HowardGarns is a program that helps you play Sudoku. Eliminates possibilities by clicking. HowardGarns has an optional automated solving assistant for rote techniques, but doesn't take away the fun of playing. Clean, straightforward Java code.

HowardGarns is named after its inventor.

Possibilities

Each square on the board shows the remaining possibilities for that square. Left-click to eliminate a possiblity after you have logically determined that that number cannot appear in that square. Alternatively, right-click on a possibility to affirm that that square does indeed contain that number.

Rote Solving Assistants

The Solve menu lets you have the program do some of the rote logical patterns, such as eliminating possibilities from the same row, column, or box as an already identified answer.

The different solvers are listed under the Solve menu; you can check the ones you want to have enabled, and uncheck the ones you want turned off.

There are two ways to have the program solve for you: manually or automatically, which you can choose at the top of the Solve menu.

Manually means that you choose "Solve" from the solve menu when you want the program to apply the (check-marked) solution patterns.

Automatically means that the program will apply them after every move you make. Note that this may lead to some confusing results, in which case you may want to try turning off the automatic solving.

Undo and Redo

HowardGarns provides undo and redo support, under the Edit menu. You can undo all your previous moves, or redo them again up to any point.

Saving and Resuming

You can use File/Save, Save As..., and Open..., to save and resume the puzzle. All your moves are saved, from the initial puzzle state up to the current state of the puzzle. The file is a text file. Each move also has the time the move was made saved with it.

Requirements:

· Java

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· The first release of the HowardGarns program. V1.0. Still in alpha.