Word Search Maker

A fun, interactive web application for creating and printing custom word search puzzles. Perfect for teachers, parents, and puzzle enthusiasts!

Features

Pre-Made Templates

• 40+ ready-to-use templates across multiple categories:
  • Bible & Faith (English and Spanish)
  • Holidays (Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine's, Independence Day, Winter)
  • Animals (Ocean, Safari, Pets, Birds, Insects)
  • Nature (Space, Weather)
  • Educational (Colors, Numbers, Shapes, Body Parts, Months, Planets)
• Filter by category, language, and difficulty

Custom Puzzle Builder

• Enter your own words (comma or newline separated)
• Configurable grid sizes: 8x8 to 25x25
• 8 unique shapes: Square, Circle, Heart, Cross, Star, Diamond, Triangle, Oval
• 5 difficulty levels:
  • Easy: Horizontal & vertical only
  • Normal: Adds diagonal directions
  • Medium: Words can go backwards
  • Hard: All 8 directions with tricky letter fills
  • Extreme: Maximum challenge with hidden word list
• 7 visual themes: Classic, Colorful, Nature, Ocean, Space, Candy, Chalkboard

Advanced Options

• Hidden message feature (message appears in unused cells)
• Show/hide word list
• Uppercase/lowercase toggle
• Answer key generation
• Fill letter strategies (Random, Vowels, Consonants, Similar)

Content Safety

• Automatic content filtering for inappropriate words in all 6 supported languages
• Filters user input to block profanity and offensive terms
• Prevents random letter filling from accidentally forming bad words
• Multi-pass grid sanitization catches any words that slip through
• Family-friendly puzzles guaranteed

Interactive Features

• Click-and-drag to find words in puzzles
• Visual feedback for found words
• Real-time word count
• Auto-regenerate on settings change

Output Options

• Print puzzle (with or without answers)
• Download as PNG image
• Print-ready formatting

Multi-Language Support

• UI available in: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian
• Templates available in English and Spanish
• Supports accented characters for non-English puzzle words

Getting Started

Quick Start

Simply open index.html in any modern web browser. No installation or build process required!

Local Development Server (Optional)

For the best experience, you can run a local server:

# Python 3
python -m http.server 8000

# Node.js (with http-server)
npx http-server

Then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

Docker Deployment

Docker Compose (Recommended)

Uses the stock nginx:alpine image with volume mounts - no build step needed:

docker-compose up -d

Then open http://localhost:9847 in your browser. To stop:

docker-compose down

Build Your Own Image (Optional)

If you prefer a self-contained image (e.g., for pushing to a registry):

docker build -t wordsearchmaker .
docker run -d -p 9847:9847 --name wordsearchmaker wordsearchmaker

Synology NAS Deployment

Option 1: Using Container Manager (DSM 7.2+)

1. Upload all project files to your NAS (e.g., /volume1/docker/wordsearchmaker/)
2. Open Container Manager on your Synology NAS
3. Go to Project > Create
4. Set the project name to wordsearchmaker
5. Set the path to where you uploaded the project files
6. It will auto-detect the docker-compose.yml
7. Click Next then Done
8. Access at http://your-nas-ip:9847

Option 2: Using Docker CLI via SSH

# SSH into your Synology NAS
ssh admin@your-nas-ip

# Navigate to the project directory
cd /volume1/docker/wordsearchmaker

# Start the container
docker-compose up -d

Setting Up Reverse Proxy (Optional)

To access via a subdomain with HTTPS through Synology's built-in reverse proxy:

1. Open Control Panel > Login Portal > Advanced > Reverse Proxy
2. Click Create:
   • Description: Word Search Maker
   • Source Protocol: HTTPS
   • Source Hostname: wordsearch.yourdomain.com
   • Source Port: 443
   • Destination Protocol: HTTP
   • Destination Hostname: localhost
   • Destination Port: 9847
3. Apply and configure your DNS to point the subdomain to your NAS

Customizing the Port

Edit docker-compose.yml to change the port mapping:

ports:
  - "3000:9847"  # Change 3000 to your preferred port

Customizing the Timezone

Edit docker-compose.yml to set your timezone:

environment:
  - TZ=Europe/London  # Change to your timezone

Project Structure

wordsearchmaker/
├── index.html          # Main HTML structure
├── app.js              # Application logic and UI handling
├── generator.js        # Puzzle generation engine
├── content-filter.js   # Content safety filters for all languages
├── templates.js        # Pre-made puzzle templates and i18n
├── styles.css          # Styling and themes
├── Dockerfile          # Docker image definition
├── docker-compose.yml  # Docker Compose configuration
├── nginx.conf          # Nginx web server configuration
├── .dockerignore       # Docker build exclusions
└── README.md           # This file

Usage

Using Templates

1. Go to the Templates tab
2. Filter by category, language, or difficulty
3. Click on a template card to open it
4. Print or interact with the puzzle

Creating Custom Puzzles

1. Go to the Create Custom tab
2. Enter a title for your puzzle
3. Type your words (one per line or comma-separated)
4. Choose grid size, shape, difficulty, and theme
5. Click Generate Puzzle
6. Print or download your creation

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Escape - Close modal
• Ctrl+P - Print current puzzle

Browser Support

Works in all modern browsers:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge

External Dependencies

None! This is a fully self-contained static application using system fonts.

License

Made with love for puzzle lovers everywhere.