{"id":192,"date":"2023-08-01T18:15:08","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T16:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/?p=192"},"modified":"2025-03-30T09:24:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T07:24:56","slug":"solving-puzzle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/solving-puzzle\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving a zebra puzzle with the editor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>How to solve any zebra puzzle from a magazine? Use our solver <\/strong><strong>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/en\/logigrammes_edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">zebra puzzle editor<\/a> on Actilud has two functions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>solver<\/li>\n<li>designer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Solver<\/em> mode allows you to solve a puzzle taken from a magazine. This mode does not use the statements; it starts from the distribution of signs on the grid and calculates a new distribution. It is up to you to place the <em>true<\/em> and <em>false<\/em> signs and the Booleans, based on the statements in your magazine. The solver then suggests the possible presence of new signs based on the current state.<\/p>\n<p>Designer mode <em>,<\/em> on the other hand, allows you to create zebra puzzles from A to Z, from grid to statement.<\/p>\n<p>In this presentation we will take a closer look at how <em>solver mode works.<\/em><\/p>\n<h1>Set the grid<\/h1>\n<p>First, you will need to reproduce the grid of your magazine on our screen.<\/p>\n<p>Go to Zebra puzzles, <a href=\"http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/actilud-dev\/fr\/logigrammes_edit\">zebra puzzles editor<\/a> : <a href=\"http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/actilud-dev\/fr\/logigrammes_edit\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-346 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/logigramme-edit.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/logigramme-edit.png 200w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/logigramme-edit-150x150.png 150w\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/logigramme-edit.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/logigramme-edit.png 200w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/logigramme-edit-150x150.png 150w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" \/><\/a>You will be greeted by our advisor, who offers three choices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open a file: If you have already defined an zebra puzzle and want to work on it, the zebra puzzle you are going to define can be saved on your own computer.<\/li>\n<li>design: manual data entry,<\/li>\n<li>Use a predefined example: Uses a ready-made zebra puzzle. Allows you to study how the editor works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>If this is your first time using the editor\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>I recommend clicking on <em>Use a predefined example.<\/em> This will give you an idea of \u200b\u200bhow to fill out the different fields. When you click this button, you return to the work interface. From there, to return to the advisor, click on the <em>menu<\/em> icon in the toolbar:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_356\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-356\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-356\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carrefour.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"49\" height=\"46\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carrefour.png\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-356\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Menu icon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the window that opens, click <em>Plan.<\/em> The advisor appears, but this time, the <em>Design<\/em> option is no longer there, since the grid has already been designed\u2026 Instead, there is the <em>Edit button.<\/em> Click this button; this will allow you to see how the fields are pre-filled.<\/p>\n<p>In the field entry page, there is the <em>Clear<\/em> button so it is always possible to start a design from scratch.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>The menu<\/em> tool is mostly useful in <em>designer<\/em> mode . It is of little use in <em>solver<\/em> mode .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>If you are a little used to it&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>So click on <em>design,<\/em> the wizard starts from scratch.<\/p>\n<p>On paper, your puzzle can take two forms.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a classic zebra puzzle, as presented on the site:<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_348\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-348\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-348 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/illustration-4entetes.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/illustration-4entetes.png 200w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/illustration-4entetes-150x150.png 150w\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/illustration-4entetes.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/illustration-4entetes.png 200w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/illustration-4entetes-150x150.png 150w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-348\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The \u201cclassic\u201d grid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li>a table, like in one of the two examples below:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-193\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/editor01.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/editor01.png 325w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/editor01-300x192.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the case of the table, you must find the names of the different items in the statement and fill in the classic grid.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A <em>header<\/em> is the name of the column or row, in tables: <em>Competitor\u00a0 <\/em>is a header.<\/p>\n<p>An <em>item<\/em> is a value to be put in the white boxes: for example 1,2,3,4,5 for the ranking, or <em>Alice, Bob, Carole, Denis, Enzo<\/em> for the competitors.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The circled numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, which are present in the classic grid illustration, indicate the position of the different headers in the table. Thus, in our example of tables, <em>Competitor<\/em> is No. 1, <em>Ranking<\/em> No. 2, <em>Jersey<\/em> No. 3, and <em>Drink<\/em> No. 4.<\/p>\n<p>There are only three steps to complete to create the grid:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>indicate the number of headers (4 in our example)<\/li>\n<li>define the size of the grids according to the number of items (5 items therefore 5\u00d75 grids in our example)<\/li>\n<li>finally, fill in the fields corresponding to the headers (in blue) and the fields corresponding to the items (in white).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When the advisor offers to finish or continue, click <em>Finish.<\/em> That&#8217;s it! The <em>Continue<\/em> option is reserved for <em>designer mode.<\/em><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>We then find ourselves on the work interface.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h1>Save work<\/h1>\n<p>This is a wise precaution; we&#8217;re on the web, in a browser, and it&#8217;s easy to lose all your work. So click the <em>Save icon.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_366\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-366\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-366\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/save.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/save.png\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-366\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Save icon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the dialog that opens, you can change the file name. By clicking the <em>save button,<\/em> the zebra puzzle configuration file is saved on your machine. This is a file with the <em>actilud_integram<\/em> extension (because in French, &#8220;Integramme&#8221; means &#8220;Zebra puzzle&#8221;). You will find it in the usual browser folder reserved for downloads.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The backup file is a text file, in <em>JSON<\/em> format for those in the know, associated with a hash code. Do not modify this file by hand! It will not be used by the publisher.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Recover the riddle<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-429 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fileopen-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fileopen-1.png\" \/>Use this icon in the toolbar; or click the\u00a0 <em>Open File<\/em> Advisor button, which appears on first launch. Find the file on your machine \u2013 by default it&#8217;s located in the browser&#8217;s downloads folder.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The file is not sent to the server. It feeds the program already present on your machine, in the browser.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h1><span class=\"VIpgJd-yAWNEb-VIpgJd-fmcmS-sn54Q\">Solve the riddle<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>All that&#8217;s left is to get started.<\/p>\n<h2>No statement<\/h2>\n<p>Since you&#8217;re not in design mode and you&#8217;re not using a save from other games on Actilud, there&#8217;s no prompt. With a mouse, you can see this by hovering over the icon :<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-369\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-369 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/voir_enigme.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"136\" height=\"86\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/voir_enigme.png\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-369\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hint &#8220;get the riddle&#8221; : non-operational<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This icon is therefore disabled.<\/p>\n<h2>Place signs<\/h2>\n<p>Use the selector on the left and place the <em>true<\/em> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-370 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dialog-ok-apply-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"36\" height=\"36\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dialog-ok-apply-5.png\" \/> or\u00a0 <em>false signs <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-380 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/edit-delete-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35\" height=\"35\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/edit-delete-6.png\" \/>,<\/em> as well as the booleans, in the grid boxes, according to the statement of your magazine.<\/p>\n<h2>Evaluating grids: autocompletion<\/h2>\n<p>Autocompletion is the use of the solver to fill in empty boxes. There are several types of autocompletion:<\/p>\n<h3>step-by-step autocompletion<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-383 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-pas.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"61\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-pas.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step-by-step<\/strong> autocompletion is the most fun and educational way to solve a puzzle. The solver applies different solving techniques, and as soon as one of them yields a result, it stops and shows what it has found. The proposed solution is necessarily partial, but it allows you to better understand the solver&#8217;s choice and therefore improve your own performance. Use the <em>help<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-385\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/aide.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/aide.png\" \/><\/em> icon to access a brief explanation in the form of text illustrated by a video.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2427\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/feu-rotate.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"64\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/feu-rotate.png\" \/><strong>Rotating solutions<\/strong> . Allows you to better understand the solutions proposed by the step-by-step solver.<\/p>\n<h3>full autocompletion<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-387 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"61\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-1.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Full<\/strong> autocompletion cycles through all solving techniques until none yield results, or the puzzle is solved. The solution is then proposed. This is a very fast way to complete a zebra puzzle.<\/p>\n<h3>search for inconsistencies<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-402 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/hypothese.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"61\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/hypothese.png\" \/>For particularly tricky puzzles, it can be helpful to find all the boxes that can only be wrong, otherwise they would produce inconsistencies. Use this tool.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, the solver does not yet create any objects on the grid; it simply colors the boxes in different colors, depending on the objects that need to be placed there.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>red: a sign<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-380 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/edit-delete-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/edit-delete-6.png\" \/><\/li>\n<li>green: a sign<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-370 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dialog-ok-apply-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dialog-ok-apply-5.png\" \/><\/li>\n<li>yellow: a boolean<\/li>\n<li>flashing black: inconsistencies, impossibilities, errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If unfortunately the &#8220;flashing black&#8221; case occurs, it means that you made a mistake upstream, or that there is an error in the statement.<\/p>\n<h3>End of flashing<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-393 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/feu-barre.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"64\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/feu-barre.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This icon allows you to stop the flashing or make the colors of the boxes disappear. The tool works in two stages:<\/p>\n<p>If there is a flashing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>first press: end of flashing<\/li>\n<li>second press: colors disappear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If there is no blinking, clicking the tool makes the colors disappear.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Once the colors disappear, the signs can no longer be materialized.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Materialization of signs<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-395 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-edit.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"61\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-edit.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Materialize the signs in the colored boxes: place the false<\/em> signs in the red boxes , the true signs in the green boxes\u00a0 <em>,<\/em> the Booleans in the yellow boxes. This only works if the colors are still visible, and there has been no error.<\/p>\n<h2>Testing Hypotheses: <em>Memorize Tool<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s sometimes interesting to make a few assumptions and see their consequences on the grids. But of course, you need to be able to easily return to the starting point, especially if the assumption fails. This is the role of the <em>memory tool.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-409 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/memorise.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"64\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/memorise.png\" \/>The memorize tool <em>,<\/em> as its name suggests, allows you to memorize a configuration. You can give the configuration a name, to make it easier to find later if you memorize it several times in a row. You can also just use the default name (configuration 1, configuration 2, etc.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-411 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/restore.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"64\" height=\"64\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/restore.png\" \/><em>The Restore<\/em> tool allows you to recover a previously saved configuration. When doing this, you select the configuration to restore from the list and decide what to do with it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>restore<\/strong> : the configuration is restored and remains in memory; it can be reused<\/li>\n<li><strong>Restore and delete:<\/strong> The configuration is restored and deleted from memory. It cannot be restored again.<\/li>\n<li><strong>delete<\/strong> : the configuration is not restored but is deleted from the list of saved configurations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h1>The alternatives<\/h1>\n<p>The alternatives are coded in the following grid:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_874\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-874\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-874 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives.png\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-874\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The grid of alternatives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>An alternative<\/h2>\n<p>What is an alternative? It&#8217;s a proposition with several terms, only one of which is true. In Actilud, generated statements can propose two-term alternatives:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Alice is second or fourth.<br \/>\nEither Bob is wearing a blue jersey or he is drinking apple juice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In a two-term alternative, one of the two terms is true and the other is false. It is not possible for both to be true or both to be false. The mathematical symbol for an alternative is the <em>exclusive or (\u22bb).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>More generally, an alternative can have multiple terms. Also, in our editor, the alternatives window allows you to code up to 6 terms for a 5&#215;5 puzzle ( <em>n+1<\/em> terms for an <em>n x n puzzle). In an <\/em><em>n<\/em> -term alternative , only one term is -necessarily- true and all the others are -necessarily- false. They cannot all be false. Only one term must be true.<\/p>\n<h2>Coding alternatives<\/h2>\n<p>It all depends on the alternative.<\/p>\n<p>When the alternative occurs <strong>in only one grid<\/strong> , false signs are sufficient:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Alice is second or fourth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_876\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-876\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-876\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives2.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives2.png 346w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives2-296x300.png 296w\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"352\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives2.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives2.png 346w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives2-296x300.png 296w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-876\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An alternative in a unique grid.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If Alice is second or fourth, she cannot be first, third, or fifth. So the coding is very simple.<\/p>\n<p>When the alternative occurs on several grids, then you must use booleans and the grid of alternatives:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Either Bob wears a blue jersey or he drinks apple juice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_878\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-878\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-878 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3.png 867w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-300x298.png 300w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-768x764.png 768w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-483x480.png 483w\" alt=\"\" width=\"867\" height=\"862\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3.png 867w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-300x298.png 300w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-768x764.png 768w, https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alternatives3-483x480.png 483w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 960px) 75vw, 100vw\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-878\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alternative on two grids.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the alternative covers several grids, we use different booleans for each term of the alternative; but, to indicate to the solver that it is an alternative, we place the same booleans in a row of the alternatives grid \u2013 regardless of their position in the row.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, if you use the solver <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-383\" src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-pas.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"26\" height=\"27\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ampoule-pas.png\" \/>in the above situation, it suggests putting a <em>false<\/em> sign at the intersection of <em>blue (&#8220;bleu&#8221;) jersey<\/em> and <em>apple (&#8220;pomme&#8221;):<\/em> in fact, the wearer of the blue jersey cannot drink apple juice.<\/p>\n<h2>Behavior of Booleans in the Alternatives Grid<\/h2>\n<p>Be careful, the behavior is logical but can be surprising.<\/p>\n<p>When there are <strong>multiple Booleans<\/strong> in a row of the alternatives grid, the solver deduces that the intersection of the alternative terms cannot be true:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Bob is either third, drinking apple juice, or wearing a blue jersey.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h6><span class=\"VIpgJd-yAWNEb-VIpgJd-fmcmS-sn54Q\">So the third one doesn&#8217;t have a blue jersey, the third one doesn&#8217;t drink apple juice, the blue jersey doesn&#8217;t drink apple juice.<\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Booleans that are in the alternatives grid, but <strong>not found<\/strong> in the zebra puzzle,\u00a0 <strong>are removed from the alternatives grid<\/strong> .<\/p>\n<p>If there is <strong>only one simple Boolean left in a row<\/strong> of the alternatives grid, <strong>it is replaced by a true sign in the puzzle.<\/strong> It then disappears from the alternatives grid. This is logical: if an alternative only includes one term&#8230; the solver considers that the latter is true, necessarily&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h1>Three reasons to use the zebra puzzle Editor<\/h1>\n<p>The Actilud editor is an extremely powerful tool, but be careful not to spoil the pleasure of solving an zebra puzzle yourself by using the solver too often.<\/p>\n<p>The three useful roles are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>improve your problem-solving skills, thanks to step-by-step autocompletion;<\/li>\n<li>help solve a particularly difficult puzzle;<\/li>\n<li>benefit from the comfort and ergonomics of the interface, while using the help but sparingly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to solve any zebra puzzle from a magazine? Use our solver ! The zebra puzzle editor on Actilud has two functions: solver designer Solver mode allows you to solve a puzzle taken from a magazine. This mode does not use the statements; it starts from the distribution of signs on the grid and calculates [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zebra-puzzles-solving-and-designing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actilud.com\/info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}