Sympathy Tutorial

2.6 Using Interactive Filling

At the end of the previous step, 1 across should have been entered so that the grid looks like this:

Step 2.6 Initial Image

In Module 1 Step 10 Automatic Filling was used to fill a US Style puzzle grid. With blocked grids, Interactive Filling is more appropriate as it gives you better control over the selection of words.

Interactive Filling is used if is pushed in on the Filling toolbar. This should already be the case as Interactive Filling is the default when you start a new blocked grid. So you can now start filling by clicking (Filling|Fill) on the Filling toolbar.

In Interactive Filling, you can choose the answer at each step of the fill using the Interactive Filling window. In this case, the first light to be filled is 2 down, as shown below:

Step 2.6 Intermediate Image

The possible answers are shown in a table with the following columns by default:

Answer	The answers that can fill the current light are shown here. In this case, all the answers start with N because the first letter of 2 down has to cross with the third letter of 1 across. You can select the required answer from this list using the left mouse button or the arrow keys.
Dictionary	The dictionary where the answer was found is shown here. The answers in the top priority list (in this case Core English) are shown above lower priority ones (Edited English in this case).
Fillability	This column indicates how "fillable" the grid will be if this answer is chosen (the rating is actually the average number of possible crossing answers). The answers with the most promising letters are shown at the top of the list. The highest priority dictionary that will be required is shown in brackets - this warns you in advance when choosing an answer will require you to use a lower priority dictionary at a later stage.
Annotation	This column includes a brief comment about any answers which don't have a full definition in the integrated dictionary/thesaurus. The annotation may refer to a source where the answer can be found or indicate the class of answer (eg Forename, Quotation or Book).

Note that you can resize this window by dragging the corners or the sides. You can also adjust the space given to each column in the table by dragging the line between the labels in the table header.

We will choose national as the answer to fill 2 down. Make sure this is selected as shown above, then click on the Next button. national is entered into 2 down and the Interactive Filling window now shows the answers that can fit 14 across (they all have a A as their third letter):

Step 2.6 Intermediate Image

We will choose heart-rending as the answer to fill 14 across. You will need to scroll down several pages of answers to find it: you can either use the scroll bar or the Pg Dn key to do this. Some of the information contained in this part of the table is described below:

black-and-blue in the Core English dictionary can fill 14 across; if it is used, all the answers crossing it can also be filled with the Core English dictionary; however, it has the lowest "fillability" rating of its type (mainly because it will result in the unpromising pattern of C-----B- in 1 down)
heart-rending in the Core English dictionary can fill 14 across; if it is used, it will require the lower priority Edited English dictionary to be used for one or more crossing answers; hence it is shown below black-and-blue
transgenesis can fill 14 across, but it is in the lower priority Edited English dictionary; hence it is shown below heart-rending and all the other answers in the Core English dictionary, even though it has letters that are relatively easy to fill around

When you have selected heart-rending as the answer to fill 14 across, click on the Next button. The Interactive Filling window now shows the answers that can fit 1 down (they all have a C as their first letter and a H as their seventh):

Step 2.6 Final Image

This confirms what the table showed for the previous light: there are no answers in the Core English dictionary that will fit the pattern C-----H- and only 9 in the Edited English dictionary.

The tutorial doesn't cover the remainder of the grid fill in as much detail. From this point, continue to select answers you like and click on Next to proceed to the next one. When the last light is reached, click on Finish to choose the last answer and dismiss the Interactive Filling window. The Sympathy main window should then appear as shown at the start of the next step

Relevant Help Sections

Interactive Filling
Interactive Filling Dialog