Though conveniently succinct, the format for inputting puzzles does not facilitate error checking by user (or program!). The program checks the input data at two levels: first, does it produce a structure that makes sense as a kakuro puzzle and are the individual sums and cell counts in each strip compatible with one another; secondly, can the puzzle be solved.
If the program detects an error at the first level it will display a "Puzzle Error" window as shown in Figure 1, with a red cell denoting the approximate position of the error. The user can compare the displayed grid with the original and so correct the error in the Puzzle Entry window.
If the program detects an error at the second level - ie it cannot solve the puzzle, it will display a "Puzzle Error" window, but cannot show where the error is located. It just knows that the puzzle is inconsistent. The user can check the displayed grid against the original and so correct the error.
When an error is detected in the Puzzle Entry window an appropriate message with a red background will appear. See Figure 2. Users can make the necessary correction and then ask for the puzzle to be loaded.
If the program detects an error in an input file using the succinct format it will open a Puzzle Entry window and a Puzzle Error window and allow the user to edit the data as though it had been entered in the Puzzle Entry Window. Please refer to the rest of this page to see how to proceed. Note however, that the edits made in the Puzzle Entry window will NOT alter the contents of the original file.
