Frequently Asked Questions - Nataraj's Sudoku Formatting Tool

Can I print my puzzle ?

Yes you can. When you click "Format", the dailysudoku.com page appears and you can print from there like you would print the daily sudoku

Can I enter sudokus by hand ?

Yes, very easily. Just type into the area provided (the one that says "paste sudoku here"). No need to worry about special formats. Put as many cells on a line as you like. Use as many lines as you like. Add comments, use spaces or any funny characters.

Myself, I usually enter 3 lines of 27 digits each. Like this:

000300500503819006000006000
050604072060090080230107050
000900000100763905006001000

Takes about 40 seconds.

Can I include pencil marks ?

Yes you can. You can even include markup, like in this example:

+--------------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
| 47      89      1        | 56      2       56       | 3       89#     4-7      |
| 3       2       79       | 1       4       8        | 79*     5       6        |
| 6       48      5        | 3       9       7        | 24      28      1        |
+--------------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
| 19      16      8        | 7       36      4        | 5       23      239      |
| 2       7       3        | 9       5       1        | 6       4       8        |
| 5       69      4        | 8       36      2        | 1       379#    37a      |
+--------------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
| 8       34      6        | 2       1       9        | 4-7     37b     5        |
| 47      5       79       | 46      8       36       | 29      1       234      |
| 19      13      2        | 45      7       35       | 8       6       349      |
+--------------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+ 

Can I use this tool to import into internet solvers or post puzzles on the forum ?

Yes, you can. Many solvers accept a string of 81 digits, many forums use the phpbb software and a few tags tend to be pretty standardized.

Below the area where you enter (or paste) the puzzle, there is another area where the puzzle is displayed in different formats:

• a string of 81 digits
• a grid without pencil marks, including the opening and closing "[code]" tags
• properly formed "[url]" tags for copying and pasting directly into the forum. One is with and the other without pencil marks.

Take your pick.

Can I use this tool to solve a puzzle ?

Yes and no.

No in the sense that this is not a solver program.

Yes in the sense that you can either print the puzzle and solve it at the coffee (or tea) table or import it and solve online in a familiar environment.

Can I take any sudoku from the internet ?

Probably not just "any".

But many sites provide either an "export" button, or you can try and select the numbers in the grid (using your mouse) and copy and paste them into the input area.