Features

• Customizable grid size
• Dynamic word placement strategy
• Supports horizontal, vertical, and diagonal directions
• Fills blank spaces with random letters
• Handles large word lists efficiently
• Import/Export Grid

Installation

You can install @aydee-app/word-search via bun:

bun add @aydee-app/word-search

Alternatively, use npm or yarn:

npm install @aydee-app/word-search
# or
yarn add @aydee-app/word-search

Usage

Basic Example

import { WordSearch } from '@aydee-app/word-search';

const wordSearch = new WordSearch({
  words: ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'date'],
  size: 10,
  allowDiagonal: true,
  fillBlanks: true,
});

const grid = wordSearch.generate();
console.log(wordSearch.toString());

Customizing the Grid Size

You can let the generator calculate the optimal grid size based on the words' total length or specify it manually:

const wordSearch = new WordSearch({
  words: ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'],
  size: 15,  // Manually set grid size
  allowDiagonal: false,
  fillBlanks: false,
});

const grid = wordSearch.generate();
console.log(wordSearch.toString());

API

WordSearch(options: WordSearchOptions)

Constructor to initialize a WordSearch puzzle generator.

Parameters

• words (string[]): An array of words to include in the puzzle.
• size (number, optional): The grid size. If not specified, it will be calculated based on the word lengths.
• allowDiagonal (boolean, optional): Specifies whether diagonal word placement is allowed. Default is false.
• fillBlanks (boolean, optional): Specifies whether to fill empty spaces with random letters. Default is true.

Methods

• generate(): string[][]
  Generates the word search puzzle and returns a 2D array representing the grid.

• hasWord(word: string): boolean
  Checks if a word exists in the puzzle.

• getPositions(word: string): Position[] | null
  Returns the positions of a word in the puzzle, or null if the word is not found.

• getGrid(): string[][]
  Returns the current state of the grid.

• getGridSize(): number
  Returns the current size of the grid.

• export(): { grid: string[][], positions: Map<string, Position[]>, size: number }
  Exports a deep copy of the current grid along with the positions of all placed words in the puzzle. The return value is an object containing the grid and placed words.

• import(data: {grid: string[][], positions: Map<string, Position[]}>): void
  Imports a grid and the associated placed words into the puzzle. This method allows you to restore a previous state of the grid, including the positions of the words. If the imported grid dimensions or word placements are invalid, an error will be thrown.

• print(): void
  Prints the current grid to the console.

• toString(): string
  Converts the grid into a string format for easier display.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Feel free to fork the repository and submit pull requests. We welcome contributions!