A little button

The symbols 1-9 and the letter "R" shown in small font in the unsolved cells are actually the labels of buttons. The numeric buttons can be used to remove candidates for the cell (left mouse button), or set the solution for the cell (right mouse button). If the button labelled "R" is clicked, even if the user has set a solution for the cell, all the little buttons are reactivated and appear with their symbols 1-9.

A big button

The large coloured rectangle in the centre of each cell is a menu button. Clicking on these areas pops up a menu of options that can be applied on the corresponding cell.

The "R" buttons

In each cell the little button labelled "R" is used to reactivate all the candidate buttons. If the "R" is invisible(!) its button will still be active.

Hints

The hint mechanism indicates candidates which can be removed, and why. Many levels of hint are available. The level is selected by dragging down the File menu to "Select hint level" and clicking on the relevant suboption. This is an important subject for those wishing to use the program to improve their skill, and they are advised to read the section Using hints.

The toolbar

The row of labelled rectangles to the right of the File and Edit menus is a set of buttons called a toolbar. The Toolbar contains buttons which execute the most common program commands. For more information see The Toolbar

How to set the solution for a cell

To set the cell solution to the symbol "n", right mouse click on the little button labelled "n". eg to set the solution to 3, right click on the little button labelled "3".

How to remove/delete a candidate for a cell

To remove the candidate "n" for a cell left mouse click on the little button labelled "n". eg to remove the candidate "7", left click on the little button labelled "7".

How to undo a mistake

To undo a mistake (or indeed any step) click on the icon "<" in the Toolbar. To reactivate all the candidates for a cell click on its "R" button. If the "R" is invisible(!) its button will still be active.

How to undo a series of mistakes

To undo a series of mistakes (or indeed any series of steps) repeatedly click on the icon "<" in the Toolbar, OR click once on the icon "<<" in the Toolbar, which will automatically undo all steps until the grid is consistent.

How to ensure the current grid is consistent

In the File menu drag down to the option "Set help level" and select the suboption "Highlight inconsistencies".

How to configure the program to show when you make a mistake

In the File menu drag down to the option "Set help level" and select the suboption "Highlight wrong answers".

How to check the answer

To show the solution for a particular cell select "Show solution" using its big button. To show the solution for the whole grid, in the File menu, select the option "Show solution". Undo ("<") in the Toolbar will reverse either procedure.

How to colour/uncolour cells

Click on the big button in the cell and select "Colour/uncolour cell".

How to colour/uncolour all candidates with a specific symbol

In the File menu drag down to the option "Colour/uncolour candidates" and from the list of suboptions select the symbol you want to colour/uncolour.

How to colour/uncolour a specific candidate

To colour/uncolour the candidate "n" for a cell, middle mouse click on the little button labelled "n". eg to colour/uncolour "4", middle mouse click on the little button labelled "4".

The shading of the big buttons

To direct users to the cells that might be easiest to solve, the number of remaining candidates is used to choose the colour of the big button: the lighter the shade the fewer the remaining candidates.

Why can't I read the symbols?

The default font sizes are too small on some machines. Select the "Configure SourGumdrop" option in the File menu and a new window will appear. Select a larger number for the "Little button fontsize","Big button fontsize" or "Toolbar fontsize". Click on "Apply". Repeat until satisfied. Note that the "Show difficulty" and "Select puzzle" windows also use the Toolbar font.

How to use SourGumdrop to work on a printed puzzle

Select "Enter new puzzle" from the File menu and a new window will appear. In this window, type in the symbols in rows of 9 using 0 for unknowns/blanks. Click "Load" when finished. The puzzle will appear in the grid (if it has been entered correctly and is consistent). For more information see Entering new puzzles

How to use SourGumdrop's built-in puzzles

Choose "Select puzzle" from the File menu and a new window will appear. In this window, scroll down to the puzzle you want, DOUBLE CLICK on it, and click on "OK". The selected puzzle will appear in the grid. For more information see Selecting built-in puzzles

Saving puzzles

You can save puzzles (finished or incomplete) using the "Save puzzle" option in the File menu. The current guesses and candidates can be saved.

How can you write such a brilliant program?

Sycophant.

Why do you give the program away for nothing

Why should you pay? I got satisfaction from writing the program and would get pleasure if you told me you liked using it.

Why does the program work so poorly on the Macintosh

I don't have a Mac and didn't realise how they implemented some features until the problems were reported by a user. If I had known I might have designed some things differently. Sorry.

How do I add a question to the FAQ

Mail it. Please see Contacts