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Uploading files

Objective

Learn how to create puzzles by uploading files on the PuzzleMe™ dashboard.

Puzzles can be created using the online editor, or by uploading files

The PuzzleMe dashboard allows you to create puzzles in two ways:

  1. Create game: Manually entering the game content in the game editor stage
  2. Upload game: Uploading a file in the game editor stage

In this section, we'll look at how you can use the "Upload game" feature to create games. We'll discuss the requirements that your file and data must fulfill in order to be accepted by the dashboard.

info

For now, 6 games can be created using files: Crossword, Word Search, Quiz, Sudoku, Codeword, Killer Sudoku.

Of these, there are 2 games which can be created only using files: Killer Sudoku and Codeword.

File formats​

This is a brief section on the various file formats that are supported and how you can work with them.

TXT​

TXT is a plain text file. You can create a TXT file using any word processing software, such as Notepad or MS Word. You must export it as a TXT file while saving.

tip

Note that some word processors such as MS Word may save your text with formatting that renders it unusable by the PuzzleMe Dashboard. For this reason, we advise that you use software such as Notepad for creating TXT files.

CSV​

CSV (Comma-separated values) is a textual tabular data format. You can create a CSV file using any spreadsheet software such as MS Excel, Google Sheets and OpenOffice. You must export it as CSV while saving.

XML, JSON​

JSON and XML are data interchange formats. You can obtain these files using appropriate software (such as Crossword Compiler). If you'd like to create these files programmatically, you can look at the samples provided on the PuzzleMe dashboard.

JPZ, PUZ​

JPZ and PUZ are file formats produced by some popular puzzle-creating software, such as CrossFire and Crossword Compiler. You can obtain these files only by using the particular software. These can be uploaded directly to the PuzzleMe dashboard and require no data adjustments.

Crossword​

CSV​

File name​

Your file must be named in the following way: [filename].crossword.csv
If the filename does not end in .crossword.csv, the dashboard will not be able to parse it.

Data format​

The platform expects the uploaded file to have the following structure:

EntryClueMedia
SamosaPopular Indian snack
MumbaiLargest city in Indiahttps://amuselabs.com/pmm/images/amuselabs_logo.svg
.........

Here, Entry refers to the word to be placed in the crossword, Clue is the clue associated with that word, and Media is any media URL (image, audio, video) related to the clue/word.

  1. The order of columns is arbitrary. It's OK to have Clue first, then Entry
  2. Entry: This is a mandatory column. The parser will not accept your file if this column is missing. The parser will reject your file if this column is mis-capitalized, such as entry
  3. Clue: This column is optional.
  4. Media: This column is optional.

XML/JPZ/PUZ​

The platform supports XML/JPZ/PUZ files for puzzles (crossword/word search/sudoku/codeword) generated using the Crossword Compiler (or other software that outputs identical XML files). If you'd like to generate these programmatically, please study the example file provided on the PuzzleMe dashboard to learn about the structure.

For more information, you can also refer to the Crossword Compiler documentation.

XML/JPZ/PUZ​

The platform supports XML/JPZ/PUZ files for puzzles (crossword/word search/sudoku/codeword) generated using the Crossword Compiler (or other software that outputs identical XML files). If you'd like to generate these programmatically, please study the example file provided on the PuzzleMe dashboard to learn about the structure.

For more information, you can also refer to the Crossword Compiler documentation.

Quiz​

CSV​

File name​

Your file must be named in the following way: [filename].quiz.csv
If the filename does not end in .quiz.csv, the dashboard will not be able to parse it.

Data format​

The platform expects the uploaded file to have the following structure:

QuestionMediaOption 1Option 2Option 3Option 4TagsCorrect Answer IndexExplanationScore
Some Question TextabcdEnglish2Here's a sample explanation. This question is worth 2 points.2
Another Question TextwxyzEnglish,Algebra1Here's a sample explanation. This question is worth 1 point.1
  1. The columns Media, Tag, Explanation and Score are optional.
  2. Question: The text that will be displayed for that question.
  3. Media: Any media URL (image, video, audio) that you'd like to embed with the question.
  4. Option 1/2/3/4: These are the options presented during the quiz. PuzzleMe also supports free-form answers. For this, you can specify all the correct answers under Option 1, where each answer is separated by a semicolon, and the Correct Answer Index is blank. To see an implementation, refer to the example file available on the dashboard.
  5. Tags: These are tags to describe the question. This is only for internal use, and the end-user does not see this. You can add comma-separated values in this field.
  6. Correct Answer Index: For a multiple-choice question, this is the index [1,2,3, or 4] of the right answer. For instance, if Option 1 is the right answer, then this field should have the value 1. For free-form answers, this field must be left blank!
  7. Explanation: The text that will be displayed to the user after they answer the question.
  8. Score: Different weighted scores can be given to questions, depending on the importance of the questions. Default score is 10.

Sudoku​

XML/JPZ/PUZ​

The platform supports XML/JPZ/PUZ files for puzzles (crossword/word search/sudoku/codeword) generated using the Crossword Compiler (or other software that outputs identical XML files). If you'd like to generate these programmatically, please study the example file provided on the PuzzleMe dashboard to learn about the structure.

For more information, you can also refer to the Crossword Compiler documentation.

TXT​

File name​

Your file must be named in the following way: [filename].sudoku.txt
If the filename does not end in .sudoku.txt, the dashboard will not be able to parse it.

Data format​

PuzzleMe expects the following format for a sudoku specification in the plain text (TXT) format:

1423
3241
4132
2314
-----
1..3
.24.
.13.
2..4

Your file must have the following parts:

  1. The solution: a NxN complete grid (4 ≤ N ≤ 9).
  2. The separator: -----
  3. The puzzle: A replica of the solution, where some places are replaced by ., to indicate that the user will have to figure out these slots.

You can use non-numeric characters as well, such as alphabets, emojis, etc.

Codeword​

This puzzle can only be created using uploaded files. There is no online editor within the PuzzleMe dashboard available for it as of now.

XML/JPZ/PUZ​

The platform supports XML/JPZ/PUZ files for puzzles (crossword/word search/sudoku/codeword) generated using the Crossword Compiler (or other software that outputs identical XML files). If you'd like to generate these programmatically, please study the example file provided on the PuzzleMe dashboard to learn about the structure.

For more information, you can also refer to the Crossword Compiler documentation.

Killer Sudoku​

This puzzle can only be created using uploaded files. There is no online editor within the PuzzleMe dashboard available for it as of now.

Killer Sudokus are difficult to construct. As a consequence, there is no standard software to construct one of these.

JSON​

This method requires significant technical expertise. Please contact us for the specifics of the expected JSON for this puzzle type.

Jigsaw​

CSV​

Uploading a CSV file for jigsaws

File name​

The puzzle file must be named in the following format: [filename].jigsaw.csv. For example, september.jigsaw.csv . If the filename does not end in .jigsaw.csv, the dashboard will not be able to parse it.

You can import one or multiple puzzles in a single CSV file. For each file, please add a separate line in the CSV file. Click here to download an example CSV file.

The CSV file must contain a header row, and the column headers should be spelled exactly as described below. For more details on the CSV header columns, please check the pages on jigsaw creation and messaging.

Mandatory columns​

These columns are mandatorily required for each puzzle. If these columns are not present in the CSV, the puzzle will not be created.

  • Image url

Jigsaw specific columns (optional)​

These columns are used to control specific features on the Jigsaw puzzle. While they are not mandatorily required in the CSV file, we recommend specifying the Rows/Columns and the Background Color in the CSV file, especially if you are familiar with the aspect ratio and the colors in the images.

  1. Rows
  2. Columns
  3. Background color
  4. Connect sound url
  5. Scatter sound url

General columns (optional)​

These columns are used to set custom messaging and metadata within individual puzzles. You can use these columns to change the messaging for individual puzzles, at the time of importing.

  1. Title
  2. Author
  3. Start message
  4. Pause message
  5. End message