Tips and Tricks

Maximum Number of Holes

Keep this value as small as possible, because the more holes a puzzle contains the longer the solving will take. Normally the value is undefined, meaning the number of holes is not limited. So if you know the number of holes you want, or you want to limit them, or the solving takes too long, use this field.

Some tricks and tips will be added to the next update of the user guide.

Grouping Tips

TBD

Constraint Tips

The "At Least 2 Colours" Rule

There is one error that happens quite often to people (including me) when working with colour constraints. I want to force certain pieces or parts of pieces in certain positions. To do that I colourize the pieces and the target positions.

When I solve I observe, that the pieces are still placed all over the place. The problem is the neutral colour. It can accommodate all possible other colours. So:

You need at least 2 colours for a placement constraint

For a real placement constraint you need to use at least 2 colours. One colour on its own can be only usable for marks on the pieces, or to colourize the pieces for a nicer display.