Skip to main content

Clue management

Objective

Explore the clue management functionality for crossword games on the PuzzleMe™ platform.

Clues​

Clues are essential for crossword puzzles, guiding players to the answers in an engaging way. PuzzleMe platform offers various features to manage crossword clues, including text and multimedia options, hints, explanations, and word length indicators.

Clue Components​

Each clue in PuzzleMe can consist of several components:

  • Clue Text: The main textual question or phrase that players need to solve. This text is displayed in the clue panel next to or below the crossword grid.
  • Media: You can enhance your clues by embedding multimedia elements like images, videos, or audio clips. This allows for more creative and engaging puzzle design.
  • Credits: If you use media in your clues, you can add attribution or credits for the media source. This information is visible to users who click the multimedia button in the clue bar.
  • Hint: Provide an additional text hint to assist players if they are stuck on a clue. Players can access hints through the "Reveal" menu and selecting "Show a hint".
  • Explanation: Add an explanation for each clue that will be revealed to players after they successfully complete the puzzle. Explanations are displayed in the clue panel next to the clue text.
  • Word Length: Indicate the length of the answer word(s) for each clue. Word lengths are displayed next to the clues in parentheses, for example (5) for a five-letter word. PuzzleMe automatically calculates the word length based on the solution, but you can also customize it, especially for cryptic crosswords.

Managing Clues in the Game Editor​

You can manage clues directly within the game editor while creating or editing your crossword puzzle.

  1. Locate your crossword puzzle on the dashboard, and click on Edit Game (pencil icon) on the toolbar present on the right side of the puzzle.
  2. A new page will open to edit the puzzle, locate the Crossword entries panel at the end of the page. This panel lists all the entries (words) in your crossword.
  3. By default, only the Entry and Clue text fields are visible for each word. To manage other clue details (Media, Credits, Hint, Explanation), turn ON the Add more details toggle button located in the top right corner of the Crossword entries panel.
  4. Enter or edit the text for the Clue field.
  5. If Add more details is ON, paste the URL for an image, video, or audio clip into the Media field to add multimedia.
  6. If you added media, enter the source or attribution in the Credits field (maximum 50 characters).
  7. Enter any helpful text in the Hint field.
  8. Provide an explanation for the clue in the Explanation field. This will be shown upon puzzle completion (HTML is allowed).
  9. Repeat steps 4-8 for any other entries you wish to edit.
  10. After making your changes, click the Update Game button at the bottom of the page to save your work.

Troubleshooting: Clue Details Not Visible in Game Editor?

If you don't see the clue details (Media, Credits, Hint, Explanation) next to your crossword entries in the game editor, it might be because the clue details are hidden when the "Add more details" toggle is OFF.

Don't see clue details in the Game Editor?
If your crossword entries don't have any clues, or you haven't enabled the detailed view, you may not see all clue details next to these entries in the Game Editor. The PuzzleMe interface hides these details by default.

You can view and edit these details in the **Game Editor** by turning **ON** the **Add more details** toggle button in the top right corner of the **Crossword entries** panel.

Managing Clues in the Grid Editor​

The grid editor provides an alternative way to manage clues, offering additional functionalities such as a clue database and AI generation.

  1. Open the grid editor for your crossword puzzle.
  2. In the toolbar on the right side of the page, click the Edit clues icon (pencil).
  3. This activates the clue editing mode. A message will appear instructing you to "Click on a clue to edit it. When you are done, remember to save the puzzle."
  4. Click on the clue you want to edit in the clue panel next to the grid.
  5. A popup modal titled "Edit Clue: [Clue Number and Direction]" will appear, showing the Entry word at the top.
  6. The modal has three tabs: Edit Clue, Clue Suggestions, and AI Clue Generation.

Editing Clue Details (Edit Clue Tab)​

The Edit Clue tab allows you to manually enter or modify all components of the selected clue:

  • Clue: Enter or edit the main text for the clue.
  • Media: Paste the URL for an image, video, or audio resource to add multimedia to the clue.
  • Credits: Enter media attribution or credits (Maximum 50 characters).
  • Hint: Provide a text hint for the clue.
  • Explanation: Enter text that will be shown upon puzzle completion (HTML is OK).

Using Clue Suggestions​

The Clue Suggestions tab helps you find potential clues for the selected word from a database of previously used clues.

  • The tab displays a list of suggested clues, often including the latest date used and the publisher source (e.g., NY Times, LA Times, USA Today). You can treat these suggestions as inspiration or adopt them directly.
  • Clue Theme (Beta): Optionally enter comma-separated themes in this field (e.g., "music", "sports") and click Reorder to try and rearrange the suggestions based on those themes.

Generating Clues with AI​

The AI Clue Generation tab allows you to generate new clues for the selected word using artificial intelligence.

  • Clue Context: Provide context (a word or short phrase) related to how you want the AI to generate clues for the entry word (e.g., entering "racing" for the word "FUEL").
  • Click the Generate button. The AI will generate a list of potential clues based on the provided context. :::caution The clues generated using AI might include inaccurate information. We recommend verification. :::
  • Review the generated clues and click on a clue to select it. The selected clue will populate the "Clue" field in the Edit Clue tab.
  1. After making changes in any of the tabs, click the Save button in the bottom right corner of the modal to save the changes for that specific clue.
  2. Repeat steps 4-7 for any other clues you want to edit.
  3. Once you have finished editing all clues, click the main Save button in the navigation bar at the top of the grid editor to save all your changes to the puzzle.

Editing Word Lengths in the Grid Editor​

You can customize the displayed word lengths for your clues in the grid editor.

  1. In the grid editor, ensure that the "Show word lengths in clues" setting is turned ON for your puzzle. This setting is typically found in the Settings section of the game editor or grid editor.
  2. In the navigation bar at the top of the grid editor, click on the Clues dropdown menu.
  3. From the Clues dropdown menu, select "Edit word lengths". This option is only visible if the "Show word lengths in clues" setting is ON.
  4. Click on the clue whose word length you want to modify in the clue panel.
  5. In the Word lengths field within the popup box, enter the desired word lengths, separated by commas if there are multiple words in the answer (e.g., 4,4,4 for "Eyes Wide Shut").
  6. Click Save to save the word length for that clue.
  7. Repeat steps 4-6 for any other clues you want to adjust word lengths for.
  8. Click Save Puzzle at the top of the page to save all word length changes.

Clue Linking​

PuzzleMe supports clue linking, a feature that allows you to create connections between related clues in your crossword, adding an extra layer of complexity and engagement for players. For detailed information on clue linking, please refer to the dedicated "Clue Linking" documentation section.