Helmut's Sudoku Helper now offers the additional choice to solve the puzzle all on your own, without any help from the computer. Like you would on a piece of paper. Do whatever you want, with only one single rule: in every row (and column and ...), a number can only be used once.
The menu option "DO IT YOURSELF - manual mode" can be used as a stand-alone Sudoku playing app, or together with the Helper's other features: start with "AUTOMATE" (for basic steps), and then try out your own advanced methods in manual mode.
When I have a choice, I prefer pen and paper.
But when there is no printer nearby - like
on the subway, in a train, or on holidays - the Helper's "DO IT YOURSELF" offers a reasonable
alternative.
And when you're stuck at some point - just exit the manual mode and continue with the full
arsenal of methods the Helper has to offer.
21.Dezember 2017
From my perspective, version 5 is all about user interface.
Let's start with the obvious: there are no images any more. No fancy glass letters, no "physical" objects like surfaces and frames. No "nice" graphical design that only works on a desktop or notebook screen, but collapses into illegible miniature on smartphones or tablets.
I wrote this app to help people learn how to solve Sudoku. To get help when they need it. Now I am able to add: wherever they need it.
No matter where I am at the moment: I want to solve that stupid Sudoku and cannot find the next step. I want help! NOW! That includes breakfast, that includes subway, that includes the beach.
This is what version 5 gives you: whatever the hardware, whatever the screen size, the Helper will adapt to the available screen size. And if that screen size is very small, all essential user interface elements must fit into that space.
Next to the Sudoku grid, the select box was the cornerstone of previous HSH versions. Unfortunately, on all modern smartphones that control is unuseable - it shows only one option and when the select list pops up, it obscures the sudoku screen. In version 5, the available solving steps are shown in a scrollable list of buttons - large enough to be tapped with human fingers (or clicked with a mouse).
Speaking of the select box ...
In previous versions of HSH, the select box contained solution steps, and ... a number of actions quite unrelated to the solving process: Save, Load, Reset, ... And it could get very tedious to make your way down to those actions, when there was a large number of available solving steps. Finding the AUTOMATE action was not always easy.
In Version 5, the new select object contains ONLY solving steps.
All other actions - and those actions only accessible by clicking on graphical elements in v4, like "Language Selection" or "Help" - are now presented in a sidebar menu, activated via the familiar icon.
Wait a minute! Aren't there some options that have gone missing?
Where are Save and Load, where is the Format option?
Relax.
All those actions are available in version 5, although in slightly different - better - incarnations.
When you click on drop-down (icon: ) in this menu action, the current position is automatically converted to up to four different text representations and copied to the clipboard. From there, you can easily (Ctrl-V) paste it into other systems, e.g. mail, text documents or forum posts. At the same time, you have the option to create a printable .pdf document by clicking on the checkmark. No need to take a detour to the Formatter.
This menu action gives you the freedom to move back and forth between all the solution steps previously selected. The positions are presented exactly as they were, with all the alternative steps available for selection/inspection.
By pushing the orange button "new path", you can abandon the branch you took earlier - and start a new solution path.
With this new feature, you have access to ALL the positions - no need to manually save or restore any single one.
Now that the only unique feature of the Formatter (i.e. convert the position to text and/or print it)
has been included as a menu option in the Helper, I've decided not to support the Formatter
as a separate app any longer. With the upgrade to HSH version 5, the Formatter cannot
be accessed at its previous web address any more.
For a limited time (1 to 2 months), the previous version of the Formatter (v4.2) will be available -
through a link provided at HSF's former web URL.
I hope you like the new Helper.
A "Helper" is of no use when it cannot help when YOU need it. During the past 7 years, since the Helper first went online at my site in 2010, I used it many times on my mobile phone - but then all I did was select AUTO and - after it was done with basics - zoomed in, swiped left, swiped right ... luckily, many times I actually saw the move I failed to catch on paper. But that was not by design, I was lucky...
This new version finally works the same way on desktop and mobile. No compromises. Just - get help when you need it!
Enjoy!
Helmut
December 12, 2017
| 2016 Dec. | V4 | Turbot Wing, see: Using Wing Pincers as a Link in a Skyscraper or Kite |
| 2015 Oct. | V3.3 | Print to PDF. Formatter no longer stand-alone but reuses HSH codebase and UI design |
| 2013 July | V3.2 | Verify that imported puzzle has a unique solution |
| 2011 Sept. | V3.1 | Supports Squiggly, X-Sudoku and Compass |
| 2010 July | V2 | Initial public release of "Helmut's Sudoku Helper":
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| 2007 | V1 | "Helmut's Sudoku Tool":
|