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About¤

xpuz is a GUI/web package built with CustomTkinter and Flask. It allows you to select a predefined or customised set of words to procedurally generate a crossword from, and view it in a locally hosted Flask web app.

Download the latest source code

Play a demo of xpuz on your browser

Why xpuz?¤

There are several features of xpuz that makes it an ideal software for learning or to just have some fun when you're bored:

  1. It provides several pre-made sets of crosswords for academic topics, making it ideal for learning and studying.
  2. It prioritises ergonomics above all else.
  3. It provides the ability to design your own word sets, as well as export generated crosswords to either PDF or ipuz (an open-source version of the proprietary file format puz). This allows you to export your generated crosswords and complete them in a different player, such as Exolve, if you desire.

  4. It implements various inclusivity features, such as:

    • The ability to choose from over 95 languages
    • Tab and zooming support for the interactive web application
    • Light and dark mode
    • Scaling
    • Cross-platform compatibility
    • Extensive browser support
    • Crossword difficulties

Tested Python Versions¤

Operating System Version
Windows >=3.7
MacOS >=3.8
Linux >=3.8

Requirements¤

Hardware¤

  • RAM: >120MB (GUI only), >500MB (GUI and browser to play crossword)
  • CPU: Any
  • Storage: >30MB available space (the program and its dependencies)

Software¤

  • OS: Windows, MacOS, Linux
  • Browser: Not Internet Explorer
  • Additional: Python and pip (see Getting Started)

Limitations¤

  • Right-to-left scripts are not supported.
  • Mobile devices are not supported.
  • Translations are made with a translation API, and therefore might be inaccurate.
  • Generated crosswords may occasionally have a few missing words.
  • If your OS scaling is higher than the default, the web application will likely be too big. Read Troubleshooting for more information.

Crossword categories¤

xpuz comes with 4 main categories by default, each with their own topics (which often have multiple difficulties):

Computer Science
  • Booleans
  • Hardware
  • Programming
  • Python
  • Cybersecurity
  • AI
Geography
  • Capitals
  • Countries by Landmarks
  • US State Capitals
Mathematics
  • Geometry
  • Probability
  • Trigonometry
  • Calculus
  • Combinatorics
Science
  • General Science
  • Physics
  • Biology
  • Chemistry