find all the words in the word list.  The words hidden in the diagram can go in all directions -- forward, backward, up, down, and diagonally.  Often, words will overlap with other words, sharing letters between them.

Some features of Wordsearch Mania! include:

Solve as many as 10 puzzle simultaneously!

Print Puzzles with or without solutions!

Three ways to make your own puzzles!  Build them from scratch, supply ONLY a wordlist and let the computer do the rest, or let the computer do everything, with the computer using a dictionary as a source of words!

Three different methods of circling a word -- Circling the whole word, Circling each individual letter in the word, or Putting a line through the word!

Choosing the font to display the puzzle grid and wordlist!

Solving puzzles with a time limit!

Two methods of word selection, clicking on the first and last letter, or drag and drop!


What are Hidden Words/Phrases?

Hidden words or phrases can be hidden inside Wordsearch Mania! puzzles.  To see if a puzzle you are working on contains a hidden word or phrase, select Puzzle Stats from the Show menu.  After all of the words have been found and circled, the letters not used in any circled word will spell out a hidden word, when read left to right and top to bottom.  You will be asked to identify the hidden word when all the words have been circled.

Make sure when solving puzzles with hidden words/phrases to use the 'Circle each letter' option as the Circling Method.  This makes it much easier to identify letters that are not part of any words.


Solving a Puzzle

The first step in solving a puzzle is to load a puzzle onto the desktop.  This is done by choosing File/Open (solving puzzles from scratch) or File/Load (working on puzzles previously saved with the File/Save command).

When a puzzle is loaded, a form appears that contains a grid of letters and a word list.  Here's an example:

The puzzle title appears in the title bar, with the letter grid on the left and the word list on the right.  Your job is to locate words in the grid from the word list.   The words hidden in the grid can go in all directions -- forward, backward, up, down, and diagonally.  Often, words will overlap with other words, sharing letters between them.

Once you have located a word, you point the crosshair (the mouse cursor becomes a cross when over the puzzle grid) to the first letter of the word, and click.  The letter will change color, indicating that the letter has been chosen.  Then, point the crosshair on the last letter in the word, and click again  (See Drag and Drop for an alternate method of word selection).  The computer will automatically circle the word you have found (See Options/Circling method) and remove the word from the word list.  Repeat this procedure for all other words in the word list until all of the words have been found.  By the way, you can click on the last letter first, and the first letter last, it makes no difference.

If the timer is ON, you will notice a time displayed in the upper-right portion of the main form. This represents the amount of time you have left to solve the puzzle.  If you do not solve the puzzle in time, the puzzle will be closed before you finished.

Some puzzle contain hidden words/phrases, which are composed of all the unused letters in a puzzle, after all the words have been circled.  If the puzzle contains a hidden word/phrase, you will be asked what it is as the last step in solving the puzzle.


Load Multiple Puzzles
Loading Multiple Puzzles

     It is simple to load multiple puzzles onto the desktop.  Simply choose File/Open to load as many puzzles as you want (up to 10 total).  Choose File/New to clear all puzzles from the desktop.  Choose File/Close to clear a specific puzzle from the desktop.


Get Help from Author
How to get help from the Author

     If you have any questions, comments, or bug fix reports about Wordsearch Mania!, you can send me mail if you subscribe to one of these online services:

Compuserve:   My address is 74072,1330.

Internet:   74072.1330@compuserve.com (format varies slightly from system to

   system, notice that there is a period instead of a comma).

America Online:  Send me mail through the Internet.

Genie:  Send me mail through the Internet.

Prodigy:  Send me mail through the Internet (you get the idea).

If none of these options is possible for you, write me directly:

Michael J. Baker

18002 N. 12th St. #24

Phoenix, AZ.  U.S.A. 85022-1208


Word selection

Word selection in puzzles

There are two ways to select a word to be circled in a puzzle:

1 - 'Normal' - Click on the first and last letters in the word (or the last then the first, the order

makes no difference).

2 - 'Drag and Drop' - Click on the first letter in the word, and hold the mouse button down.  'Drag' the mouse to the second letter, and release.  While dragging, a line will be drawn between the first letter and the current mouse position, to show your progress.

Once the word has been selected, it will be circled using the current 'Circling Method'.


Compuserve Registration

Registration online through Compuserve

     If you subscribe to Compuserve, you can register the program online, with the registration fee charged to your Compuserve account.  Type 'GO SWREG', select 'Register Shareware' from the top menu, and follow the instructions.  The name of the program is 'Wordsearch Mania! v1.1'.

Foreign orders will be accepted here.  Please note that all foreign orders will be charged $6.00 U.S. for shipping instead of the $4.00 charged to U.S. customers.


Credit Card Registration
Registration with a Credit Card

     You can order with

      Visa

      MasterCard

      American Express

      or Discover

from Public (software) Library by calling 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 713-524-6398.  You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX.  77235-5705.  The name of the program is 'Wordsearch Mania! v1.1'.

     PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY!!  Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, etc. must be directed to the author.

     To insure that you get the latest version of the program, PsL will notify me the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you.

     Foreign orders will be accepted here.  Please note that all foreign orders will be charged $6.00 U.S. for shipping instead of the $4.00 charged to U.S. customers.


Open (Get a New Puzzle)

Select File/Open to load a Wordsearch Mania! puzzle to solve.  Wordsearch Mania! files are those that have the .WSP extension, and can be found in the WSP puzzle directory (see Set Paths).  If you wish to load a partially solved puzzle that has been saved previously, select File/Load.

Wordsearch Mania! allows you to load and work on a maximum of 10 puzzles at one time.  Choose a puzzle to solve from the File/Open dialog box:

Click OK to load the puzzle into memory and display it on the screen.  Click on the Puzzle Stats button to get information about the highlighted puzzle, including whether or not you have solved the puzzle before.  Click on the Random Choice button to have the computer randomly choose a puzzle for you to solve.  A puzzle will be chosen from the file list box, so make sure there are some puzzles there!

When solving many puzzles at once, it is possible for the puzzles to overlap each other, making a big mess.  Select Show/Arrange Puzzles to arrange the puzzles neatly on the desktop.

If the 'Show/Show Stats When Loading Puzzle' option is ON (has a check mark next to it) the stats for the chosen puzzle will be displayed  before the puzzle is displayed.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for File/Open.


New (Clear All Puzzles)

Select File/New to clear all puzzles from the desktop.  If the 'Show/Get Puzzle at Program Start' option is ON (has a check mark next to it) a File open dialog box will pop up, so you can select a new puzzle to solve, otherwise nothing further will happen.

If you wish to close only one puzzle instead of all of them, select the File/Close option, or click on the upper left box of the puzzle form, and select 'Close'.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for File/New.


Load (Get a Saved Puzzle)

Select File/Load to resume working on a puzzle that was previously saved with File/Save. Partially saved puzzles that were saved with File/Save have the .TEM extension, and can be found in the TEM file directory (see Set Paths).  If you wish to begin solving a puzzle from the beginning, select File/Open to load the puzzle.

When solving many puzzles at once, it is possible for the puzzles to overlap each other, making a big mess.  Select Show/Arrange Puzzles to arrange the puzzles neatly on the desktop.

There is no ToolBar button for this selection.


Save (to Work On Later)

Select File/Save to save a partially solved puzzle so you can work on it later.  A file with the .TEM extension will be created, and saved in the TEM file directory (see Set Paths).  Use File/Load to re-load the puzzle and finish solving it.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for File/Save.


Close (a Particular Puzzle)

Select File/Close to close a particular puzzle if you are done with it.  No TEM file will be created as with File/Save.  If there is only one puzzle on the desktop, it will be closed.  If there are multiple puzzles, a dialog box will pop up and ask you which puzzle to close.

You can also close puzzles by selecting File/New, which will clear all of the puzzles on the desktop, or by clicking on the upper-left box of the puzzle form, and selecting 'Close'.

There is no ToolBar button for this selection.


Print (a Loaded Puzzle)

Select File/Print to print a puzzle currently loaded onto the desktop.  The puzzle will be printed with the Title, Description, and Hidden Word Clue (see Show/Puzzle Stats), if any, on the top of the page.  The puzzle grid itself will then be printed in the middle of the page, then the word list on the bottom.  You can choose whether the puzzle will be printed with the answers (i.e. circled words) shown or not.  If you choose to print the puzzle with answers, then the word list will not be printed, it will be substituted with the hidden word (if any).  You can also select the number of copies to be printed.

Click 'OK' to begin printing.  The printing of the puzzle is done through the Windows Print Manager, and can print in the background for those users that have that capability.

If the Timer is ON (See Options/Set The Timer) then the clock will be stopped while printing takes place.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for File/Print.


Show a Word

Select Show/Show a Word to circle a word that you cannot find.  Make sure that a word is chosen from the word list so the program will know which word to find.  Once the word is found, it will be circled just as if YOU had found it  (See Options/Circling Method for ways in which to circle the word).

There is no hidden 'penalties' for using this option, it is up to you.  If you want to solve puzzles without computer help, it will be up to you to be honest.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Show/Show a Word.


Show Entire Puzzle

Select Show/Show Entire Puzzle to find all of the words not yet found in a puzzle.  Each word in the word list will be found by the computer and circled, just as if YOU had found them yourself (See Options/Circling Method for ways in which to circle the word).

There is no hidden 'penalties' for using this option, it is up to you.  If you want to solve puzzles without computer help, it is up to you to be honest.

Once a puzzle has been completely solved (as it would be after using this option), the puzzle is closed, and the puzzle file is marked to show that it has been solved (the puzzle solved counter is incremented, see Show/Puzzle Stats).  If there is a hidden word in the puzzle, you will still have to type it in after all of the words have been circled.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Show/Show Entire Puzzle.


Show Hidden Word/Phrase

In some puzzles, a hidden word or phrase can be made from the unused (uncircled) letters after all the words have been circled.  Once all the words have been found, an input box will appear asking you to type in the hidden word/phrase.  Doing so correctly will mean that you have solved the puzzle completely, and the puzzle file will be marked to show that this particular puzzle has been solved (see Show/Puzzle Stats to see if a puzzle has been solved or not).

Selecting the Show/Show Hidden Word/Phrase option will reveal the hidden word before you have circled all the words in the word list.  This will count the same as solving the puzzle completely, and the puzzle file will be marked to show that it has been solved.

There is no hidden 'penalties' for using this option, it is up to you.  If you want to solve puzzles without computer help, it is up to you to be honest.

When solving puzzles with hidden words, it is best to use the 'Circle Each Letter' option as the Circling method.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Show/Show Hidden Word/Phrase.


Puzzle Stats

Selecting Show/Puzzle Stats pops up a window that contains various statistics about the active puzzle.  The following statistics are displayed:

Puzzle Title

Puzzle Description

Puzzle Width and Height in Characters

Number of words hidden in the puzzle

Number of times the puzzle has been solved

Are there any hidden words in the puzzle?  If so, a clue for this hidden word is displayed

This window will appear upon loading a puzzle, if the 'Show/Show Stats When Loading Puzzle' option is checked.


Arrange Puzzles

Select Show/Arrange Puzzles to neatly arrange multiple puzzles on the desktop.  The puzzles are arranged in a 'cascade' fashion, similar to the Program Manager function.

There is no Toolbar option for this selection.


Get Puzzle At Program Start

When this option is True (checked), a dialog box will appear when the program is first run, asking for the name of a puzzle file to open.  If not checked, then nothing will happen when the program is first loaded, and it will be up to you to select File/Open to load a puzzle to solve.

Selecting File/New to clear all puzzles on the desktop will cause the dialog box to appear in a similar manner to when the program is first started.


Show Stats When Loading Puzzle

If this option is True (checked), then the Puzzle Stats window will be displayed each time a new puzzle is loaded.

There is no Toolbar option for this selection.


WSP

   All Wordsearch Mania Puzzles have the .WSP extension


ToolBar

   A row of buttons underneath the menu bar that can be clicked on with the mouse to activate certain functions.  Usually provided as a shortcut method of performing a particular action.


TEM

   When saving a partially solved puzzle to work on later, a file with this extension will be created.


Cascade

Refers to the arrangement of forms on a desktop.  The forms are arranged in a diagonal fashion such that a portion of each will be visible.  This makes it easier to switch between forms using a click of the mouse.


WAV

Files ending in the .WAV extension are sound files that are used with Windows 3.1.


Toolbar

Toolbar Help

Click on a button to get help:


Puzzle Font

Select Options/Puzzle Font to choose a font with which the puzzle will be displayed.  All fonts available to any Windows program will be available for Wordsearch Mania! puzzles.  The font names are loaded into memory the first time this option is selected, and will remain in memory as long as the program is running, so no further loading of fonts will be necessary if this option is chosen again.  Simply choose a font from the provided list.  A preview of the font will be displayed at the bottom of the form so you can take a look before choosing.

If the 'Change Word List Font' box is checked, the word list font will change to whatever font you choose, otherwise the word list font will be 'MS Sans Serif'.

If a puzzle is loaded and displayed with a particular font, and the font is then changed, the puzzle display will be immediately updated.

If you install more fonts through the Control Panel while Wordsearch Mania! is running, the puzzle font list will not be updated until the program is exited and re-run.

Please note that it is possible through the Control Panel (Fonts/TrueType) to use ONLY TrueType fonts in Windows applications.  If the current puzzle font is NOT a TrueType font when this option is selected, unpredictible results can occur.  It is recommended that all installed fonts be used.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Options/Puzzle Font.


Set the Timer

Allows you to set a time limit on puzzle solving.  Check the 'Timer ON/OFF' switch to toggle the timer ON or OFF.

The amount of time available to solve the puzzle appears in numerical form in the upper-right panel of the main window.  If desired, a graphical representation of the timer can be displayed by clicking on the 'Graphical Clock?' switch, setting it to YES.  When a puzzle is loaded, the graphical timer appears in its own window to the right of the puzzle window.  This window will remain 'on top' of all other windows, in a similar fashion to the Windows Clock.  The numerical non-graphical representation of the timer will still be displayed.  The graphical timer can only be turned ON/OFF in the 'Set the Timer' window.

There are two ways to set the amount of time allowed to solve the puzzle.  If the 'Set absolute time' box is checked, then the number in the edit field on the right represents the time (in minutes) allowed for the solving of the puzzle.  If the 'Set time per word in puzzle' box is checked, then the number in the edit field represents the time allowed to solve one word in the puzzle (in seconds).  The total time allowed to solve the puzzle would therefore be (Time allowed to solve one word) x (Total words in puzzle).

The timer can be turned on or off at any time, even during the solving of a puzzle.  This is also true for setting the time amount, as well as the graphical clock.

What amount of time you set the timer to is totally up to you.  If you do not solve the puzzle in the alloted time, you will be told that you ran out of time, and the puzzle will be closed.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Options/Set The Timer.


Circling Method

Allows you to choose the method of circling a word when solving a puzzle.  There are three options to choose from:

Circle each letter:  Each letter of the word has a circle drawn around it.  Useful when you want to find hidden words/phrases composed of the uncircled letters in a puzzle.

Circle whole word:  The whole word has a circle/oval drawn around it.  Useful if you want to know where a word is located even after many words have been circled.  Not too useful in finding hidden words/phrases.

Put line through word:  Draws a line that goes through the center of each letter in the word.  Looks good when you print the puzzle with solutions.

If you have already circled some words using one method and then switch to another method, the words will be re-circled using the new method.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Options/Circling Method.


Set Paths

Allows you to define the directories where the Wordsearch Mania! puzzle files (files with the .WSP extension), the partially saved temporary puzzles (files with the .TEM extension), and the program .WAV files will be located.  Simply type in the directory names into the appropriate input field.

 No backslash character is necessary at the end of the name, in other words, 'C:\PUZZLES' is OK, while 'C:\PUZZLES\' is not.

If an input field is left blank, then the directory containing WS.EXE will be assumed.

There is no ToolBar button for this selection.


Sound

Select Options/Sound to turn the sound ON or OFF in the program, and to assign sounds to certain program events.  When the sound is ON, various .WAV sounds can be heard when certain events occur in the operation of the program.  For example, loading a puzzle onto the desktop will play the WAV file associated with the 'Starting a Puzzle' event.  Type in the name of the WAV filename to be heard during a particular event in the input boxes.  The program will look for these files in the directory specified in 'Set Paths', unless directory information is typed in directly.  If no WAV file is specified for an event, no sound will be heard, even if the sound switch is set to ON.

In order to play .WAV files in Windows 3.1, you will need a sound driver that works with the PC speaker or an appropriate sound card.  If the appropriate sound driver did not come with Windows 3.1, then it can often be found on a neighborhood Bulletin Board System.  This driver needs to be installed (Select Control Panel/Drivers from the Program Manager) in order for WAV files to be played.

The icon at the top of the page is the ToolBar button for Options/Sound.


Build New Puzzle From Scratch

Build a New Puzzle From Scratch

    This is one of the three ways that puzzles can be constructed in Wordsearch Mania!  See Build a Puzzle - Use a Supplied Wordlist and Build a Puzzle - Use a Dictionary for descriptions of the other two methods of building a puzzle.  This option gives you the most control over puzzle construction, allowing Hidden Words and Phrases, manual and computer placement of words, word lists that don't match the words in the grid (i.e. Clues substituted for the words), etc.  You can create puzzles for yourself to solve, although this is more ideally suited to making puzzles for others.  The other two puzzle building options are more suitable for creation of puzzles for yourself.

You will need to set certain puzzle parameters, which are as follows:

Puzzle Filename

    This is the filename with which the puzzle will be saved.  A random filename is provided for you in the beginning, simply type in another filename if you don't like the supplied one.  If no filename is specified, the random filename originally shown will be used.

Puzzle Title (optional)

     Each puzzle can have a title, anything can be typed here.  Usually a short phrase that describes what the words in the list have in common (100 characters maximum).

Puzzle Description (optional)

     Each puzzle can have a description, anything can be typed here as well.  Has a similar function to the title, but can be more descriptive (250 characters maximum).

Puzzle Width, Height

     Specifies the dimensions of the puzzle, in characters.  The minimum setting is 8, the maximum is 25.  It is recommended you keep each value under 20, otherwise you will have a puzzle that will be bigger than the screen!

Click on 'OK' to begin building the puzzle.  A new window will appear with an empty puzzle grid on it.

Choose the following options to build the puzzle:

Clear all words/letters

     Erases all letters in the puzzle grid, and deletes all words from the word list.  Allows you to start over the construction of the puzzle.

Manually place word on grid

     Use this option to manually place a word in the puzzle grid.  You will first be asked to type in a word for placement in the grid.  If this word has any 'special'  characters (not a number or a letter) they will be stripped out before being placed in the grid.  You will then be asked to type the word that will be placed in the word list.  It does NOT have to be the same word that was put in the grid, it can be anything (a clue for that word, for example).  'Special' characters are allowed here.  If the word you enter is already in the word list, you will be warned that this is not permissible.  After this is done, the mouse cursor will turn into a cross.  When this happens, click on the place in the grid where the first letter of the word will be.  Then click where the last letter will be.  If the word can fit within the coordinates you have specified, the

word will appear in the grid and the word list.

Computer place word on grid

     Use this option to have the computer place a word in the puzzle grid.  You will be asked to type in a word for placement in the grid.  As with manual placement, if this word has any 'special' characters (not a number or a letter) they will be stripped out.  You will then be asked to type the word that will be placed in the word list, as with manual placement.  'Special' characters are again allowed here.  After this is done, the program will search randomly for a place to put the word on the grid.  If none is found after a certain number of tries, the program will then do a systematic search to place the word, searching every possible permutation until a place for the word has been found.  If it is not possible for the word to be placed, a message box will appear notifying you of this fact.

Delete a word from the grid

     Deletes a specified word from the word list.  Also removes the word from the puzzle grid.  If a letter in the deleted word is being used by another word, that letter will not be deleted  Do NOT use this option AFTER filling the grid with random or typed characters (see below), as the filled in letters will disappear.

Fill grid with random characters

     Choose this option ONLY AFTER all the words have been placed in the grid.  The empty spots in the puzzle grid will be filled with randomly chosen letters, numbers, or a mix of the two, depending on your choice.  Do not choose this option if you wish to have a hidden word in this puzzle.

Fill grid with typed characters

     Choose this option ONLY AFTER all the words have been placed in the grid.  The empty spots in the puzzle grid can be filled with letters, numbers, or a mix of the two, that will be chosen by you.  Choose this option if you wish to have a hidden word in this puzzle.  To put a hidden word or phrase in the puzzle, simple type in the word from left to right and top to bottom using the empty spaces in the puzzle grid.  That way, after all the words have been circled, the remaining unused letters will form the hidden word.

Add hidden word/phrase

     Choose this option when all the words have been placed in the grid, and all the empty spots in the puzzle grid have been filled (typed characters).  Type in the hidden word or phrase you have just hidden in the puzzle.  Then type in the clue for this word/phrase, if any.

Sort the word list

     When words are added to the puzzle grid and the word list, the list is not sorted.  Choose this option to sort the words in the word list, alphabetically or numerically, depending on the puzzle type.

Undo last action

     Allows you to UNDO your last building operation.

Display Grid

    If this check box is unchecked, then letters and numbers will not appear on the grid as the puzzle is being built.  This way, you can build puzzles for yourself to solve, since you will not see where the words are being placed.  Of course you will have to allow the computer to place all words, since manual placement is not possible if you can't see where the word should go!

Click on 'OK' when you are done building the puzzle.  The puzzle will be saved in the WSP puzzle directory (See Options/Set Paths) using the filename you specified earlier.

There is no ToolBar button for this selection.


Build With a Word List

Build a Puzzle - Use a Supplied Wordlist

    This is one of the three ways that puzzles can be constructed in Wordsearch Mania!  See Build a Puzzle - From Scratch and Build a Puzzle - Use a Dictionary for descriptions of the other two methods of building a puzzle.  This method of building a puzzle is easier than building a puzzle from scratch, but not as easy as building a puzzle using a dictionary.  The computer does most of the work in building the puzzle, but you must supply the wordlist.  Type in the words to put in the puzzle (one at a time) when indicated to do so.  If you type a duplicate word, you will be told that this is not allowed.    Having this option allows you to have a constant source of puzzles to solve, instead of writing to the author of this program to obtain puzzles (although you can do that too).

You will need to set certain puzzle parameters, which are as follows:

Puzzle Filename

    This is the filename with which the puzzle will be saved.  A random filename is provided for you in the beginning, simply type in another filename if you don't like the supplied one.  If no filename is specified, the random filename originally shown will be used.

Puzzle Title (optional)

     Each puzzle can have a title, anything can be typed here.  Usually a short phrase that describes what the words in the list have in common (100 characters maximum).

Puzzle Description (optional)

     Each puzzle can have a description, anything can be typed here as well.  Has a similar function to the title, but can be more descriptive (250 characters maximum).

Puzzle Width, Height

     Specifies the dimensions of the puzzle, in characters.  The minimum setting is 8, the maximum is 25.  It is recommended you keep each value under 20, otherwise you will have a puzzle that will be bigger than the screen!

Puzzle Type

     A letter puzzle contains only letters, that is 'A-Z'.  Number puzzles contain only numbers, that is '0-9'.  You cannot mix the two here, however you can mix numbers and letters when Building a Puzzle From Scratch.  This is needed to tell the computer what characters to use to fill the empty spaces in the grid, once all the words have been placed.

Once all the parameters have been set to your satisfaction, click on 'OK' to begin building the puzzle.  The time needed to build a puzzle can range from a few seconds (8x8 grid with a low word density) to about 10 minutes (25x25 with a high word density).  The average time is about 1 minute or so.  A status bar will be displayed to keep you apprised of how much of the puzzle has been built.  You can go ahead and run other Windows programs while waiting.

There will be an attempt to put each of your words from your word list in the puzzle, but if a word will not fit, it will be omitted.  The words are put in the puzzle in the order you typed them.  Therefore, it is best to type in larger words in the beginning, and smaller words later, since smaller words have a better chance to fit later in the grid.

Once the puzzle has been created, it will be saved in the WSP puzzle directory (see Options/Set Paths) under the filename you specified earlier.  The puzzle can then be solved just like any other using  File/Open.

There is no Toolbar option for this selection.


Build With a Dictionary

Build a Puzzle - Use a Dictionary

    This is one of the three ways that puzzles can be constructed in Wordsearch Mania!  See Build a Puzzle - From Scratch and Build a Puzzle - Use a Supplied Wordlist for descriptions of the other two methods of building a puzzle.  This is the easiest way to build a puzzle, since the computer does most of the work.  The words used to build the puzzle are randomly chosen using a dictionary, saving you the trouble of making a word list, as in Build a Puzzle - Use a Supplied Wordlist.  Having this option allows you to have a constant source of puzzles to solve, instead of writing to the author of this program to obtain puzzles.

You will need to set certain puzzle parameters, which are as follows:

Puzzle Filename

    This is the filename with which the puzzle will be saved.  A random filename is provided for you in the beginning, simply type in another filename if you don't like the supplied one.  If no filename is specified, the random filename originally shown will be used.

Puzzle Title (optional)

     Each puzzle can have a title, anything can be typed here.  Usually a short phrase that describes what the words in the list have in common (100 characters maximum).

Puzzle Description (optional)

     Each puzzle can have a description, anything can be typed here as well.  Has a similar function to the title, but can be more descriptive (250 characters maximum).

Puzzle Width, Height

     Specifies the dimensions of the puzzle, in characters.  The minimum setting is 8, the maximum is 25.  It is recommended you keep each value under 20, otherwise you will have a puzzle that will be bigger than the screen!

Puzzle Type

     A letter puzzle contains only letters, that is 'A-Z'.  Number puzzles contain only numbers, that is '0-9'.  You cannot mix the two here, however you can mix numbers and letters when Building a Puzzle From Scratch.

Word Density

     Describes the number of words packed into the puzzle dimensions.  Low means a low number of words, Medium means medium, etc.

Once all the parameters have been set to your satisfaction, click on 'OK' to begin building the puzzle.  The time needed to build a puzzle can range from a few seconds (8x8 grid with a low word density) to about 10 minutes (25x25 with a high word density).  The average time is about 1 minute or so.  A status bar will be displayed to keep you apprised of how much of the puzzle has been built.  You can go ahead and run other Windows programs while waiting.

Once the puzzle has been created, it will be saved in the WSP puzzle directory (see Options/Set Paths) under the filename you specified earlier.  The puzzle can then be solved just like any other using  File/Open.

There is no Toolbar option for this selection.


Drag and Drop

This allows the user to select between two methods of selecting words to circle in a puzzle.  When this option is not checked, then a word is selected by clicking on the first and last letters of the word (or the last and first, the order is not important).  When this option is checked, words are selected by the 'Drag and Drop' method, where the first letter is clicked on, holding the button down, then 'dragging' the mouse to the second letter, and releasing the button.  While the mouse is being dragged, a line is drawn connecting the first letter to the current mouse position.

There is no Toolbar option for this selection.