This web adaptation of the portable puzzle collection has several features to help it work better in a web browser and on a variety of different screen sizes and input devices.
In addition to the features listed below, many (though not all) of the common features described in the original manual are available in this version.
For puzzles where you need to enter numbers or use other keys to solve the puzzle (like Solo and Keen), this app will show an on-screen “virtual keyboard” allowing use on touch screens.
If you have a physical keyboard and want to save screen space, you can turn
off the virtual keyboard in the
Many puzzles need both the left and right mouse buttons. If you’re using a touch screen, you have a few options when the manual says to “right-click”:
Tap multiple times. In many puzzles, this will cycle through the left-click state on first tap, the right-click state on second tap, and back to the “neutral” state (for puzzles that have that) on the third tap.
Long press (hold) is treated as a right-click. To right-drag, continue to hold your finger down and move it in the desired direction.
Two-finger tap is also treated as a right-click. The two fingers don’t have to hit at exactly the same time. You might find it easier to put the first finger down where you want to right-click, then very quickly tap and release another finger, anywhere convenient. (If you’re a piano player, this is a little like a grace note. Or really, a mordent but holding the main note while striking the other key.)
To right-drag, keep the first finger down and move it after lifting the other finger.
/ toggle.
This is a button that lets you control whether tapping on the puzzle means
left-click or right-click. The mouse button toggle isn’t normally shown;
you can turn it on in the
When set to right-click on tap, the long press and two-finger tap gestures are inverted to mean left-click. (The mouse button toggle swaps the primary and secondary buttons or gestures for any input device, so it can be used with a regular mouse or trackpad too.)
Tapping multiple times is always available (for puzzles that support it).
The other options can be configured in the
If you are using a mouse, puzzles will ignore attempts to click and drag with the right mouse button. (This is a browser limitation. Right-click still works, just not right-drag.)
When the manual says to “right-drag” you can instead hold down Ctrl and then click and drag with the left mouse button.
This app allows you to save multiple “checkpoints” within a game and return to them later. Checkpoints can be helpful for puzzle difficulty levels that require backtracking (guessing). They’re essentially a shortcut for repeatedly pressing Undo.
To create a checkpoint at the current move, open the history panel (near the undo/redo buttons) and choose Save checkpoint. You can then continue trying to solve the puzzle. If you later find you’ve gone down the wrong path, rewind to your checkpoint by selecting it in the history panel.
After going back to a checkpoint, you can use undo and redo to explore around it. Once you make a new move, though, all history past that point is erased—including any later checkpoints. If you change your mind about going back to a checkpoint (before making a new move), choose Last move in the history panel to redo all the way back to the end.
If you decide you no longer want a checkpoint, use the delete button next to it.
Checkpoints are an experimental feature, currently unique to this adaptation. They are likely to change somewhat in future updates.
This app automatically saves the current game in progress for each puzzle and resumes it when you return to that puzzle later. This can be helpful if you accidentally navigate your browser away from the puzzle page while playing. (Or if the puzzle app crashes due to a bug.)
The autosave for a puzzle is reset whenever you start a new game or select a different variation or difficulty level in the type menu.
On the home screen, a puzzle’s icon will show a triangle when there is an autosaved game for that puzzle.
To clear all autosaved games for all puzzles, open the
You can
This specific game links to the exact game you’re playing. (At the start of the game, not any progress you’ve made toward solving it. To capture the current state export a save file or copy as text instead.)
This puzzle type links to the current puzzle type—the size and difficulty level and any other options. Opening the link will start a new, random game of that type. This can be handy for sharing custom puzzle types.
Copy as text provides an ASCII rendering of the current puzzle state, which you can paste into a forum or email for discussion. (You’ll want to use a fixed width font, e.g., “format as code.”)
Not all puzzles support copying as text, and those that do may call for a bit of creative interpretation.
Game ID and random seed can be used with other portable puzzle collection apps. See Specifying games with the game ID in the manual.
If you have a specific game ID or random seed from another app, load it
using
For puzzles available on Simon Tatham’s official Portable Puzzle Collection website, the share dialog also includes game ID and random seed links to that. (These are mainly useful for comparing buggy behavior observed in this app.)
You can save the entire state of a game—including the undo history and any saved checkpoints—by choosing Save… in the game menu. Then choose Load… to restore it later. Saved games are kept on your device, in your web browser’s storage.
To create a file you can use with a different portable puzzle collection app (or include in a bug report), click the Export… button in the save dialog. There’s a corresponding Import… button in the load dialog for bringing in external files. (Exported files do not currently include checkpoints.)
To delete all saved games for all puzzles, open the