The Word Search Wizard
Introduction
This Wizard is software for your amusement. It will generate
a word search square from any words you like to give it, running
them in all directions, sideways, up, down and diagonally. The
empty spaces are filled with more letters at random.
Using the Wizard
Type a title into the title box, then type each word, one
at a time, into the word box and press the 'Enter' button. The
number of words accepted will appear in the number box and the
word box will clear ready for another word. If you want to change
the title, type a different title into the title box and press
the 'Enter' button. When you have entered all your words, press
the 'Create' button and wait for the square to appear. You do
not need to keep the Internet link open to run the Wizard software.
Hints
If you want a good square it is a good idea to prepare your
list of words in advance. Only upper case letters are used, any
lower case letters will be converted into upper case. Spaces and
other characters are removed. The word search square size starts
at two more than the length of the longest word. Large squares
may take several minutes to build, depending on your computer.
If there are too many words to fit in, then the size is increased
until they all fit (which takes rather longer). Avoid using words
which are contained in one another, such as 'elephant' and 'ant'.
Duplicate words will be rejected. Check the spelling before you
press the 'Enter' button because there is no edit or delete facility.
Trying different arrangements
When you have created a square, if you go back to the Wizard
screen by pressing your browser's 'Back' button there will be a new
button 'Reload words'. If you press this button the title and words
from your previous square will be recovered and entered into the
Wizard (your previous words will have been stored as a cookie - your
browser must allow cookies to do this). Anything you entered before
pressing the button will be lost. After pressing the button you can
create a new square with a different arrangement of the same words,
or you can add some more words to the square or change the title.
Large squares
If your square contains more than about 30 to 40 words, depending
on the length of the words and the speed of your computer, you may
get a message to say that the JavaScript software is running slowly
and asking if you want to abort it. If you say no, your computer
will appear to go dead, but be patient and after some time it should
return the completed square. You can build up a large square in stages,
using the 'Reload words' button and adding a few more words each time.
If the message appears and you abort the JavaScript program, you can
reload the words again and re-create the square, but without the last
batch of words that you entered.
Notice
If you wish to use one of these squares for a competition
or any other serious purpose, it is your responsibility to check
the square thoroughly first. Because the empty spaces are filled
with letters at random it is quite possible for unwanted or duplicate
words to appear. To help with checking, a small button is provided
on the right of the 'Create' button. If you press this 'Cheat'
button before making the square, it will create a skeleton version
of the square without any filler letters, as well as the finished
square.
Saving a square
When the Wizard has created a square you can go back to the
Wizard screen, but if you create another square the previous one
will be destroyed. If you want to keep a square you can print
it from your Browser or convert it into a document. To make a document
call 'Select All' from the Edit menu, Copy it and Paste it into a word
processor document. The square should then appear in the document as a
one-column table. Keep the letters in an equal-spaced font to make the
columns line up. The font size can be increased, you can put a box
around the table and add text as you wish.