Puzzle Assistant

Trouble Shooting

Q. Some of the menu items are greyed out and don't do anything!

A1. You have not opened a database file yet. If this is the first time you have used Puzzle Assistant you will need to create a new database (File > New) and import words (File > Import/Export) from a text file which is supplied.

A2. You are using an old unregistered evaluation copy which has some features disabled. Download the latest version, which is totally un-crippled, from the web page.

http://www.epsoft.com.au/software/puzzle

Q. There are words in the database that are not spelled correctly or are not real words.

A. Delete them!

Puzzle Assistant ships with a sample word list in the form of a text file. This text file can be imported into a Puzzle Assistant database but I cannot confirm the validity or correctness of every word in the sample list.

Q. I have found a word that isn't in the database!

A. The database is not complete, it doesn't contain any names and the word list that ships with the program doesn't have any words with more than 8 letters. Add as many new words as you like or import a bigger word list from somewhere else! (See next question)

Q. I have my own database/word list which is more complete, can I use it?

A. Yes, you need to export the data from your database to a text file then import it into Puzzle Assistant. The text file should be formatted as a plain list of words. Try exporting the existing database first to see what it should look like.

Q. I accidentally deleted the database, what should I do?

A. Try restoring the file from the recycle bin. If that doesn't work you will have to re-import from the word list text file. If you deleted the text file you'll just have to download another one.

Q. I get the following error when I try to run Puzzle Assistant:

"Run-time error '3028'  Can't start your application. The workgroup information file is missing or opened exclusively by another user"

A. You are missing the file "system.mdw", either re-install Puzzle Assistant or download the update from the web site.

http://www.epsoft.com.au/software/puzzle

Q. I don't see the Synogram or Palindrome functions?

A. You are using an old version, download the latest version from the web site:

http://www.epsoft.com.au/software/puzzle

Q. I don't see the New, Open and other file related menus?

A. You are using an old version, download the latest version from the web site:

http://www.epsoft.com.au/software/puzzle

Q. Can I copy the results into my word processor document?

A. Yes, simply click "Copy" from the "Edit" menu, go into your word processor and click "Paste" from the "Edit" menu there. You can select words from the results window by holding down the "Ctrl" key and clicking on the words or click on "Select All" from the "Edit" menu.

Q. Some functions are producing unexpected results or not finding words.

A. If you have upgraded from a previous version or you are using another database you may need to re-build the index files. There are two re-build options, compete re-build and quick re-build. The quick re-build only replaces missing index values whereas the complete re-build actually re-indexes every record. The Check Database function under the File menu looks for missing entries and offers to perform a quick re-build if necessary. I recommend performing a Database Check on any database you use for the first time. If you are experiencing problems you may need to do a complete re-build to fix up any errors caused by previous versions. This will take some time on a large database but is the only sure way to fix the index files.

Q. Where can I get more word lists?

A. The best way is to do a web search but there are also some more sample files on the Puzzle Assistant web site at http://www.epsoft.com.au/software/puzzle